A Proven Method for Showing the Value of Good UX

For a while now, this has been the most common question I get:

How do I convince people in my organization to take user experience seriously? I’ve tried giving brown-bag sessions on the importance of UX, but nothing has happened.

They’ve shared every case study they could find. Nothing changed.

I tell them that I’ve never had success with brown-bag intro sessions either. But there is a way to get user experience taken seriously.

When pressed for time, I often give the short answer:

You don’t have to. There’s a high likelihood there’s someone important in your organization who already takes it seriously. They just don’t know it yet.

However, there’s a more helpful, albeit longer answer. And it goes something like this…

Step 1: Start with frustrations caused by poor experiences

Organizations that aren’t fixated on creating great user experiences are usually saddled with poor user experiences. A great user experience only comes about through constant diligence and attention. If the organization isn’t paying attention, it’s unlikely they stumbled on one by chance.