If you are working at a company trying to improve the user experience (UX), you need invoke a multifaceted strategy to achieve success. How do you know you are speaking in the language your customer's understand? Are you sure you are offering the right products? Does your website match the expectations of its visitors? You need to build a strategy that focuses on reducing risk and increasing profits. If you stay centered on these goals, you can then deliver a quality product that encourages repeat business, customer loyalty, less rework and cost savings. Actively listening to your customers needs will dramatically increase online sales.
So how do I introduce the concept of user experience and usability testing at my company? You first need to speak in plain language. Secondly you need to work with people in the style they like to work in. You need to be leader that works closely with executives, stakeholders, designers, developers and consultants so they understand the importance of usability in ways that only makes sense to each group. Below are some quick tips to get you there.
Selling usability at your organization:
- Stress the value of customer feedback leads to reducing risk and increasing profits
- Get feedback from customers prior to product release so it matches their expectations
- Offer free usability tests to provide designers and developers feedback
- Avoid using the word "user" instead say "customer"
- Break down the services you offer in plain language and remove UX jargon
- Gather case studies and share them with your company
- Focus on benefits of working with the customer
- Proof read proposals and suggest user experience updates
- Act like a consultant at all times
- Tell people how you are helping the customer
The book Selling Usability by John S. Rhodes is way to learn more about this topic. I took the liberty to translate his thoughts here into my perspective. I hope this post leads you to greater user experience success. Remember, when in doubt test it out!
