Unlocking the Business Value of UX: 4 Types of Metrics to Track
A positive UX can lead to better user engagement, increased customer retention, and higher revenue. But how could we ensure and prove the business value of UX, especially when we need to communicate its importance to various business units like marketing, sales, and engineering?
In this article, I’ll explore four types of metrics to track that I learned from the book “Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting UX Metrics” by Albert and Tullis, along with some personal reflection as a product manager intern.
Before the Product Goes Live: Ensure Consensus Among Stakeholders
1. Align the Goal Again: It’s crucial to start by aligning the goals of the UX project with our stakeholders. Clearly define what success means and ensure everyone is on the same page. Share case studies of successful UX teams within our industry or organization to illustrate how improving user experience led to product growth. This step will set the stage for understanding the value of UX.
2. Design and Ensure Stakeholder Agreement on What to Track: After the product goes live, focus on which metrics to track. Engage with stakeholders to determine key indicators that will help assess the UX project’s value. Clearly define the methods, timeline, and budget to make the process more manageable.
After Product Go-Live: 4 Types of Widely Used UX Metrics
1. Universal UX Benchmarking Tool: Google HEART Framework
The Google HEART framework provides a comprehensive way to measure UX. It consists of five key metrics: Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task effectiveness and efficiency. These metrics give us a holistic view of how users interact with the product and their overall satisfaction.
2. Focus on Interaction: Drop-off Rate/Conversion Rate
Analyzing drop-off and conversion rates can reveal where users abandon our product or service. High drop-off rates can signal issues in the user journey, while conversion rates indicate the success of our UX design in guiding users toward desired actions.
3. Focus on Accessibility: Success Rate, Time on Task, and Errors
Usability and accessibility are critical aspects of UX. Success rate measures how often users complete a task successfully. Time on task helps assess the efficiency of our design, while monitoring errors can identify pain points that need improvement.
4. Focus on ROI
Return on Investment (ROI) is the ultimate metric that matters to business stakeholders. According to the book, there are two major categories of ROI to consider:
- Internal ROI: This includes factors like increased user productivity, decreased user errors, reduced training costs, savings from early design changes, and decreased user support costs.
- External ROI: External ROI is tied to the revenue side of the business. It encompasses increased sales and decreased customer support costs.
In conclusion, the business value of UX is clear, but proving it requires a strategic approach. Before our product goes live, establish stakeholder consensus and conduct pilot tests. Afterward, track metrics using a comprehensive framework like the Google HEART framework and focus on interaction, usability, accessibility, and ROI. I also remind myself that one metric alone may not provide the full picture, so use a combination of these metrics to understand our UX better and make data-driven decisions. By doing so, we could get closer to unlocking the true potential of UX and demonstrate its impact on business success.
Reference
Albert, B., & Tullis, T. (2013). Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting UX Metrics. Morgan Kaufmann. Chapter 9, pp. 232–235.
