[IxDA Discuss] User Experience Strategy

[Steve Baty]

Peter,

Firstly, I found the article itself very interesting, and one which
generated a lot of thought. I'll summarise that thinking as follows:
i) A strategy, any strategy (including user experience) is the means by
which one aims to achieve a certain objective or vision;
ii) Our vision should be something tied directly to how we, as an
organisation, define our existence in business;
iii) Our user experience strategy should be consistent with our brand
values, and should - at least in part - aim to communicate those values to
our consumers/users/visitors/guests etc through our interactions with them.
(It could be argued that there is little, if any, real distinction between
these two things. There shouldn't be, but the reality is that they're often
quite distinct);

A user experience strategy which aims to produce the most utilitarian,
no-fuss, use-it-and-move-on products possible is no less valid than one
which aims to make every customer engagement memorable. As Dan mentions, the
aesthetic might be largely invisible (or unnoticed), but strategically its
importance is different to that of the usability. However, in the same way
that one manufacturer might aim to compete in the marketplace as the
low-cost producer of a particular product type versus producing the 'most
desirable' or stylish product (sold at a premium), there will be different
UX strategies adopted by companies for the way they engage with their
customers.

It is also important to know which type of UX strategy you want to work
under. Some people can't stand the constant quest for cost-efficiency that
dominates the business mindset of the low-cost competitor; so they work for
the making of the premium product, where other qualities take precedence.
For some, however, the drive for greater efficiency is a challenge on which
they thrive. Similarly for the UX professional.

Coming back to your question about the connection between UX strategy and
futurity Peter: there are some strategies where the aim will be to define
the future. There will be others where the future is not a consideration -
the technology & interaction style etc will be years behind the leading
edge: and deliberately, and consciously so.

However, one of the key benefits of scenario planning techniques is that
they promote the development of corporate capabilities which can be adapted
to meet one of several likely futures, rather than 'betting the farm' on a
single possible future. For the UX strategist, what are the capabilities
your organisation needs to develop now to be competitive in the future?
There are likely to be several, and some of them may not even be remotely
connected today to what we think of as 'user experience design'.

Steve

On 25/07/07, Peter Morville <morville at semanticstudios.com> wrote:
>
> I've written an article about user experience strategy...
>
> http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000179.php
>
> ...and would love feedback. I'm especially interested in learning about
> articles, presentations, or anything else I missed that deals specifically
> with user experience strategy. I'd also be interested to hear reactions to
> the strange connections I'm making between UX strategy and futurity.
> Thanks!
>
>

-- 
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Steve Baty B.Sc (Maths), M.EC, MBA
Director, User Experience Strategy
Red Square
P: +612 8289 4930
M: +61 417 061 292