How to develop a UX strategy for a new product

Computer generated 3D illustration with the Trojan Horse at Troy

A UX strategy is key to product success

In just about every situation, a good UX strategy makes all the difference.

Let’s think about one of the oldest examples of strategy. In the Trojan War — a legendary conflict at the core of Homer’s Iliad — the Greeks besieged the city of Troy for nine years. There were numerous battles and many stories about the war, but it never seemed to get anywhere until Odysseus came up with a plan. the Greeks pretended to leave but left behind a giant horse. The horse looked like a thank-offering for a safe return home. So when the ships left, the Trojans pulled the horse into the city and celebrated.

Little did they know that Greek soldiers were hidden inside. And when everyone was asleep, they crept out of the horse and killed the guards. This final plan was the end of the war, and the Greeks took the city.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

A good strategy is just an important for products — not just a business or marketing strategy, but a UX strategy.

A well-designed product not only makes it easier for users to achieve their goals, but also increases their satisfaction and loyalty to the brand. Ultimately, happy users make for a successful product. This ensures the longevity of the product and the organization.

However, designing a good user experience can be a challenging task, especially for new products. To ensure a successful outcome, it is important to start with a clear and well thought-out UX strategy.

In this article, we’ll explore the steps involved in determining a UX strategy for a new product.

Step 1: Define the problem and goals

The first step in determining a UX strategy is to understand the problem what the product is trying to solve and its goals. This involves conducting market research by talking to potential users and understanding their needs and pain points.

For example, if the product is a mobile app for organizing daily tasks, the problem it aims to solve is the difficulty of keeping track of multiple tasks. So the product’s goal is helping users manage their tasks more efficiently and effectively.

It is important to use internal hypotheses and understanding as a starting point, rather than a point to prove. Getting to the bottom of a problem may require abandoning initial assumptions — which is hard!

However, if user interviews and testing points to big changes in the product, you may need to figure out how to pivot. Making the platform better for users will ultimately show their voices are heard and create more trust between them, the platform, and the organization.

Step 2: Identify the target audience

Once you have defined the problem and goals of the product, you should identify the target audience. This involves creating a detailed profile of the users who are most likely to use the product, starting with their behaviors and context.

For the mobile app example, the target audience might be busy professionals who need help staying organized and on top of their daily tasks. They have certain behaviors the product should consider. A busy professional may have little time to sit and organize their schedule. If they need help to stay organized on their daily schedules, they could feel disorganized. As a professional, they may be used to other tools in the market.

Step 3: Conduct a competitive analysis

Next, it’s important to take a look at those other products in the market that your target audience may use. What products are solving the same problem?

This can be done through a competitive analysis, where you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing products and identify areas where your product can differentiate itself.

For our mobile productivity app example, some of the competitors might include Todoist, Wunderlist, and Google Keep. By evaluating these products, you can determine what features are most important to users and what might be missing in the current market.

Taking cues from users may also determine what needs of theirs are being met and where there are gaps.

Step 4: Determine the key features and functionality

Based on the problem, goals, target audience, and competitive analysis, you can now decide the key features and functionality that the product should include. This is the core of the UX strategy and will guide the design process.

For the mobile app example, some of the key features might include task prioritization, reminders, and the ability to categorize tasks by project or deadline. You might have collected data that other apps don’t provide actionable updates to tasks, so this might be a solution for your users.

Step 5: Define the user flow

The next step is to define the user flow. A user flow is the sequence of actions that users will take to achieve a goal with the product. Designing a user flow means mapping out the steps involved in using the product, including the user interface, navigation, and interactions.

For our mobile app example, the user flow might start with creating a new task, followed by prioritizing and categorizing it, setting reminders, and marking it as complete. User data should inform what tasks to include. They may follow patterns that the users are familiar with in other programs they frequent or their own desires for simple and straightforward tasks.

Step 6: Create wireframes and prototypes

With the user flow defined, you can now start creating wireframes and prototypes to test and refine the UX. Wireframes are basic sketches of the product’s user interface and functionality. Prototypes are interactive mockups that simulate the real product.

These tools allow you to test the user flow and make changes before investing in full-scale development. This saves time and resources in the long run and helps ensure that the final product meets the needs and goals of the users.

Step 7: Conduct user testing

Once the wireframes and prototypes are complete, conduct user testing. You need feedback on the product to ensure it’s heading in the right direction.

It’s important to determine whether users understand how to move through the product intuitively. You want to uncover issues still causing problems but also what areas of the product work well because knowing what’s working well can indicate which direction to take improvements.

Also, rather than attempt to figure out solutions internally, ask users directly what would improve the experience. That’s a sure way to determine future iterations.

Continue testing

Testing and iteration will constantly keep the product relevant and engaging. Continual feedback from users will ensure that they feel they are being heard, and their feedback rewarded with a more robust and enjoyable product.

A product’s development does not end with it going live. In order to keep the product relevant and competitive, continue to iterate the product. Repeat these steps in order to find areas of improvement or for opportunities to create a product that will meet not only user goals, but also business KPI’s such as increasing net sales or conversions.

These steps can create and direct the UX strategy of a new product, as well as its future longevity. Whatever the goals of the business or users, both can be met through implementation of design thinking. Qualitative data can save you the time and pain of making mistakes that would otherwise spell doom for a product. When thoughtful care is put into creating a product that meets both the needs of the users and the goals of the business, it ensures its own health.