It doesn't matter how good you are as a leader or how great and disruptive your new digital project might be. There's one last challenge every company and business has to face before labeling a project, website, or anything customer-facing a success: The User.
The User puts everything to the test, from the design, flow, and structure, to the efficient use of technology. Facing The User always reminds us that we design and create digital experiences to achieve business goals and initiate transactions, or rather to win something. In other words, an online experience is not just about what The User gets to see; it's about how The User engages and what drives them to that engagement.
No wonder the concept of "user experience" has reigned supreme over the last 10 years or so. A good user experience facilitates a digital journey that encourages user engagement and increases conversion rates. Do you want your users to easily navigate and understand information on your site? Does your online or mobile user experience provide that opportunity? In those few seconds or minutes of digital interactions, are you creating an emotional ride for your brand in your user?
User experience design is a critical success factor in delivering on the brand promise of your web channel. If you are building a company intranet or an enterprise portal that serves employees, business partners, and customers, then your success means delivering a user experience that is comprehensive, contextual, integrated, and personalized. Your user experience must address end-users, content authors, social communities, and even robots - those pesky search engines who crawl your site.
That's what’s possible when you have experiences that are user-focused and based on what your users want and what your business needs.
A user-centered design approach is the cornerstone of modern web development. Technology and beauty go together: a state-of-the-art portal that no one knows how to use is just as pointless as a beautiful interface that doesn't do what you need it to do. If the experience meets users' expectations, it works. Craigslist isn't beautiful, but its value lies deep inside: its experience makes it easy for people to do what they are there to do.
The core truth behind any digital experience is this. The User owns it. That means you can't change it without asking their permission to change it. And it's very rare that you can deliver something successfully without letting the user have a first taste. Part of our work process is to make sure this becomes part of the way you work. We want this mindset to permeate your organization because that will help establish a culture supporting successful digital experiences.
Remember, it isn't ready to go live until The User has approved it. Finally, we believe the internet meets its potential when users have the experience that makes their life easier, simpler, faster, and more intuitive. An internet with user-focused experiences serves everyone most effectively, and if you ask us, it instantly becomes better.
