In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, one constant remains the same: customers. Whether you sell clothes online or use online marketing to connect with potential customers, the bottom line is that you need to attract, engage, and delight people in order to grow business.

Now, before you think that you know exactly what UX (User Experience) design is and how it fits into digital marketing, let’s explore the connection a little bit more.

What is UX Design?

User Experience (UX) design is the process of creating a positive experience for people when they interact with your product or service. It focuses on eliminating any negative experiences that a user might have while utilizing your product or service. For example, if you run a hotel website and you want to improve your UX so that hotel guests have a good experience during their visit, you can start by focusing on eliminating any bad experiences that they might have.

While UX design focuses on the entire user experience, it is important to remember that it is different from UI (User Interface) design which focuses on the visuals that a user interacts with. To put it simply, a good UX designer will make sure that the UI is convenient, simple, and effective.

What is UX for Marketing?

User Experience (UX) for marketing is similar to UX design in that it focuses on creating a positive experience for users when they interact with your product or service. The main difference is that instead of designing a product or service, the UX designer is focusing on marketing a product or service.

A UX designer for marketing will usually look at the customer experience from the following angles:

• Product research (what are customers wanting? what are they using? why did they choose this product or service?)
• Analysis of competitors
• Competitive analysis (what is the market like – who are the competitors and what are their strategies? how can I best position my product to be the best choice for my customers?)
• User testing (getting feedback from real customers to improve my product or service)
• Marketing research (analyzing online and offline marketing channels to discover untapped markets, gain a better understanding of the competition, and find potential customers)
• Pricing strategy (setting ideal prices based on the market size and competition)
• Channel analysis (determining the types of content and distribution platforms that work best for your product)
• Positioning (developing a clear message that will inspire customers to choose your product or service)
• Operations (establishing clear processes for delivering quality products and maximizing operational efficiency)

Why Should Marketers Care About UX Design?

While there is no exact science to defining good UX, there are a few key things that you need to keep in mind if you are to create a good product or service:

• Simplicity – People want to have a good experience when using your product or service. Simpler is usually better – fewer steps, less information, and fewer distractions. Keep things simple.
• Usability – Your users want to be able to easily do what they need to do – look up information, find what they want, and be able to move around your site or app with ease. Make sure that everything is easy to use.
• Learnability – Your users need to be able to understand and use your product or service effectively and efficiently without needing extensive help. Consider using explanatory videos, webinars, or guided tutorials to help teach your users the ins and outs of your product or service. People want to learn new things, but they also want to enjoy themselves while doing so.
• Attractiveness – People want to use a site or app that they find appealing. According to HubSpot Blogs research, people click on B2B lead gen forms 4x more when they have a pleasing design.

The Importance of Good Hiring Practices

When it comes to hiring a UX designer, it is important to remember that you are not just looking for someone to create a design. You are also looking for someone who can take the time to get to know your business, understand your customers’ needs, and be able to bring something unique and worthwhile to the table.

To find the best possible candidate for your company, you need to go through a rigorous process of interviewing several candidates and then forming a shortlist of top contenders. From there, you can contact the selected individuals for further discussion. This is especially important if you are planning to engage with the design studio for a long period of time (more than a couple of months).

For example, if you are planning on using a service provider to redesign your website, make sure to work with a firm that you can trust. After all, if your site is important to the success of your business, you want to ensure that it is functioning at its best and that there are no unexpected glitches that could hinder productivity.

The Rise of In-house UX Designers

As a marketer, you might be wondering if it’s time to hire your own in-house UX designer with all of the growing complexities of your job. After all, you know what they say: experience is the key to success. While you might not yet have the budget to hire an entire team of designers, you can start by hiring a part-time or one-off freelancer to help you with specific projects.

What is important though, is that this person or team of people should be a part of your company’s strategic planning. This means that they should understand your business objectives, roadmap, and targets and be able to work toward these together with you. A good UX designer will help you unpack your strategy and put it into action, so that you can achieve your goals and objectives. They should also be able to suggest new ways of thinking about your product or service and be able to challenge your assumptions about how you want people to use it or experience it. In short, you want to hire someone who can evolve with your company, but also remain independent and creative.

The Difference In Quality

When hiring a freelance or in-house UX designer, it is important to understand that not all designers are created equal. Just as with any other service provider, you will eventually be faced with choosing between different price points and quality levels. For example, if you plan to pay an agency or freelancer to redesign your website, make sure to budget for a decent amount of time up front to get the best possible outcome. This is especially important if you want your site to load quickly and be easy to navigate.

If, on the other hand, you are looking to hire someone to do a one-time UX design project for an ad campaign or marketing collaterals, you can likely get some decent results with a cheaper agency or freelancer. If you need something quick, they might even have a template that they can use.

Conclusion

The main takeaway from this blog post is that while UX design is not a new concept and can be found in everything from mobile apps to websites and even email marketing, it is still a relatively unknown concept within the world of marketing. What is known is that customers have a very specific set of expectations when it comes to their online experience and that those experiences can be improved through the design process. As a marketer, if you are looking into adopting a more modern and innovative way of thinking, then UX design might be for you.