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Statistically, 90% of startups don't make it past the first 18 months. But what do we know about those that didn't make it? The answer is, very little. Did they lack a killer feature? Did they not hustle enough?
Are they just mediocre products? Did they have the funding they needed to build out the products a successful startup needs to reach product-market fit?
Research mindsets for UX design are crucial brain wallets for startups. This article is a summary of the reasons why your startup needs UX research mindsets.
What is UX in startup?
UX in a startup is the process of creating products that people want to use. It’s not just about designing a good-looking interface, but also making sure that it works well and solves real problems.
Startups are usually small teams with limited resources, so they need to make every decision count towards achieving their product goals. That’s why UX in startups is all about finding the right balance between design and development, between usability and functionality.
. What does it mean for product managers?
Product managers are at the center of this process. They need to understand what their users want and how they will interact with their products. They need to know how to prioritize features according to business goals and user needs, while keeping an eye on budget constraints and deadlines. And they need to be able to articulate these decisions clearly and confidently when communicating with designers and developers.
Why UX is important for startups?
The world of startups and entrepreneurship has changed dramatically over the past few years. Gone are the days when all you needed was a great idea, a little bit of capital, and an even smaller amount of talent. Nowadays, startups require a lot more than that if they want to be successful.
One of the most important elements in any business is user experience (UX). User experience is defined as how a person feels about using your product or service. A good UX can make or break your company.
it’s not just about making things look pretty, but also ensuring that users find your product easy to use and helpful.
In what ways UX will impact your startup
UX is one of the most important aspects of any startup, but it can also be one of the most challenging.
It's easy to forget that UX is a process, not a product. It involves careful, iterative decision-making at every step of the way. If you don't take the time to do this right, you'll end up with an unusable product, which means no customers and no revenue.
The following are some ways that UX will impact your startup:
. User Experience Design Will Drive Your Sales
If your website looks like it was designed by a five-year-old, you're going to lose sales. That's because people are more likely to buy from sites that look professional and trustworthy than from sites that seem amateurish or unprofessional. If people don't trust your site or find it confusing, they won't buy anything from you — even if they have money in their wallet!
. User Experience Design Will Attract Customers
If your site is attractive and provides all the information needed for visitors to make buying decisions quickly and easily, they'll stick around longer than they would on other sites — increasing the chances that they'll buy something from you instead of from another business.
. UX will help you scale your business
The success of your marketing campaigns. If you have a poor or confusing UX, people will not be able to navigate through your site, meaning that you will not get the traffic you were expecting.
. UX will save you money
The right UX design can result in increased revenue and profit by improving conversion rates, reducing churn rates and allowing you to experiment with pricing models without losing customers. In fact, according to this study by User Testing, companies who have invested in testing have seen an average increase of 14% in revenue per year since they started using A/B testing — which translates into millions of dollars!
. UX will improve customer loyalty
Customer satisfaction scores. If users aren't able to find what they're looking for easily, don't enjoy using your product because it's too complicated, or feel like something is missing from it (and this isn't necessarily something that can be fixed easily), then they won't be happy with what they've paid for and might choose not to buy again or recommend it to friends or family members.
. UX makes you more competitive
Good UX design is a must for any company that hopes to reach its target audience, but it’s particularly important for startups because they need to stand out from competitors as well as attract new customers. Having a good user experience increases engagement and helps you build loyalty. That means more sales — and happy customers.
How to incorporate UX design at your startup?
Many startups are still struggling with this aspect of user experience design because they don’t know how to start doing it. In fact, most companies only do research after they build their product which is the wrong way around (in fact, it’s one of the biggest mistakes startups make).
Proven UX Research Mindsets
UX research is a discipline of its own. It’s not just about knowing user behavior, but also understanding the psychology of people when it comes to their interactions with products and services.
The process of UX research can be complex and time-consuming, especially for startups that have limited resources and expertise. But whether you are new to UX research or simply want to improve your skills, the first step is knowing what to do — and what not to do.
There are many different ways to conduct UX research, but here are some proven mindsets that will help increase your chances of success.
1. Don’t get stuck in the weeds
UX research is not just about gathering data; it’s also about interpreting it and making sense of the results in order to prioritize actions going forward. As such, it’s important not to get stuck in the weeds during a session because you may lose sight of the bigger picture.
The best way to avoid this pitfall is by setting goals before each session so that you know what you want out of each interview or workshop before heading out into the field.
2. Know your audience
The best way to know your audience is by knowing yourself first — what do you want from this product? What do you expect from this product? What frustrates or excites you about this product?
3. Empathy is your best friend – until it isn’t
Sometimes, the best way to empathize with a person is to put yourself in their shoes and experience their pain points first hand. At other times, empathy can blind us from seeing the bigger picture.
The most important thing about research is knowing when to use it and when not to. Research is not always the answer, but it can be a great way to understand how people think and behave and how they might react if given new tools or opportunities.
You need to understand what people are thinking and feeling before you can design solutions that meet their needs.
4. You can’t build for everyone, but you can build for some people
UX research can be used for many purposes – from creating personas or defining user goals, to understanding user needs and behaviors, or simply testing ideas with real users before launching anything into production.
How to find a UX designer for your team?
The first thing you need to do is find out what kind of UX designer you need.
There are several kinds of UX designers:
. The Technical UX Designer
A technical UX designer knows how to code and can build prototypes from scratch. This person will have an engineering background, or at least be interested in learning the basics of coding. The good news is that there are lots of tools out there that allow non-programmers to create prototypes with little or no programming knowledge.
. The Visual / UI Designer
Visual / UI designers use visual design skills to create wireframes, mockups and prototypes that help demonstrate ideas visually. They may also be able to create prototypes using code, but this is not an essential part of their role.
Here are some tips that will help you to find someone who will be a valuable asset to your team.
1. Look for a portfolio
The best way to see if someone is good at something is to look at what they’ve done before. A well-designed portfolio will show off the designer’s best work, which should be relevant to the kind of projects you need help with. It should also show that the designer has experience working in your industry or with your customers (or both).
2. Get references
Ask for references from past employers or clients. If someone has only worked independently on personal projects, ask them about their work process and how they handle clients (even if it’s just over email). You want someone who can communicate clearly and collaborate closely with your team — this is especially important if they’re going to be remote employees or freelancers!
