Since the value of UX Design seems to be - at first sight - difficult to quantify as compared to benefits offered by other investments, it can sometimes be difficult to convince executives of the importance of investing in user experience. Given the current state of the market skipping over UX could cost you. In a time when we feel overwhelmed with products and services that all seem the same, the truth is that only a user-centered approach will allow your business to stand out and make a difference.
Still, when making a business case for UX Design, the fact that many of its benefits may go unnoticed can be an obstacle. This can be rather frustrating - but don’t worry, since the ROI of UX is getting documented and quantified more and more in recent reports and studies.
The large corporations that we all know aren’t the only ones seeing success but also the most innovative startups have been benefiting from investments that put them at the top in terms of design. A study has shown that organizations that invested more resources in improving their customer experience were able to financially outperform their competitors by almost 80%.
UX and ROI: Saving costs and adding value
It’s understandable that executives need to be shown convincing projections about the ROI of UX before assigning resources to it, but the fact is that the relationship between UX and ROI is not so difficult to prove as it may seem. The savings and benefits derived from improving usability, rendering a greater functional and visual consistency to a product and increasing consumer productivity can all be measured.
Investing in UX can help us to identify potential inefficiencies and issues in the early stages of development. This way, budget, and resources are maximized by avoiding those annoying, all-too-common delays that jeopardize on-time launches and end up leaving everybody unsatisfied. On the other hand, UX positively impacts the post-release phase of a product by adding value to the consumer experience, improving retention, credibility, and loyalty.
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How ROI can be significantly increased by UX
Take a look at the 5 ways in which UX can empower your ROI:
1. Reducing Redesign: Communication between all parties involved is key for that smooth process we all hope for at the beginning, in which everybody feels heard and valued - and ultimately satisfied. With their overall perspective of a project and a deep understanding of its goals, the role of UX designers is to align the views and desires of all the stakeholders from the beginning. This way, essential fixes can be made early in the design life cycle, reducing design changes to the minimum.
2. Reducing Development Time and Costs: By defining the usability requirements upfront and identifying the scope of work in the early stages, UX Design allows to keep costs of development and implementation under control, making the project more cost-effective, and avoiding expensive, time-consuming changes in the middle of the development phase.
3. Reducing User Support Costs: The initial effort to create an easy-to-use product not only increases user retention but also prevents calls from puzzled users asking for help. An intuitive product that can be easily understood by a first-time user means fewer of those support calls that every business is eager to minimize. Also, by enhancing end-user productivity, user-oriented design significantly reduces costs derived from providing training.
4. Reducing Maintenance Costs: UX designers are responsible for identifying functionality and usability issues before and during the production cycle. This facilitates work during the development phase, while also reducing post-release fixes, thus limiting expenditures in the future.
5. Improving Credibility and Satisfaction: a study has shown that a lack of user acceptance is responsible for the failure of 70% of products. On the contrary, when a software product is designed from the beginning with the user in mind, it tends to show increased user satisfaction, increased user retention, and greater trust in the system. This, of course, ultimately means a boost for transactions and product sales.
UX Design: Essential in our experience-driven economy
We are swiftly moving towards an economy driven by experience, and bringing satisfaction and building trust with customers is what we all aim to do. But this requires a continual effort. Thinking of customers as mere members of easily classifiable groups doesn’t make sense anymore: every product should be designed with an awareness that it is targeted toward individuals, with intellectual and emotional needs that are in constant flux.
In view of all this, UX has become a critical element in our competitive economy. And it’s not only a question of a one-time investment. It’s a shift of perspective that is crucial for a long-term successful business strategy. Companies should start considering UX Design as a continuous process that needs to be integrated into every project. Executives will be willing to do this once they have clearly understood the relationship between UX and ROI, and the importance of optimizing all resources and energy towards creating value for customers.
