Why Small Businesses Should Invest in a UX Designer

I’ve been a user experience (UX) designer in the world for about 7 years now. I first learned about UX while in college about 12 years ago. Often when I am talking to people who don’t work in technology and I tell them what I do for my job, it’s quickly followed by this question:

"What is UX design?"

To which I usually reply with the most simplistic answer I can come up with which is something along the lines of: I design websites and software for businesses to use internally or to sell to customers. But it’s so much more than just designing.

UX Design Defined

Pencil & Paper, an experience design company, defines user experience design best in my opinion which is: The extra layer of thought and care that exists in the invisible space between technology and the person using it.

While UX design also refers to the process of designing products and services in a way that makes them easy to use, efficient, and enjoyable, it also goes waayyy beyond that. How are they learning about your product or service? What are the next steps they need to take? Is it obvious to them what those next steps are? How can we guide a user seamlessly from learning about your offering to making the sale to becoming a loyal customer? How can we make their life and your life better with or without technology?

What I love most about UX design is that it’s not black and white. What works for one business won’t necessarily work for another so there’s always something to learn! I don’t need to have all the answers. In fact, I can’t have all the answers because I’m not the customer. UX design focuses heavily on what the customer's needs are and then creating a solution to satisfy those needs.

Good Design is Good Business

I think it’s essential for all businesses to understand the value and power of good design, and it plays an especially valuable role for small businesses. According to Independent We Stand, an organization dedicated to educating communities about the importance of buying local, 97% of Internet users research local goods and services online.

So if a customer can’t find your product/service online or if your website doesn’t provide them with the information they need to purchase in an easy way you could be missing out on key sales and revenue.

The good news is that it doesn’t always take a whole lot of time and money to create a positive and pleasant experience for your customers online! There are so many tools and resources that can help you connect with your future customers and retain current ones. This is where a UX designer steps in!

Where do I start?

That’s where I come in! I provide my customers with a ~*free*~ initial UX audit that provides you with a current layout of all your customer touchpoints and recommendations on where I think you could enhance the experience. Those enhancements may involve:

• Revamping brand identity

• Creating new engaging content and visuals via website or social media content

• Redesigning and/or restructuring your website

• Building a digital product/tool to supplement your current product or service offerings

• Designing presentations, marketing materials, social media graphics and more!

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