UX is key in everything
User Experience (UX) is an underrated part of business, whereas it is very important in all aspects. Most founders do design processes from the business perspective. They design processes by asking questions like, “how much are we going to make?” “can we cut costs by designing the process like this?” “can we meet our quarterly target if we implement this?” Little or none of the founders ask questions like “if I were to be the user (at the receiving end), would I be comfortable with this?” “if I were the user, how would I complete go through this process without hitch?”
The most misconstrued fact is that UX is limited to the design of tech products. This is untrue because as a business, we interact with users every time. Users come in different facets. To a designer, the users are the users of his products. To a civil engineer, the users are pedestrians walking on her bridge, drivers navigating through her roads and so on. To an event manager, the users are the attendees of his event. How are we thinking of our users? We tend to do things because of some set standards and not work with the changing trends of how our users behave.
Example of a good design but bad UX is the walkway above. The architect or civil engineer designed a walkway that met standards of design. But the users (pedestrians) are not robots but humans. They figured that if they are going to turn left, they can as well create a diagonal path that eases their journey. If the architect was able to think like the users and not like an architect, she will probably find a way to give room for the users’ ease.
While we may think that it costs more to create a good UX, it actually reduces the cost of damages done by bad UX. A website that is not designed well will hamper the conversions and make you lose revenue from customers that are not patient enough to find a workaround. UX is sustainable, profitable and saves costs in the long run. Let users know they come first and should not be forced to agree otherwise or accept mediocre experience.
Lessons for startups
Refine your process to ensure great UX for users, co-founders/employees and investors. Put everyone else first and the business will thrive.
