You have certainly heard about it — UX has been firmly embedded in the digital world for many years. But do you know what it actually is, and more importantly, why your projects need UX?
LET’S START WITH A DEFINITION OF UX
The term UX stands for User Experience.
According to ISO standard 9241-210, UX Design relates to “the perceptions and responses of a person that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service”.
According to Wikipedia: UX refers to the quality of the experience lived by the user, in the context of digital environments.
To summarise, UX is the science of the user experience. Much more than ergonomics, UX is also concerned with how the user feels — creating a unique experience for them.
UX Design therefore involves thinking ahead before conception begins, and regularly testing hypotheses or chosen options to ultimately guarantee an optimal user experience.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO TAKE USER EXPERIENCE INTO ACCOUNT?
To begin with, a very telling statistic:
More than 7 out of 10 users will not return to a website if their first experience on it was a poor one.
To achieve your objectives, you therefore need to offer a genuine “experience” to your users. A basic website is no longer sufficient to drive purchases, newsletter sign-ups, or any other conversion. Without UX, your site simply isn’t generating enough conversions.
The same applies to software. We quickly abandon any tool that is difficult to get to grips with.
HAVE WE ALL BECOME IMPATIENT?
Not exactly — but out of necessity we must filter through the vast number of sites and digital tools available to us. It has become completely normal to leave a site within seconds because the information is poorly organised or we cannot find what we came looking for. With the sheer volume of information available online, we inevitably have to make choices.
Today, users and their “experiences” are critically important to succeeding online. At the speed of the internet, users switch rapidly from one site to another — and from one offer to another. For your site, that means lost revenue.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING UX INTO YOUR PROJECTS?
You have objectives in terms of brand image, ROI, revenue, and reducing development costs. UX enables you to align your product, website, or service with the needs of your future customers right from launch.
REDUCING THE TUNNEL EFFECT IN A PROJECT
By integrating UX before your project even begins, you maximise your chances of meeting the needs and the usage patterns of your target audience(s). You limit the tunnel effect and stay close to the expectations of your future customers. The immediate benefit: you save time and money by only developing the features that are truly necessary.
Gone are the days of projects that drag on for ever, only to discover at the end that users don’t like the result. You will have gathered all the feedback you need in advance to make adjustments where required.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Haven’t incorporated UX yet? Don’t worry — it won’t necessarily mean starting from scratch. As the saying goes: “better late than never”. A UX designer will adapt to the size and maturity of your project. There is always room for improvement!
UX will help you remove the barriers your users face.
YOUR USERS WILL THANK YOU.
Far from being a magician, a UX designer tests and validates with your future users to ensure your product or site perfectly matches their expectations.
You can no longer afford to overlook your users!
Today you must adopt a “user-centred” approach
to achieve your objectives.
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