CIO's Are Making User Experience a Priority
According to CIO Journal, user experience is the CIO’s top priority for business technology in 2016.
We understand that customers are at the center of business decisions as consumer behavior is rapidly driving the evolution of technology.
In a recent report, Forrester urges CIOs to improve customer engagement across every digital touch point for increased business success.
To do this, IT and marketing leaders must align their strategies to keep customers first and improve the overall user experience.
So What is User Experience?
When people hear or talk about user experience, they think about several things that it encompasses such as user interface design, how something looks and feels, wireframes, prototypes, user testing, research, and more.
User experience is actually defined as any interaction with a product, service, company, or person.
Some examples of companies that incorporate important elements of UX:
Apple is probably one of the most well-known and referenced companies when it comes to UX. They provide a good example of a company that has perfected the art of weaving user experience best practices throughout every touchpoint of their business whether it is in-store, online, or with their products.
Salesforce is a prime example of the importance of the cloud experience where products typically were software in the past, products are now getting away from being just on-premise to being functional and accessible anywhere, anytime.
Zappos, an online retailer, has built a reputation for being extremely easy for customers.
Representatives go above and beyond to make customers happy through excellent customer service and a solid, user-centric purchasing process from shopping on the website, making a phone call, receiving a shipment, to returning an item.
Zappos’ success is a great example of how a simple UX strategy to produce happy customers can increase business.
Evaluating user experience includes analyzing how easy it is for a user to find something or how familiar something is for them.
Starbucks has applied this principle to their retail experience by strategically creating a consistency in their stores so that customers sense that familiarity whether they’re at a Starbucks in Kansas City or Hong Kong.