Amazon \u2014 The Trillion Dollar UX Problem<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nNaturally, this topic is rather broad and impacts different phases of product or service development. With 12 years working in user experience design and an array of Fortune 500 companies in my portfolio, I have cherry-picked the most pertinent information for this piece.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s make a deal: if you like this article and have some questions or would like clarifications on any of the UX research services or methods, leave a message and I\u2019ll share more ideas and techniques.<\/p>\n
In my tenure as the head of the Design Office at Intellias, I\u2019ve come to view UX design as a preventive measure.<\/p>\n
And you know what they say: prevention is better than a cure. Just like an apple a day keeps a doctor away.<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s a rather accurate and descriptive metaphor for the impact of UX and UX design research. In simple English, you can totally ignore this stage of product development, but if you pay proper attention to it, you\u2019ll save yourself a lot of hassle later.<\/p>\n
Prevention is cheaper, consumes less time and effort, and involves fewer risks than any cure. This also describes product development with the proper UX phase.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say you can brush and floss your teeth regularly and use an irrigator to prevent cavities. The alternative is to face a problem when it arises \u2014 which it inevitably does \u2014 and rush to get expensive emergency dental treatment when your canines get inflamed.<\/p>\n
The naked truth about user experience stats: The development phase with the highest ROI<\/b><\/p>\n
Here are some facts to give you a quick perspective on why every software development project needs to devote time and money to UX design research or face the consequences:<\/p>\n
\n- Fixing an error after development is 100 times more costly than fixing it before development.<\/li>\n
- 3 of the 12 most cited reasons why projects fail lie in the realm of user experience failures.<\/li>\n
- According to Forrester Research, every dollar spent on UX brings an ROI of $100.<\/li>\n
- Projects with user personas have 4 times the ROI of those without them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Now that the why is out of the way, let\u2019s get down to the how.<\/p>\n
Asking the right questions to shape the right product<\/h3>\n
Simple fact: to make the right decisions, we need sufficient inputs.<\/p>\n
Most poor decisions are made due to insufficient initial data. The resulting mistakes vary in price from dirt cheap to mind-blowingly expensive.<\/p>\n
But they\u2019re never free.<\/p>\n
Without relevant information, we rely on our personal assumptions and limited experiences to walk the beaten path of trial and error.<\/p>\n
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When you need to buy milk, you may ask yourself various questions: How much do I need: a liter, a gallon, or a pint? Should I get 2.5%, skim, or lactose-free? To make the right choice, you must understand the purpose of this purchase: Why do you need the milk and what will you do with it? Drink it as is, add it to tea or coffee, use it in baking? Who will consume it? You, your family, or guests? Do you need to consider lactose intolerance and allergies?<\/p>\n
Perhaps you can do little things without a purpose, but more often we must imagine the bigger picture to understand the impact of our actions and make the right choices.<\/p>\n
The same applies to business and product development: the more we know, the more precise the actions we can take. And vice versa: the less we know, the higher the risk of harm to the client\u2019s business and our reputation.
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