#mypersonalsuccessfactors
Good user experience has always been a passion for me, but I must admit that I made several errors during the first 12 years of my career in the tech industry. The biggest one? I did not engage with the users. I believed that my opinion was sufficient based on my growing experience and seniority in the tech industry. How arrogant I was!
Customer Co-Innovation
Two situations significantly changed my perspective. The first occurred in 2014 when my boss approved an important business case under the condition of customer co-innovation with at least three customers. We announced our plans at an industry-specific customer roundtable and ended up with 13 co-innovation customers. We held quarterly in-person workshops, gathering their functional and non-functional requirements. We reviewed our concepts, specs, and designs with them, demonstrating our growing software. The valuable feedback we received was quickly incorporated into our concepts and software. I am convinced that this approach helped us greatly in getting the software right with our very first release.
User Testing
The second situation was around the end of 2018. We were on the journey to design, implement, and ship feature after feature on our roadmap of a B2C product. We had already created a vision earlier within the team, derived a roadmap from it, and were in full execution mode—similar to the mode I was in before 2014: we did not talk to users because it was not easy to do so in a B2C environment.
Then my company decided to heavily invest in user testing, requiring all features to be tested before implementation. This was a life-changing moment for me.
We started with moderated, in-person user tests with an agency organizing the testers and a well-equipped user testing room. Over time, we switched to moderated/unmoderated remote user tests. We used platforms like UserTesting.com and achieved excellent results. Initially, my product designer and I conducted all the user tests. It was quite challenging for us to follow the rules of user testing. Especially being neutral moderators observing the user while testing our prototype, capturing their feedback, and not explaining or defending our ideas. Once we understood this, we started to see the value of this method and how much it helps identify and solve UX issues or confirm concepts and designs before starting implementation.
Role of UX Designer
Later, we added the role of a UX designer to our team, conducting user research and ensuring that UX best practices were maintained during the definition and design of our software. This person planned and moderated the user tests, enabling me and others to observe the tests and take notes.
Design Sprints
After some time, we adopted the design sprint method. A design sprint is closely related to the design thinking methodology. In just five days, you go through the process of defining and understanding the problem, ideating solutions, creating choices, choosing options to continue with, prototyping a flow, and testing it with users. We used this approach in many cases and achieved great results with this method.
source: thesprintbook.com
Quantitative Surveys & Feedback Forms
There is more you can do to improve UX: conduct quantitative surveys or you can allow users to provide written feedback via feedback forms. If you do so, ensure that you automate the process of feedback consolidation. Then, you need to work on this feedback for the good of your product. If you don’t look at your feedback and don’t work on it, then stop asking for it!
Design System
Very important preconditions for good UX are to have a design system available and to use it consistently. Furthermore, you should adhere to UX standards, such as accessibility standards. If possible, do this from day 1. Fixing it later is very painful and close to impossible.
Conclusion
These are just a few things that changed my mindset and helped me define good UX from the beginning. Be curious and euphoric about your users!