Well if Roger Pressman and a secondary Forrester Report are to be believed that is actually the case! In Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach, Roger Pressman states that every dollar spent on UX brings in between $2 and $100. Likewise, in a 2019 Forrester report. $1 spent on UX returns $100.”
Some may think these statements seem hyperbolic, but even if it is half or quarter that amount most all organizations should be investing in their respective user experiences especially from an end-user, customer, vendor, alliance partner, employee, and prospective employee perspective. Why these personas/audiences you ask? Each of these audiences have a direct or indirect impact on revenue or operational efficiency. I’ve been a huge proponent of keeping things simple, standard, efficient especially when leveraging technology. Additionally, you should view user experience as the tip of the spear in revenue and operational effectiveness and efficiency.
When and where should we take on this initiative?
So…if we can agree investment in user experience (UX) is worthwhile…when and where should we take on this initiative? The “when” is a tricky question…chances are your technology organization likely already has UX related initiatives and they are happy to discuss outcomes and scenarios..additionally, many organizations are going through strategic planning initiatives for 2022 right now, so why not get an “easy win” this coming year!
Now for the “where”… Chances are, you’ll be met with open arms by many department heads, end-users, and employees if you were to ask, “how can we improve the user experience of <insert a persona or audience>?” or “how can we have a frictionless experience with our customers, alliance partners, and vendors?” The “where” should be easy enough to tie to larger strategic initiatives that senior leadership, and board of directors have set forth, and if your idea for improvement ties to those larger initiatives, you’re more likely to be successful in your pitch.
Demystifying the Roadblocks…
so how do you open dialog on user experience? Oftentimes organizations are not familiar with terminology of UX. This is especially true in the business ranks whereas it more frequently occurs in the technology world. However, you need not fear of addressing this head on! The vast majority of the business world is very familiar with customer satisfaction (CSAT) and customer experience (CX), and employee satisfaction (ESAT) and employee experience (EX) which will allow you to have meaningful conversations with similar vocabulary and language. Remember to keep the discussion functionally aligned, persona-based, AND tied to larger strategic initiatives; this will keep the conversation focused on the user experience!
What’s the cost of not focusing on UX?
Human Factors International report, Usability: A Business Case postulated that fixing [user experience] design mistakes during the development process can cost 10X to remediate; while it can cost 100X to remediate after release. This brings us to the importance of engaging and failing often in the design process. Mindset Consulting leverages the SAP AppHaus method of Human-Centered Approach to Innovation framework which encompasses the all important Design Thinking process.
Have a user experience (UX) challenge? Mindset Can Help!
We assist organizations with SAP and SAP adjacent technologies to enable their human-centered enterprise experiences.
Want to learn more?
I’ll be hosting our SAP S/4HANA Virtual Roundtable on November 12, 2021 and we will be discussing user experience related topics inclusive of design, function, technology, capability, and extensibility. This is an open forum where anyone may participate and contribute as we share ideas and experiences. Come join us… Register Here
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