Unlock the business value of your UX design
Written By
Edoardo Francesco Liotta
The primary role of every UX (User Experience) practitioner is to serve as an advocate for the user throughout the design process. At the heart of this responsibility is the need to thoroughly research, uncover user needs, and identify critical design issues. However, creating a user-centered design often requires more than just technical skills or an understanding of human behavior. It demands the ability to persuade stakeholders to adopt and invest in your recommendations. In UX design, the success of a project isn’t solely about improving usability—it’s about demonstrating the tangible business value your changes will deliver.
Stakeholders often view design as a subjective or aesthetically-driven discipline, so it’s up to UX practitioners to present a compelling case for why their design proposals matter. A key strategy to achieve this is by tying user experience improvements to measurable business outcomes. This article delves into how UX professionals can quantify the business impact of their design recommendations and effectively communicate their value to decision-makers.
The Challenge of Justifying Design Recommendations
One of the most significant hurdles UX professionals face is justifying their recommendations in business terms. While design proposals may seem obvious or intuitive from a user perspective, stakeholders, who are often responsible for budgets and business strategies, require more concrete evidence. Simply stating that a change will “improve user satisfaction” or “enhance usability” may not suffice. Stakeholders need to know: How will this impact the bottom line?
This is where quantification comes into play. By tying design issues to specific metrics and business goals, UX practitioners can bridge the gap between user advocacy and business priorities. This approach not only helps gain stakeholder buy-in but also elevates the perceived value of UX as a discipline.
Why Descriptive Metrics Matter
The first step in quantifying the business impact of design changes is identifying descriptive metrics. These are metrics that describe the nature of the problem you’re addressing. They provide a foundation for illustrating the scope and severity of user experience issues. Examples of descriptive metrics include:
- The number of customer support requests related to a specific issue.
- The percentage of users abandoning their carts during the checkout process.
- The frequency of users dropping out of a critical workflow, such as account registration or onboarding.
By collecting and analyzing these metrics, you can build a compelling narrative around why a design change is necessary.
Step-by-Step Guide to Quantifying Business Impact
Step 1: Identifying Descriptive Metrics
A straightforward starting point for quantifying user experience problems is examining customer support data. If users frequently contact support to resolve the same issue, it signals a potential design flaw. For example, if a website’s navigation system confuses users, they might repeatedly ask, “How do I find X?” Quantifying these interactions provides clear evidence of a problem that impacts both users and operational efficiency.
Analyzing Abandoned Purchases
Another valuable source of descriptive metrics is analytics data, particularly in e-commerce. High cart abandonment rates often indicate usability issues, such as confusing interfaces or overly complicated checkout processes. By identifying the points where users drop off, you can quantify the extent of the problem and propose targeted design solutions.
Step 2: Translating Descriptive Metrics into Business Metrics
Why Business Metrics Are Crucial
Once you’ve identified descriptive metrics, the next step is translating them into terms stakeholders care about—business metrics. These metrics align directly with key business goals, such as reducing costs, increasing revenue, or improving customer retention. By making this translation, you can connect the dots between user experience improvements and tangible business outcomes.
Operational Costs
Consider the example of customer support calls. If each call costs $3 to handle and your team receives 1,000 calls per month related to a specific usability issue, the monthly expense amounts to $3,000. By addressing the root cause of the problem through a design improvement, you could potentially eliminate or significantly reduce this cost. This quantification makes the case for your design change more compelling and relatable to stakeholders.
Revenue Opportunities
On the flip side, user experience improvements can also unlock new revenue opportunities. For instance, imagine a referral program where each successful referral generates $50 in revenue. If you currently receive 1,000 referrals per month, generating $50,000, a design improvement that boosts referrals by 15% could add $7,500 in additional monthly revenue. Highlighting such opportunities allows stakeholders to see the economic potential of investing in your design work.
Step 3: Communicating Value to Stakeholders
Presenting Your Findings
When presenting your findings, it’s essential to frame them in a way that resonates with stakeholders. Start by summarizing how your design recommendations align with their business goals. Use descriptive and business metrics to illustrate both the problem and the potential impact of your solution. For example, you might say:
- “Currently, we’re handling 1,000 support calls per month related to this issue, costing us $3,000 monthly. By addressing this problem through a design change, we could eliminate these costs entirely.”
- “Our current cart abandonment rate is 60%, representing a significant loss in potential revenue. With an improved checkout flow, we estimate a 20% reduction in abandonment, translating to an additional $10,000 monthly revenue.”
By linking your design work to concrete financial benefits, you position yourself not just as a designer but as a strategic partner in achieving business success.
The Importance of Forecasting Value
In today’s competitive business environment, the ability to forecast value is a critical skill for UX practitioners. Stakeholders need to understand not only the current impact of a problem but also the long-term benefits of addressing it. For example:
- If a design change reduces customer support costs by $3,000 per month, the annual savings amount to $36,000.
- If a new feature increases user retention by 5%, it could lead to a cumulative increase in lifetime customer value over several years.
By providing these forecasts, you help stakeholders appreciate the broader implications of your work and justify the investment required to implement your recommendations.
Beyond Metrics: Crafting a Persuasive Narrative
While metrics are essential for building a strong business case, they’re not the only tool in your arsenal. A well-crafted narrative can amplify the impact of your data by making it more relatable and memorable. For example, you might combine quantitative evidence with a user story that illustrates the real-world consequences of a design issue. A narrative like this can humanize the problem and create an emotional connection with stakeholders:
“Imagine a customer who wants to purchase a gift for a loved one but struggles with our confusing checkout process. Frustrated, they abandon their cart and turn to a competitor. This isn’t just one lost sale, it’s a missed opportunity to build loyalty and trust.”
Such stories, backed by data, can make your case even more persuasive.
Bridging UX and Business Goals
In summary, quantifying the business impact of UX design is crucial for gaining stakeholder support and ensuring your work drives meaningful outcomes. By identifying descriptive metrics, translating them into business terms, and effectively communicating the value of your recommendations, you can align user-centered design with broader organizational objectives.
This approach not only elevates the role of UX within your organization but also helps build a culture where design is seen as a strategic asset. Whether you’re reducing costs, increasing revenue, or enhancing customer loyalty, your ability to demonstrate the business impact of your work is the key to driving lasting change.
For UX practitioners, this is more than a skill, it’s a mindset. By consistently linking design to business outcomes, you not only advocate for users but also position yourself as a vital contributor to your organization’s success. So, the next time you propose a design change, remember: It’s not just about improving the interface; it’s about creating value that resonates at every level of the business.
A special thank you to Kim Flaherty, Senior User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, whose insightful video inspired this article. Her approach to quantifying the business impact of UX design provided the foundation for the ideas explored here.
You can watch her video here.
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