2. 1. WHAT IS UX?
2. PROCESS
3. BUSINESS VALUE
4. NOW WHAT?
WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE?
3.
4. WHAT IS UX?
UX ENCOMPASSES ALL ASPECTS
OF THE END-USERS INTERACTION
WITH A COMPANY, ITS SERVICES
AND PRODUCTS; AND THE QUALITIES
THAT MAKE IT RELEVENT OR
MEANINGFUL TO THAT USER.
WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE?
Everyday we have good experiences and not so good experience using objects, products and services.Not so good experiences: * Doors that won't open * Taps that are too sensitive (turn slightly to hot and it's scolding your skin) * When projectors that are designed to project mainly from a computer never work smoothly when you plug it in * Online shopping sites with a checkout process that takes longer than it took to actually find the item you want to buy * Developing RSI in your hand from constantly pinching and spreading your fingers from websites that don't work on mobile.All these things lead to a negative brand experience. On the other hand, we can have great user experiences. * When you purchase an Apple iPhone and turn it on, it just works. * The difference between buying a Sony tablet and an iPad * Google - with just one search field, they deliver back the revenant content and quick. * When you take a photo and share it through Instagram. * When you listen to a song on Rdio, the music streaming service, at work, then go home and visit the Rdio site again. The same song resumes playing where you left off, all without pressing play.All these things lead to a positive brand experience. It leaves you happy, you're more likely to tell people about it, buy from and visit that brand maybe a bit more.This is what we call a user experience.
What is User ExperienceUX encompasses all aspects of the end-users interaction with a company, its services and products and the qualities that make it relevant or meaningful to that user.Everything from it's look and feel, to how it responds when you interact with it, to the way it fits into people's daily lives.We solve UX problems by starting with the user first, some call this Human Centred Design.These are the three lenses that we look through when trying to solve a problem, consistently coming back to these help us stay on track. We believe that at the crossover of these three lenses, Desirability, Feasibility and Viability, is where you find innovative solutions.
The UX ProcessThis is the process that we use for helping to find solutions and make great products and services. Whilst you may not have seen it mapped out like this, it's probably not to dissimilar to how you may have previously worked on a project.We start off in the Discoveration phase, which is all about gathering as much data and research as possible about the user. We combine data with field research, where we might observe someone using the service, or do some user testing. This is all concrete data.We then synthesise all of this into something less concrete, more abstract, finding insights and themes, and creating stories about the user. At this point, we use these insights to reframe the question. We may have come here with an idea of what the problem was, but now that we've pulled the data apart and made sense of it all, we realise the the real challenge is XYZ. We move forward, identifying opportunities and brainstorming possible solutions, from which we then take the most promising ideas and start to prototype these. This is a critical stage, as prototyping and testing brings us closer to something more concrete. Prototyping and user testing is all about validating our earlier insights and themes that we generated.From there, we learn from testing, and continue to change and iterate until we have a product that is ready to be implemented and executed.From here, the product is launched, but the journey isn't over. Our process is all about constant iteration and repeating these steps, constantly finessing. It helps us create better products, better experiences and catches problems more quickly.
UX is a necessary competency to navigate in today's competitive landscape.Users adoption of technology and behaviours and habits are happening at pace that most brands, platforms and services struggle to keep up to.Large corporations have lost their ability to innovate and keep up with the pace.Most now routinely buy startups for new technology and new products and the fact that they have a superior user experience. Eg - Yahoo buying Tumblr.
Rise of experience gap - What people expect / whats deliveredPeople’s expectations are shaped by the best software and devices they use. Look at the uptake of smartphones - in particular apple. As devices become more connected and context aware, and as people expect to access services in multiple places and devices, it will become more and more difficult to create exceptional experiences.User Experience and its process can help reduce this gap.
UX is good for the top lineA strong UX generates more desirability, performance and cost effective products.Start ups are a great example, where UX is key. It’s predicted that by the end of this year, there will be close to 100 start ups valued at 1 Billion dollars.
2. UX is a competitive advantage.UX is the new black, it what's fashionable at the moment as companies transition into digital, but it's also what's profitable.An example of this is Instagram. Sold for $1bn to Facebook, whose primary asset is not technology, but the best photo sharing experience in the business.
3. UX is disruptiveWhen you look at the companies that are disrupting various industries, you will notice that all of them have a laser like focus on UX. In a world where managers are rewarded for adding as many features as possible to a website or app, these companies remain strong, not allowing feature creep to set in.Can anyone guess this company:Just received $256M in fundingRecording $20M a week in revenue.Adding close to 80,000 new customers a weekWith an active client base of 450,000 users.That company is Uber. A company that has disrupted the taxi industry and transport industry.This is a company who's real service isn't a taxi service, but a great user experience and customer service. They are the greatest facilitator in getting you from point A to point B.UX, when done right, can be disruptive.
4. UX increase adoption and reduces churn15.8% fewer customers on average are likely to consider switching to a competitor when offered a superior experiences v poor experience.Can anyone guess what company received 6 million accommodation bookings last year?AirBNBIn 2013, AirBNB added 6M new guests, 250k new properties and 175K new hosts. Thats all in one year.How did they do this? A great UX experience for both the host and the guest.
5. UX increases customer efficiencyIn a commerce and transaction process, allowing customers to move easily from information to point of purchase helps garner more frequent sales.AirBNB is a great example of this. When AirBNB first started, AirBNB users were able to bookmark a place they they wanted to visit or stay buy clicking on a star on that particular property - it was a key feature in their accommodation service.However, it wasn't getting the traction it needed.Through some changes in usability and design, they changed the existing symbol of a star to a heart, and saw engagement go up 30% instantly - and AirBNB wish lists were born.Today, 45% of AirBNB users have created a wish list.
What do you do with all of this?
If there is one thing you do this year, then start every brief, every challenge, every brainstorm session with the user first. UX design isn't a skill set.UX design is a mindset.Look through every challenge through the lens of the user and how we can make that experience the best they've had.Is this desirable?How can we make this useful?How can we make this usable?