Shifting Our Team Goals to be UX Outcomes

Shifting Our Team Goals to be UX Outcomes

In the field of UX, setting goals for a team is crucial for measuring success and driving progress. Traditionally, teams have focused on activities and outputs, such as conducting usability tests or delivering wireframes. However, experienced UX teams understand that outcomes are what truly matter. Outputs represent the effort and activities of the team, but outcomes represent the results achieved because of that work.

Instead of solely focusing on how their work improves the business, more mature UX teams have started shifting their goals to UX outcomes. These outcomes answer the question of how their work improves someone's life. Whether it's a customer, a non-paying user, an employee, or someone who has never heard of the product, the goal is to deliver a great user experience that enhances their lives.

For example, let's consider a job board website. The UX outcome for the hiring professional could be to improve their life by making it easier to identify and screen highly-qualified candidates. The goal is to ensure that candidates who come through the board are a perfect match for the position, clearly highlighting their qualifications. This outcome drives the team's roadmap and influences the new features they consider implementing.

To identify the best UX outcomes, teams need to have a deep understanding of their users' current experiences. This understanding is derived from a mature research practice that involves spending significant time with users. By immersing themselves in the users' world, teams can identify pain points and frustrations, which become opportunities for improvement.

Furthermore, the best UX outcomes make an aspirational story. People are naturally drawn to uplifting stories, and when they can see the benefits of their work, they become more motivated and engaged. Teams can use their UX outcomes as the seeds of the story they'll put into their vision. This vision creates a compelling narrative of what it's like for a user in the future, guiding the team's decision-making process.

In order to measure the success of UX outcomes, they need to be measurable. Just as a financial goal would have a clear moment when it has been achieved, UX outcomes should also have observable evidence. Teams must define what the UX outcome looks like and describe the evidence they'll observe when it has been realized. This clear understanding allows the team to track their progress and make data-driven decisions.

In conclusion, shifting our team goals to be UX outcomes is a powerful way to drive meaningful impact. By focusing on how our work improves the lives of our users, we can create a user-centered and design-driven approach. To effectively implement this shift, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Invest in a mature research practice: Spend significant time with users to understand their current experiences and identify opportunities for improvement. This deep understanding will lead to the best UX outcomes.

2. Create an aspirational experience vision: Craft a compelling narrative of what it's like for a user in the future. Use the UX outcomes as the seeds of this story to rally the team and align their efforts.

3. Define measurable UX outcomes: Clearly articulate what the UX outcome looks like and describe the evidence that will be observed when it has been achieved. This will allow the team to track their progress and make data-driven decisions.

By implementing these strategies, teams can shift their focus from outputs to outcomes, ultimately delivering great experiences that improve the lives of their users.