User experience is a major determiner of your startup's success. According to reports, 90% of users stopped using an application because of its low performance, ruining their experience. This could be due to lag, complex design, bugs, etc.
If you desire to eliminate these issues and maximize your product's chances on the market, you'll need the help of user experience designers. When you involve them from the beginning of your product development, they'll provide you with the insights you need to offer your customers a satisfying experience.
This blog will explore the importance of UX for startups and how you can use it to grow your business.
In software development, user experience (UX) design refers to the creation of programs that are intuitive and enjoyable to use. It affects the appearance and usability of your software, affecting user engagement. Moreover, it's outcome-driven and requires a deep understanding of your end user's needs.
A good user experience design improves the performance of your software. In fact, according to reports, businesses that prioritize this design receive 32% more revenue than their competitors.
When developing software, you need a user experience designer to guarantee usability. Through user research, they can establish your customers' needs and expectations. Then, they analyze these results to understand end users and find a way to align their needs with your business goals, designing the perfect product. These designers will also help uncover bugs and refine the software.
Additionally, they'll help create products in the following stages:
Product Stage | Explanation |
|---|---|
Prototype | With a prototype, these designers will highlight the features of the product's interface. |
Wireframe | They will build a very simplified framework for your software. At this stage, they'll test the functionality of your product. |
MVP | A minimum value product (MVP) is a basic version of your software with the fewest features while remaining functional. Designers can use it to receive user feedback. |
Good user experience is crucial for startups because it ensures your business stands out. Its user-centric approach to design ensures that you target an existing, under-served market.
Moreover, the resulting product is so enjoyable that the user experience leads to a high return on investment. According to reports, a $1 investment in user experience design leads to $100 returns. However, this return on investment depends on your specific product, sector, and the skill level of your designers.
Therefore, when you select these designers, you must ensure they have a portfolio proving their experience creating products in your industry. They should also have a clear process for updating products using customers' feedback.
In particular, you should ensure they have the following skills:
Research: They should be able to conduct in-depth research on your end users to understand their needs.
Empathy: These software developers should be able to comprehend your end users' emotions.
Communication: They need to advocate your end users' needs convincingly.
Critical Thinking: They should be able to translate research results into feature, functionality, and framework ideas.
Problem Solving: When they discover issues in the software, they'll need to find ways to resolve them.
When your business contracts a user experience designer, you'll receive the following benefits:
Having a good user experience design increases your company's digital presence. The design creates user-centric products that find their niche in the market. As a result, your products are easier to market and more likely to be visible on digital platforms.
For example, Amazon's website design centers on its users' needs. In particular, it has optimized navigation so customers can easily find the items they wish to buy. Now, reports say that Amazon is the top online market.
Another benefit of leveraging user experience is that it increases customer retention. These designs lead to simple and practical products that end users will easily utilize. Since your users can navigate your software conveniently, they will likely continue using it.
For example, consider Netflix's website. They've crafted an easy-to-navigate interface with sleek graphics. Together, these elements of user experience have helped the company retain customer engagement. According to reports, Netflix gained nearly 260 million subscribers in the past 20 years. This shows how Amazon surprisingly increases customer retention.
User experience designs create convenient products that help increase brand loyalty. As your customers realize your products are convenient, they'll continue selecting them. For example, Apple's intuitive interface has satisfied customers and made them loyal. The company has even used this brand loyalty as the backbone of its upgrade and discounts program.
According to reports, 52% of users claim a low likelihood of interacting with a business if their phone applications offer a subpar experience. So, providing a positive experience to your end users is crucial to retaining clients.
You can reduce costs by involving designers in your product development from its earliest stage. Their designs reduce costs because they already consider how your customers will use them. Therefore, it eliminates wasted time on product ideas with no market, unnecessary features, and complicated functions. Plus, these designers can discover issues in your product before you put it on the market, reducing the hidden costs of dissatisfied customers.
For example, Dropbox started with a few functions. The company decided to offer only the most necessary functions users desired, which cost less than trying to roll out all the possible functions their competitors offered.
You can grow your startup with a smart user experience strategy. Though creating your strategy is a data-driven process, the result should be fluid and guide your business without prescribing rigid directions. Consequently, you would know how to centre customers in product development.
Let's dive into the steps of developing such a strategy:
You'll develop this user experience strategy by developing a vision for your business and this product. This vision should be based on how you can meet your customers' needs. So, you'll need to research your target demographic and decide which needs you wish to meet.
After you've decided what you want to do in general, you should create specific goals. These goals should be tangible targets you need to achieve to meet your customer's needs. Then, you'll create measurement metrics to verify that you've met these goals.
Finally, you'll develop your plan. This plan should communicate to your staff what they must consider to create a product to ensure a positive experience.
Now that you understand the importance of user experience design, here are tips to integrate this concept into the development of your startup:
Research Your End Users: Once you have an idea, research the demographics you think might be interested. This will help you recognize their needs and explain how to meet them best.
Create User Personas: You should analyze your user research to create a representative ideal client. Then, you can build your brand to target this persona.
Refine Your Idea: If you already have an idea for a startup, you should refine it by focusing on interface elements your users prefer.
Test Your Idea: Before fully committing to a startup idea, you should create a proof of concept that centers users. Then, you can verify whether your idea is plausible and worthwhile.
Though the skills of a user experience designer are crucial to any business, hiring and training one can be a hassle – especially for a startup. Instead, you can consider the more convenient option: Outsource your user experience design to the nearshore company Divelement.
This company has skilled, user-experienced software developers. They'll develop and test your products using thorough target research, journey mapping, discovery analysis, and user personas. Then, they'll continue to support your product development and update it whilst focusing on your customers' needs and your business goals.
The importance of UX for startup growth can't be overstated. These designs have an impressive return on investment, making them especially beneficial to startups. Moreover, these designs are crucial when creating products your customers desire and will engage with readily.
Now that you've realized how much you stand to gain from leveraging user experience, consider relying on software development companies such as Divelement. They have the skills to create a seamless and engaging experience. Moreover, they can scale their reliable services to meet your needs and collaborate in real time.
