Why you should Invest in UX Research

Customer expectations of businesses are continuously rising, in fact, research shows that,

“By the year 2020 customer experience will surpass both price and product as the most important brand differentiator”  

Therefore, it is important for your business to meet the expectations you promise to your customers by prioritizing and investing in your site’s experience. A way to do this is by observing your customers by carrying out UX research and testing can help you to understand what would make their experience positive.

This type of research enables understanding of why users behave the way they do which can be used to inform how you can change those behaviours.

If you are unsure if you should invest in UX, here are some of the benefits of implementing UX into your business strategy.

Lower development costs

Usability issues discovered earlier on in the development cycle are proven to be cheaper to resolve. Fixing problems before a site goes live can be up to 90% cheaper (according to Mayhew & Bias).

On the flip side, options to rectify usability issues found post-launch are more limited. You might have to wait for the next redesign or spend more to fix the problems.

Customer Retention

A positive user experience will influence your customer satisfaction levels and encourage continued use of your site. This, in turn, will spread a positive message of your business through word of mouth, social media and customer reviews.

When users have a positive experience and are engaged with your site they are more likely to see the value in the product or service you are offering and are more loyal to your business.

Increase in Revenue

UX research is proven to improve conversion on an eCommerce website. A higher number of engaged and loyal customers will see sales and revenue rise.

With these benefits, there is a strong case for investing in UX. Research has proven that, on average, every dollar invested in UX brings 100 in return. Testing with just 5 users often uncovers a majority of the common problems.

UX does have a history of building brands. For example, Air BnB attributes some of its success to user research. Mike Gebbia from Air BnB has said “when we started talking to our customers and seeing how they used our service, it was the defining moment of success that turned the company around “

Ideally UX research should not be seen as a one-off activity, it should be a continuous part of every businesses long term strategy. The benefits of adopting an effective UX strategy are transformational.

If you would like to learn more or have a project in mind, contact us.