“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” ~ Steve Jobs
If you are a startup offering a product with the best design and features and are still unable to capture the market, the focus needs to move from the design to the user experience (UX). Obsessively changing the product design, would be the equivalent of going down a rabbit hole.
A good product, with a poor user experience is set up for failure..!
According to Analysis 101 startup post-mortems, ignoring the users, their needs and not accounting for great user experience is the reason why 17% of the startups fail. And 17% is a huge number which can’t be ignored.
But first there are two elements that serve their individual purpose to cater, a User interface and a User experience. How do they differ?
Studies show the effect of UX/UI of a product in a company amounts to 30% of its success. This overpowers the contribution of a good business model towards the company’s success.
What defines a “bad user experience”?
Have you felt overwhelmed by reading the content on a website? Or the website/ app requires multiple clicks, new windows opening or is visually complex to understand?
The crux : the user is unable to navigate to reach the product offering or is cannot understand the usability.
Whether web, mobile, tablet or smart watch the product needs to be desirable to use. This is where the User Interface (UI) meets the User Experience (UX) — the image, the colour, the brand, the information users are looking for, needs to be presented in a clean and simple way. Define in simple terms what your product offering is, and how EASY it is to use.
The saying “Less is More”, has never held more meaning. And this is where new-age companies sometimes get carried away, while wanting to be termed as “cool, innovative and different”.
User interface and user experience can only be termed as “cool” if it makes the user feel that –
a.) He understands the product ~ (And how its a relevant solution to his problem statement)
b.) He feels confident he can use it ~ (User interface: all the elements that allow the user to avail the product/ service offering- make sense to him/her)
c.) He wants to continue using the product, after the first experience. ~ (User Experience: the product/service delivered what it promised. The best UX is intuitive to the point of being addictive even.)
Take Amazon for example. Their mission statement reads: “We strive to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.”
And sure enough when you go to the Amazon website that is exactly the experience you get, even if it doesn’t look the “prettiest”..!
So what are the common mistakes a new-age companies make while designing the UX…?? Stay tuned for our upcoming posts as we deep dive into this..!
Conclusion: Without a usability and customer experience gratification, no product or service can survive the market.
“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, & the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.”— Dain Miller, Web Developer
