Summary
Traditionally, UX Designers struggle to show the impact of the work that they do. This negatively impacts the influence that they have on product delivery, often relegating them to being ’doers’ and not being involved in strategic initiatives. The end result - product delivery is inefficient with rework taking up a large slice of time that could be used to drive innovation to generate more value. In this session, we’ll outline how a simple UX Measurement framework can help change the tide of the conversation, giving the UXer a lift up into more strategic conversations, getting involved earlier in product delivery.
Key Insights
-
•
UX teams are often limited to tactical project-level involvement and need to connect to strategic executive decision-making to increase impact.
-
•
There has been a steep decline (70%+) in UX and design job postings post-pandemic, creating both challenges and opportunities.
-
•
Customer experience initiatives can drive revenue since customers are willing to pay more for great experiences, but many companies fail to execute effectively.
-
•
UX research lacks quantitative metrics compared to other insight teams, making it harder to communicate in the language executives prefer.
-
•
AI enables faster data accessibility and automated UX task generation but risks oversimplification and reliance on unvalidated insights.
-
•
Subjective decision-making and 'design by committee' emerge when UX data is insufficiently quantitative or validated, causing rework and morale loss.
-
•
Significant rework (30-50% of effort) occurs when feedback and UX validation are delayed, adding cost and inefficiency in agile development.
-
•
Combining behavioral and qualitative data can identify root causes of UX problems and directly link UX improvements to business outcomes.
-
•
The Quality Experience (QX) score unifies attitudinal and behavioral data into a single metric that executives can easily grasp and act upon.
-
•
Advancing design maturity depends on close collaboration between product management and design ops to align UX efforts with business KPIs.
Notable Quotes
"Most creative teams are always teetering on the edge of greatness."
"Numbers drive conversations, numbers drive decisions. That’s the executive language."
"Why do we struggle to have that impact that we should be having when we are actually having that impact?"
"AI is making data more accessible to everybody, but it’s not going to make things better for us in the near future."
"The problem isn’t ever fully defined. The numbers give you the what, but they don’t give you the why."
"UXers want a seat at the table, and executives want KPIs to measure against. How do you bridge the gap?"
"Every company wants to be a software company, launching faster and improving quality with more developer velocity."
"UX assets are our business assets. How do we talk about our UX assets as business assets?"
"If you’re learning something at the end of Sprint six, it’s really costly to go back and make changes in Sprint one or two."
"To advance design maturity, you need a tight business partnership between product management and design ops leaders."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A good story that people can retell is key for global communication, even if it distorts a bit."
Adam Cutler Karen Pascoe Ian Swinson Susan WorthmanDiscussion
June 8, 2016
"Developing trust means showing you understand what it takes to get something shipped, that you’re reliable, and that people can be vulnerable with you."
Peter MerholzThe Trials and Tribulations of Directors of UX (Videoconference)
July 13, 2023
"Digital is a system, not a project. It’s there all the time and you have to keep iterating on it."
Lisa WelchmanCleaning Up Our Mess: Digital Governance for Designers
June 14, 2018
"Transportation must evolve to be more sustainable and accessible for all."
Vincent BrathwaiteOpener: Past, Present, and Future—Closing the Racial Divide in Design Teams
October 22, 2020
"It matters what you build, but it matters more if you learn."
Brenna FallonLearning Over Outcomes
October 24, 2019
"Never be afraid to get into good trouble; start by asking why."
Tricia WangSpatial Collapse: Designing for Emergent Culture
January 8, 2024
"Marital status mattered because car buying decisions often involve family members, not just the individual."
Edgar Anzaldua MorenoUsing Research to Determine Unique Value Proposition
March 11, 2021
"The toy shouldn’t be the goal of play, but a tool or a process that unlocks the unlimited possibilities set forth before a child."
Designing Systems at Scale
November 7, 2018
"Ethics evolve faster than law; just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s ethical."
Erin WeigelGet Your Whole Team Testing to Design for Impact
July 24, 2024