Does user experience really matters?
Is Revenue/Profit is the only important factor that matters for any organization’s product or services.
User experience can be defined as the overall experience that a person has when interacting with a product or service, including how easy it is to use, how enjoyable it is, how efficient it is, and how well it meets the user’s needs and expectations. A positive user experience can lead to increased user satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement, while a negative user experience can result in frustration, dissatisfaction, and ultimately, abandonment of the product or service.
In today’s highly competitive digital arena, where users have countless options to choose from, companies that prioritize user experience tend to have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. Providing a great user experience can not only help attract and retain customers, but it can also lead to increased revenue, improved brand reputation, and greater customer loyalty.
However this is not only true in today’s digital world. Even in the past brands used to market or define positions for themselves through the Positive user experience of the customers. For example, in India in the 2000s ads of Nirma used to showcase how the end end users feel delighted when they use the detergent. This continuous marketing of the user’s happiness quotient led to Nirma becoming a household name.
In today’s time the ease with which the user is able to transact money online through QR code & feeling of fulfillment of users that they belong to the Millennials has made Paytm & Phone Pay a household name. “Paytm Karo” is the new jargon even in the small retail shops especially in Metro cities of India. It should also be noted that Transaction failure resulting in a negative user experience in case of Google Pay has recently decreased its market share.
Therefore, it’s crucial for companies to invest in user experience design & functionalities and to continuously evaluate and improve the user experience of their products and services & with this it is evident that- Yes, user experience (UX) really matters. In fact, it’s one of the most important factors in determining the success of a product or service.
Now the next question arises is- How can an organization improve the user experience ?
Different ranges of strategies and techniques are involved in improving the user experience. This range varies depending on the specific product or service and the needs of the target audience. Here are some general tips on how to improve user experience:-
- Religiously conduct user research: The first step to improving user experience is to understand your users’ needs, preferences, and pain points. If an organization is working in silos & is not listening to the voice of their customers then at a point of time their product or service may lead to a decrease in the happiness quotient(Net Promoter score) of the consumer. Thus the organization, specially the product manager has to be in contact with their users. This can be done through user research methods such as surveys, interviews, and usability testing. Here the Product manager has to swallow his/her ego & be prepared to know the gray side of their product or services. Many start-ups in today’s time are not able to perform well or are failing because they are running purely for revenue(for getting the investment). Many famous brands are either vanished or have lost their charm because of lack of adaptation according to the changing user needs. Brands like Kodak, Nokia, Yahoo are some of the examples. They are either not paying attention to the overall user experience or are just applying random “Jugaad” methodology(Indian terminology for temporary fixes) to reactively fix the dent in the user experience pillar.
- Simplify navigation: The point where any organization’s product or service is handling the solution of the user’s pain point, should be made easily available(easy to find) for users by simplifying navigation and labeling. Use clear and concise language, and organize content logically. Here the role of both UX Design team & UX Product team goes hand in hand by simplifying the functionalities & improving the Human-Computer Interaction facility. Visual design can play a big role in enhancing usability. Use visual cues such as colors, typography, and icons to guide users through the interface and make it easier to use.
One can take the example of Swiggy app(An Indian Start for Online Food delivery from nearby start-up)- In bottom navigation it has a very limited Call-to-action(CTAs) & all of them directly take the user to the point where they can order their food without any hussle by looking into the restaurant and dishes or can buy groceries for their home.
Simple flow & limited Call-to-action(no unnecessary layer of navigation) can lead to a rise in the overall user experience. Having said that, achieving that Simplicity is simply not that easy & it requires continuous research in terms of users, methodologies & technologies.
- Focus on content: Having seamless & easy navigation & an adorable HCI is an important factor but it is not the only factor that is important for user satisfaction. In Fact its share is around 25% in user experience. The large share goes to the content that the product or service is providing to its user. Users come to your product or service for the content. Make sure that your content is high-quality, relevant, authentic and easy to read.
For example- There are many youtubers who are using the leverage of the Youtube’s facility & technology, but ultimately the content of those youtubers defines their success. Not every teacher on Youtube is as successful as Mr. Alakh Pandey of Physics Wallah(aka PW) & the only reason is the content that Mr. Pandey is providing for his students. In fact his quality content & unique teaching style has played a major role in making Physics Wallah the 101st Unicorn of India.
- Optimize for mobile: If your product/ service is technology driven then it should be optimally designed & developed for mobile devices More and more users are accessing products and services on mobile devices. Make sure your product or service is optimized for mobile screens and has a mobile-first design. Many organizations are investing in Mobile Apps & Mwebs so that the use of their product becomes handy. Many of the new generation technology driven organizations like Facebook, YouTube, IRCTC are optimizing for mobile for ease of use to their users.
- Provide feedback: Users want to know that their actions are having an impact. Provide feedback in the form of notifications, messages, or other visual cues to let users know that their actions are being processed. This helps the product in building a faith in the eyes of the customers leading to increase in the happy experience & reliability factor resulting in user retention. Organizations like Duolingo & Zomato(Indian food delivery app) has cracked this feedback mechanism with the help of which it keeps its users aware of the product.
Continuously evaluate and improve: User experience is not a one-time fix or one-time task, rather it is an ongoing process. Continuously evaluate the user experience of your product or service and make improvements through user feedback, market research and analytics data. For the user experience team there is a saying that-
UX Product Manager should blindly believe only on god rest their belief should be based only on data.
The UX team should not overlook data gathered through user experience or analytics. Even the organizations should drive this culture before taking any decision especially in the User Experience Part.
In conclusion, I will say that these tips are not the whole universe or one pill for all the user experience related problems. But one thing I can assure any product manager or organization that by following these tips, you can definitely improve the user experience of your product or service and create a more engaging and satisfying experience for your users resulting in the increase of the Happiness Quotient & loyalty of the users.
