Is the UX Planning Process a Waste of Time?

Let’s face it: everybody wants to use a product that makes them feel good after using it. Whether a digital, analog, or hybrid, it’s nice to know that somebody took the time of day to consider you when designing what you’re using. But is there a point where the designer is instead wasting time in the name of reaching a broader user base?

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It’s a tricky line to draw; you want to design for a target group, but the levels of expertise varies between the members of that group. It’s important to design for as many people as possible, but only insofar as it pertains to a.) the original target group, b.) members who are willing to diversify their skill-set and potentially learn a new UI flow, and c.) the same niche of individuals.

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Succinctly, the product or service will ultimately be intended for — at least in the beginning phases — one or two niche groups at a time. Some groups are larger than others — Spotify has to reach anybody, anywhere who needs a better place to listen to music, for example, but making a music streaming service’s UX universally applicable is far different from — say — a service like Autodesk’s Fusion 360. Both services have excellent user interfaces, but have totally different user experiences and target markets. No matter how simple the Fusion360 folks make the UI, the user experience must be gained through tutorials, walk-throughs, and demos. Consider what Michael Li on StackOverflow’s UX section has to say: “…you don’t want to dismiss ideas on the basis of it being unrealistic, but you can certainly document it and move on rather than spending too much time over-analyzing it.” (Credit: https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/91357/over-playing-the-devils-advocate-how-much-is-too-much) Essentially, mull over ideas that seem pertinent to the product, but don’t chase them down a rabbit hole of unnecessary additions until metrics can be gathered on the user experience’s first few drafts.

So to answer the original question, I would argue that UX Planning is not a waste of time until the designers begin designing past their target market(s), or start implementing too many features in efforts to “enrich” the user experience with more features as opposed to functionality and learn-ability. A good balance is required with all things, especially in UX: design for most, but don’t kill yourself trying to design for all.