Have you ever gone into a restaurant and waited an hour to be seated after the hostess told you it would only be 15 minutes? By the time you sat down, were you so frustrated that you couldn’t enjoy your meal? How about heading to an event and getting lost because of poor directions?
That feeling of annoyance is what happens when a customer comes across a website that is hard to navigate or an app that unexpectedly quits on you. If a customer has an unpleasant user experience, you can bet that will negatively affect his or her feelings towards that product, which in turn negatively affects the company.
The expectations for a high quality user experience can be demanding. However, providing a high quality user experience should not be difficult. Frankly, it should be expected.
In an article for Business Computing World, author Rob Anders discusses some of the reasons why your business might be delivering a user experience that does not meet customer standards.
Separation Between the Marketing and Engineering Teams
Engineering and marketing teams that don’t work well together can lead to multiple interpretations of what a final product should look like. In order to develop a product with a singular design, there needs to be synergy and collaboration between the two departments.
Outsourcing to Third Parties
The notions that outsourcing to third parties is too expensive and that it is better to keep everything ‘in-house’ can negatively affect the user experience. An in-house department dedicated to engineering and design is only as effective as the resources put into it. This includes hiring motivated and experienced staff and offering relevant, up-to-date technology. Besides, Anders argues that the costs of outsourcing do not match the potential gains from traffic and sales, should the final product be of the highest quality.
Not Considering Your Customer/User
A user friendly product does not alienate any potential customers. Companies should make sure their product is easy to use, learn, and navigate. Running beta tests is one way to learn a user’s reaction to your product.
The last thing any company wants for their product is a bad user experience. When a company takes pride in the development of their product, a good user experience will carry over. It’s as simple as that.
How has your company turned a bad customer experience into a good one?
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