UX Strategy Demystified

Or why UX Strategy remains one of the commonly misused industry terms

Introduction

In one of the recent conversations with an acquaintance of mine, the term UX Strategy was mentioned. My counterpart, who has spent a larger part of his career in the realm of software development, seemed to have been very familiar with that term. “It is about designing user interfaces,” he exclaimed visibly confident with his answer.

Although such response on his part was not entirely unexpected, it nonetheless made me think about a seemingly broad misconception of what defines the term User Experience Strategy. Thinking more about it brought up an even bigger question of the general understanding of the concept of User Experience, surely a great topic for another article. So what is UX Strategy anyway?

In the beginning there was a User…

In its fundamental, overarching purpose, UX Strategy seeks to effectively align the overall business and functional vision of a digital product with its intended users.
A concise summary, it nonetheless reflects, in my opinion, the overall definition of a UX Strategy. There are, of course, many other components and moving parts, some of which we will explore in this discussion.

It is worth noting here that the product users are not exclusively the product customers. This is an important distinction, which is often lost in the depths of product strategy discussions. Product users are anyone who comes in contact, direct or indirect with the product. That includes, but is not limited to product marketing specialists, customer support specialists, legal, business, and any other entity that comprise the product’s “brand touchpoints,” as described in my article Product Development — a Creative Process.

Vision + Goals = Strategy

Digital (as well as non-digital) products are designed with the number of goals in mind. These goals may include profit making, addressing a unique product need, capturing a new market share, and many others. In the business realm, nothing moves forward unless there’s a clearly defined need for something to move forward.

The need to move forward defines the overall vision of the future product. This process bears a wonderful duality, whereas the vision itself often drives the need to move forward. The future product, at this juncture does not yet have its established look and feel. Nor does it contain a full spectrum of its functionalities. The product simply exists as a clearly defined vision, an immensely powerful factor. Early explorers, seafaring on long and often treacherous journeys, had the vision of discovering and exploring new frontiers, at times with only the general direction of their journey. Their vision, however, drove them forward, whether to their success or their peril.

The product’s vision in turn defines its strategy. An effective strategy includes, at its core, the users — all while posing a number of questions. Who are they? What do they need? How can this future product make their lives better? These and many other questions become part of the overall product strategy, which includes the mysterious UX strategy component. Most, if not all, of the questions require a great deal of initial research and analysis.

At this state in the life of the product, a core Product Leadership team takes shape. Such team, lead by a senior product expert, closely and extensively collaborates and communicates with business, product ownership and other groups. As I mention in my previous UX Planet article, The Minimum Viable Product, effective cross-team communication undoubtedly becomes one of the key parts of the overall product development success.

Enter the UX

The User Experience (UX) team brings its foresight and expertise at this early stage in the product development process. One of its main functions is to complement the efforts of the product team with an effective UX Strategy.

It is perhaps important to recognize what are some of the parts of a good UX strategy. Or perhaps, more specifically — what makes a good UX strategist?

First and foremost, good UX strategists are great storytellers. They are master narrators, who can craft a story, weave it characters storylines and take the reader (user) on a wonderful journey. This journey will expose the user to the immense power of the narrative, a reflection of the thoughtfully designed product. The user will be delighted by the product’s features, its capabilities, and impressed by its powerful functionality.

UX strategists are skillful listeners and effective planners. Part of the role of a UX strategist is to work in close collaboration with various product groups, including business, technology and others. Through their analysis of the business requirements, and in partnership with other product development groups, UX strategists define and outline effective product UX strategy.

UX strategists bring forth the deep understanding and knowledge of the industry. Their expertise and experience help establish and define specific strategy goals and requirements.

UX strategists are also effective leaders. They function in a leadership role among the team of UX practitioners, which may include UI design specialists, content developers, and information architects, among others. Their leadership drives the efforts of the UX team through all phases of the product development cycle.

A whole is the sum of its parts

Perhaps one of the primary requirements of a good US strategist is the ability to be effective brand communicators. A product’s brand is the sum of all of its parts, equally tangible and intangible. A living, breathing organism, a product’s brand is defined in the early stages of the product development process, part of the overarching product vision. It takes its shape and greater definition as the product development process moves forward and matures.

A product effectively communicates its brand essence to its customers, (or users) through its product offerings and brand touch points, as well as through its presence in the marketplace. With time, its reputation and the customers’ brand loyalty become the key factor of the product’s success.

Conclusion

My acquaintance, who became the driving inspirational force of this discussion, is a great technologist and a communicator. Perhaps his understanding of the term UX Strategy will be enhanced with this very article. Perhaps it won’t. It is important, however, for all UX practitioners to continuously and actively communicate their roles in the overall product development process, whether in healthcare, sciences, medical devices or many other industries, which employ UX specialists. This in turn will positively improve the general understanding and appreciation of the benefits brought by those practicing User Experience.