How To Get C-Level Executives Psyched About UX Design

This article was originally written for a project in 2018 but has never been published before.

UX, another abbreviation that can make management confused. So it’s no easy task convincing them that their business should go in a new direction and take on a UX-led approach.

Executives with development background might be easier to persuade, but the C-Suite is often lacking that kind of hands-on experience, making them an especially tough cookie when it comes to selling them the idea of something like UX design.

Since C-level executives are often obsessed with return on investment (ROI), nothing would get them more excited than some sort of no-cost magic trick that could have a huge impact on their businesses’ profits. Since most of us do not possess the powers of David Blaine, we have to convince our managers the "old fashioned" way.

So if you’re about to head down that road, read on for some practical tips.

Believe it or not, you (and your team) may not be the only one at your workplace who has an interest in getting UX the place it deserves in the business strategy. In today’s omnichannel world user experience is of key importance and it’s safe to say others at your company know that as well.

The digital marketing team is probably measuring KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and defining business goals that can be directly and positively affected by UX.

User experience is of growing importance for Google Search (which is a major channel for customer acquisition) as well, therefore search marketers (SEOs & PPC specialists) are keen on improving UX for websites and apps alike.

The same goes for digital sales teams who would most certainly welcome an increase in conversion rates and online sales. Designing with the user in mind can help achieve their goals and reaching their sales targets.

Customer service teams can also support your business case by giving valuable examples of customer complaints and issues that could be solved with better UX.

Making a strong business case for UX should start with planning. So do your homework and get as much necessary information as you possibly can. It’s important to know who the key decision-makers are (since they are your target audience), how to successfully approach them and how to deliver your message with a real impact.

It’s like basic marketing. Which means your partnership with the marketing and sales teams can come in handy. They can help you make a stronger case for UX, so don’t be afraid to ask.

The most important part when convincing management is to show them the true value of UX. Make it clear what it can bring to the business. Because UX can turn a business around. Several industry studies and professionals state that every dollar spent on UX brings in between $2 and $100 dollars in return. And on average it increases business KPIs by 83%.

In one of their researches, Forrester found that customer experience leaders significantly outperformed their competition; with a cumulative 43% gain in performance over six years (2007 to 2012), compared with a 14.5% increase for the S&P 500 Index and a 33.9% decrease for a portfolio of customer experience laggards.

Other findings of Forrester Research revealed that implementing a focus on customer experience increases customers’ willingness to buy another product by 14.4 %, reduces their reluctance to switch brands by 15.8 %, and boosts their likelihood to recommend your product by 16.6 %.

Looking at the elements that can contribute to the overall business success shows that UX can lead to;

• Increase in sales/conversion rate: A user-centred design of the Dulux’s new app (the 'Dulux Visualizer') for tablet and mobile-led to a 65% increase in tester paint sales.
• Increase in customer acquisition: Wal-Mart’s redesign of their e-commerce site resulted in a 214% increase in the number of visitors.
• Increase in average order value: By providing the best customer experience possible, top-performing retailers have 36% higher Average Order Value (AOV) than the market average.
• Increase in customer retention and loyalty: Staples redesign of their e-commerce site resulted in an 80% increase in the number of visitors, a 45% reduction in drop-off rates, and a 67% increase in repeat customers.
• Increase in customer satisfaction: UCAS's new online tool, designed with a lean UX approach led to a 95%+ satisfaction rating while mobile usage increased to 50%.
• Lower support costs: McAfee redesigned its ProtectionPilot software in 2004 to improve its usability. Tech support calls were decreased by 90% after launch. With 20,000 downloads over a 10 week period, there were only 170 support calls.
• Reduced development waste: Designing with the user in focus, can lead to a decrease in change requests, saving both the programmers’ time and lowering additional costs. According to Dr Susan Weinschenk from Human Factors International, an estimated 50% of engineering time is spent on doing rework that could have been avoided, while the cost of fixing an error after development is 100 times that of fixing an error before the development of the project is completed.

When explaining the benefits of UX, back it up with data, making your business case a lot stronger. C-level executives love numbers that show the potential value of what they are about to invest in. So take advantage of the available resources. There are tons of researches, case studies, white papers published online (like the ones linked above). With a bit of research, you may even find data that strongly relates to the industry your company is in or the project you might be working on.

When preparing a business case proposal, it needs to be documented. Even if you are planning to pitch the idea of implementing UX design in a meeting or with a presentation, you should create a written proposal.

In this document, you have to clearly state the value proposition, details of the implementation process and what needs to be done before, challenges and risks that may occur estimated costs and of course the benefits.

Writing a proposal can be challenging, especially if you don’t have any experience in this field. Again, members of the marketing and sales teams could probably help you put together a winning document.

Selling the idea of UX design won’t be easy. It takes time and effort and a bit of courage as well, but you know it is worth it and you need to let others know that as well. Because UX may not be magic, but what it might bring to a business can be close to miraculous.