As an aspiring user-experience champion, I need to learn to sell to the business why it's important to invest time and money in increasing the usability of our products.
So, why is usability important? Why are we all so obsessed with improving usability? Well, on the business side, improved usability actually helps with...well, business!
- When customers are able to use your website and, for example, find the products they want, it increases revenue.
- Reduced need for remote help support = cost savings.
- People will actually pay a premium for a product/service that is easier to use.
On the development side of things, improved usability allows the team to:
- Spend time developing only the functions customers want.
- Detect and fix usability problems early on in the process.
- Reduce the risk of failure caused by not understanding requirements.
- Minimize or eliminate need for documentation.
If we can create a sort of 'elevator pitch' of the importance of user-centered design, we really come one step closer to our goals. So, if the VP of Technology asks you why they should approve your budget for more usability testing, what would your 'elevator pitch' be?