If your tech projects are suddenly stalling or being derailed then you may discover the reason for this is a flawed UX strategy. UX is all about the functionality of your tech and whether it provides the user with a meaningful and relevant experience at every touchpoint. A challenge for organisations is when their tech just doesn’t do “exactly what it says on the tin”. Take UX with an online application, for example, that is just not straightforward and easy to follow; the user finds that their experience is impaired by the journey they’re on and this doesn’t match their expectation of the brand. It’s a bit like buying an expensive folding bike for your commute. You bought it from a company whose brand promise was “The quickest bikes to stow and go.” But you find that the bike is really cumbersome to fold away and you get frustrated every time you use it. The reality of your experience isn’t aligned to what that brand is saying about itself. As the user, this will make you doubt the product and the brand.

It’s important to be realistic though and acknowledge that things will sometimes go wrong. Not every product from your brand will resonate with the user. But brands must realise that complaint handling is an important part of UX and you need to ensure that this is a positive experience for the user. As an example, Apple has got this really well covered. If your phone malfunctions, you can walk into one of their stores and Apple will replace it for you without much questioning. It’s important to the Apple brand that they keep you on board whilst they rectify the problem.

It is vital that you’re aware of any bumps in the UX journey and aim to solve these issues as soon as possible. Putting internal metrics in place to measure the impact of each key UX stage will help you do this. You will then be able to analyse how effective each UX stage is against your plan. You can also put surveys in place to measure your customer’s UX such as NPS (Net Promoter Score) which is an industry recognised CX and UX satisfaction measurement tool. You can then publish your score both within your sector and with your clients. In this way, you are being transparent and demonstrating the value you attach to your customer’s UX.

When an issue arises, you need to prioritise what you do. Organisations can sometimes feel torn between choosing to protect their brand or their customer first. It is easy to panic and pick brand over customer but resolving your customer’s problems first will in turn protect your brand.

An organisation like John Lewis is a good example of this. They will never knowingly be undersold and would rather solve a problem by giving the benefit of the doubt to the customer because they recognise the impact of negative PR. The speed of communication these days is very rapid and your customers will soon make their feelings known to a wide social media audience if you don’t listen to them.

Ignoring UX issues could have devastating consequences for your business, resulting in a frustrated user base, a reputation for under delivery, and a negative impact to your bottom line. Your internal costs will increase as you try to resolve things, but you risk plugging the gaps as opposed to identifying where the real problem lies. Finally, you will lose the hearts and minds of your users as interactions with you have a ripple effect of negativity for them.

By thinking beyond this situation and having a strategy in place for resolving UX issues as they arise, you will create a positive impact for users. Each interaction for the user will then become a positive one, even if it didn’t start out that way.

AzteQ’s User-First Technology Framework guide has been designed to help you get your tech to triumph. The step-by-step exercises it contains will enable you to select the right processes, technology and adoption programme to the engagement, performance, and wellbeing of your users.