UX strategy- What it means
Why is a UX strategy important?
- It helps the client and other stakeholders understand the experience and benefits of a UX design
- It outlines UX research and design processes
- It sets guidelines to measure UX design success
- It aligns the brand’s identity with the user experience.
How to create a kickass UX strategy
#1- Define your goals
- What are we trying to improve?
- What business challenge are we aiming to solve?
- What do we need to know about our customers?
- What are our budget and time constraints?
- How can we maximize the digital asset’s impact?
#2- Research
Understanding what needs to be done requires detailed research and interviewing various stakeholders-
Primary stakeholders- Consist of those in charge of the digital asset, this could include the business owners or others in high positions. Get answers to the following from them-
- What is currently working well with the digital asset?
- What are your expectations from them?
- What are your biggest concerns with the digital assets and why?
- How does this digital asset compare with its peers, according to you?
Secondary stakeholders- These are the men on the ground, the people responsible for implementing the business plans. These are the people who know the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and which challenges need to be addressed to stand out from the competition. These stakeholders include those in managerial positions in-charge of various departments. Ask them the challenges they face in their departments and what expectations they have with the digital asset to help solve them.
Current Users- Current Users- If your digital asset already exists, interview existing users. These could be customers, frontline employees, or other primary users of the app/website. Get to know what they feel about the app/website, explain why you’re asking for their feedback, and explain what you intend to get from them. Remember, do not waste time here- interview only 2-3 people as the rest may give you similar answers.
Beta Users- Interviewing these testers can be challenging. Their main motive is to identify issues with the app/website and check if everything is working as planned. If things aren’t going as planned, they would be the most frustrated of the lot. When interviewing them, empathize with their challenges and explain how you are going to help improve the product experience, and that this endeavor would not be possible without them.
Subject matter experts- Besides the users, you should also consider interviewing subject matter experts who’ll be working with you like visual designers, programming specialists, behavioral psychologists, data scientists, and many more. Do your research well and ask them only relevant questions. They would be able to give you solutions to a variety of challenges, some of which you might not have even realized.
Competitor’s users- Check out how your competitors’ users feel about their app/website. What do they like the best? What challenges do they face? And so on. To answer these questions you could check out the Apple App Store and Google Play Store reviews.
