We find ourselves at a critical crossroads for user experience design (UX). Faced with economic uncertainty, customers are looking for savings of time and money – including any products or services they can drop or substitute. That puts pressure on UXers to ensure our contribution is more relevant and valuable than ever. We need to shift our focus from meeting artifact delivery deadlines to creating meaningful experiences that deliver clear value to users.

Our mission becomes meaningful only when we prioritize the needs of our users - for me, these are medical researchers, doctors, and most importantly, patients. Yet in the fervor to maintain the speed of Agile product delivery, the mantra often becomes "just ship it," pushing the delivery of research-driven value to our users to the sidelines.

I propose three steps to reshape UX:

Hire and trust managers with true UX experience
Stay grounded in research
Create combined online/offline experiences

Step 1: Hire managers with true UX experience

Ask for a vision statement

Our leaders should be visionaries who can inspire their teams and drive the UX vision forward in our organization. They should encourage their teams to always put the user first and convey the reasons why we make the recommendations we do. They should also be able to articulate a clear and compelling vision for the future of UX, one that aligns with the true principles of the field: user-centered design as a competitive advantage with clear business outcomes.

Find out how UX aligns with business value

The business value of UX is substantial. From validating customer’s feedback, to reducing development costs by identifying and solving user problems early in the design process, to increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty through more engaging and intuitive experiences, effective UX can directly enhance bottom-line results. Customer expectations are constantly evolving, and a business's ability to adapt to these changes through robust UX strategies can be a critical determinant of its competitiveness and long-term success.

Look for relentless commitment to the user

Our leaders should strive to build a company culture where the user is always the priority. This relentless commitment to the user can manifest in many ways: rigorous user testing, extensive user research, and constant iteration based on user feedback. By placing the user at the center of their efforts, these leaders can build products and services that truly meet user needs, exceed expectations, and ultimately lead to increased user satisfaction and loyalty. This unswerving focus on the user can differentiate a company in a crowded marketplace, and can often be the difference between success and failure.

Step 2: Stay grounded in research

Look for insights, not just data

The key is to not get lost in the sea of data but to leverage it in a way that provides insightful, actionable information. Data in isolation has limited value; it’s the interpretation and application of that data which gives it meaning. Our leaders should possess the skill to decipher patterns and trends from data, transforming it into user-centric insights. They should foster a culture that values deep, qualitative understanding over sheer quantitative metrics, ensuring that design decisions are backed by solid, meaningful evidence.

Expect continuous learning and adaptation

Our understanding of the user should not be static. We should continuously learn and adapt to our users' changing needs and behaviors. Research should not be something done once at the beginning of a project or before launch. This involves making user research part of the process, analyzing the data, and using the insights gained to improve our designs and deliver better user experiences, and then socializing that methodology and its outcome at every opportunity.

Practice evidence-based decision-making

Evidence-based decision making is essential in striking a balance between user needs, technological feasibility, and business viability. It ensures that we are not just designing on instinct or trends, but are informed by real-world data. Leaders should create an environment that promotes the collection and use of both qualitative and quantitative data as a basis for decision-making. By doing this, we are able to reduce uncertainties, mitigate risks, and improve design effectiveness. Practicing evidence-based decision-making also helps to foster trust and collaboration among different teams, creating a shared understanding that design choices are driven by user insights, leading to solutions that are not only desirable but also grounded in reality.

Step 3: Innovate for user engagement.

Create online/offline experiences

We need to create a synergy between the online and offline worlds, ensuring users have a unified and consistent experience. This can mean creating digital products that enhance real-world experiences or designing physical products that are complemented by digital services. Bridging the gap between these two realities requires an in-depth understanding of the user's context and lifestyle, and the ability to design solutions that weave together online and offline elements in a coherent, user-friendly manner. By doing this, we not only meet the users where they are but also enrich their interactions with our brand, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Leverage new technology for renewed humanity

We must actively engage with the latest technologies to create immersive and engaging experiences. This includes using technologies like Apple’s new virtual reality (VR) headsets, and generative artificial intelligence (GPT advanced data analysis, Uizard, Midjourney, DreamStudio) to create experiences that are not just visually appealing, but also personalized, engaging and contemporary. Don’t be stuck in the past, even if it’s only from six months ago.

Increased engagement

As UX practitioners, we should always be looking for ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what's possible, and that requires deep, specific product knowledge. This involves staying up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in the field like regulatory changes or social trends, experimenting with new ideas and approaches, and continually challenging ourselves to create better and more innovative user experiences.

Next steps

In technology, we’re at a crucial moment, where AI distractions and budget expediency threaten to undermine real human needs – even in healthcare, the most intimately human-focused profession.

It reminds me of what Charlie Chaplin says at the end of his movie The Great Dictator: “We think too much, and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.“ And that’s UX’s role in innovation.

By understanding our users' lives beyond the confines of our products, by recognizing our product as a touchpoint in a complex journey of physical and digital experiences, and by creating contemporary, relatable experiences, we can still put users first in UX. That starts now – let's talk about it below.