Any start-up, whether it offers a range of products or that of services, aims at generating a steady source of revenue. Of course, this can only be achieved by addressing the needs of the customers, offering more convenient alternatives to existing products or services, or providing something truly innovative, informative, or entertaining! Considering your offerings address one or more of these needs, we would like to pose some questions.
- Do you know of some means to help your intended customers become aware of your offerings?
- Do you have a way to sidestep your competitors?
- Are you adept at creating a ubiquitous brand identity?
- Do you have all that it takes to promote a product or a service?
If you’re struggling to think of the answer for any one or more of the above questions, trust us, you need a UX design team on your side! We know, it might not seem like the right answer for all of these questions, but as you read on, you will understand just how a UX design team actually fits the bill!
But, first things first!
What is UX Design?
To put it simply, UX or user experience is essentially all about discovering what your customer wants. Here, we aren’t talking of the technologies of the likes of AI, AR, VR, or IoT, but actually about the simple experience that an intended user has when they visit your website, use your mobile application or interact with your brand. While your product or service has to be compelling, but it is this experience that matters the most, especially in today’s day and age!
And who better than an experienced UX design team to assist you with this seemingly uphill task. For all, you know a UX designer can prove to be the connecting link between your business and your customer. Not only can the UX designer enable you to identify, understand and act upon the needs of your customer, they can also help your customers to find, engage and identify with your brand!
Reasons Why Your Start-up Needs a UX Designer
Now that you are aware of what a UX design is, and how could it work in your favour, let us take a quick look at some of the reasons why you should hire a UX designer for your start-up, right from the start!
UX Designers Can Help Conduct Market Research
While the title of a UX designer suggests that they only concentrate on the design concept, UX designers are known to do their research, before kicking off the development. To this end, they often try and get a close look at the following aspects –
- The need for a specified product/service
- Market potential of the product/service
- The offerings of the competitors
- Target audience
- Challenges faced by, needs and preferences of the target audience
- The willingness of the customers to pay for the product/service
- Any pain points that need to be addressed
As one may guess, researching these aspects needs the UX designers to conduct both – user research as well as market research. Not only is this research helpful in creating the best possible user experience, but it also helps the start-up align their work as per the needs and wants of the intended customers.
UX Designers Create Various User Personas
Once they get an understanding of the market and that of the target audience, the UX designer then moves forward to develop various profiles representing the end customers. These profiles are created on various aspects including but not limited to – Bio, Personality, Goals and Motivations, Pain Points and Behaviour.
Creating these personas help the designer to better understand the end customer’s perspective before making a purchase. As far as the business is concerned, these personas can enable enhanced product development, improved service quality, and customisations based on the understanding of specific customer bases. Needless to say, this improved value proposition helps bring in more customers, thus giving the business the perfect kickstart it needs, especially in its early days.
UX Designers Create Wireframes
As is expected of them, UX designers work towards the creation of a wireframe for the website, mobile app, and as and when required for the product itself. For the uninitiated, a wireframe is essentially a schematic visual representation of the user interface without the aesthetic elements added to it. It can be compared to a 2D map of a house without the furnishings and paint details. This wireframe forms the backbone of the final design of the website, app or product and proves to be one of the most crucial aspects of the online presence of a business. Since the UX designers needs to have a comprehensive understanding of the business to create this core structure, it is essential that they are a part of the business from the very early stages.
UX Designers facilitate Usability Testing
As the website or app is being developed, the UX designer takes on the responsibility of conducting the much-needed usability testing at every stage of the development. This is essential to identify and fix any ease-of-use issues that might crop up and plays a vital role in ensuring that the final user experience is more than conducive. Again, this extensive usability testing can only be made possible if the UX design team has been on board since day one.
Now that you are aware of the importance of UX designers at every stage of business development, we are sure you will contemplate the possibility of hiring an accomplished UX design team as soon as your start-up takes shape. After all, having them by your side can not only help create a strong link between your business and your target audience, but it can also facilitate improved product design and functionality! Hence, the sooner you hire a UX design team the better are the chances for your start-up to grow and succeed at the desired pace!
Frequently Asked Questions About the Role of UX Designer in a Start-up
When should a start-up hire a UX team?
While it is recommended that a start-up hires a UX designer from the very beginning, it is ideal that the start-up waits until it has ample funds to bear the cost of the UX design team, and have sufficient work for them on a day-to-day basis.
Does every company need a UX designer?
Any company that aims to establish a digital presence, whether or not it deals with digital products and services, must have a UX designer. After all, UX design is all about offering an incredible user experience, which is something all businesses should look forward to.
Can UX Design Be a Competitive Advantage?
Yes, definitely so! For your company’s products or services to stand out, a great UX design can prove to be pivotal. While there are industries such as manufacturing where there is always a greater emphasis on functionality and features, offering an improved user experience and added ease of use can help establish a unique value proposition. This can propel your business towards unchartered success.
