Developing Usable Experiences

Focusing on User Experience Will Increase Sales

August 16th, 2011 6:42 am —  13 views

It seems obvious doesn’t it? Happy customers stay around, spending money. Unhappy customers leave and don’t come back. I don’t go back to places where the service sucks.

But what does it mean to focus on user experience? Isn’t that what businesses have been doing all along? Yes of course. But things are different today. Especially when it comes to software and services involving the Internet.

Consider some of the first automobiles. Your heating system consisted of a lever that opened a hole into the engine compartment. The heat from the engine would warm the cab. Air conditioning was similar, except drawn from the outside. Cars today have dual temperature zones, heated seats, and back-up cameras. Why is that?

The features and amenities on cars are the result of a continuous effort to improve the experience people have with the vehicle. To improve the experience, car manufacturers had to make decisions about features and amenities they thought would improve the experience for their customers.

Enjoying and driving a vehicle is only part of the experience these days. The relationship with the dealer and the automobile company is a significant factor in the experience of owning a car. Looking at it that way, marketing, sales, support, and customer service all play a role in the experience of owning and maintaining a vehicle.

Car companies, and many software companies, often have a department dedicated to researching user experience. Researching user experience focuses on understanding how people interact with other people or products when trying to achieve a goal. Using different data gathering techniques and quantitative analysis, insights can be discovered.

Insight from user experience research is leveraged by sales and development within an organization to improve both the product and the experience of owning it. Good experiences lead to more sales. It’s always been true.

What is also true is that human-computer interactions are increasingly complex these days. We expect more from technology than ever before. The instantaneous-ness of everything is critical to our experience, allowing interactions like never before. The connectedness of people and information through technology involves many interactions. These experiences need to be understand to identify areas for improvement. Improvements increase sales.

Related Posts

Comment