Unlocking the Business Impact of UX Design

Hey everyone, welcome to this summary blog post for the latest episode of our podcast UX Design to Win in Business. In this episode, I talked about the transformative power of user experience (UX) design, its impact on business, and how it goes beyond just UI design. We discussed real-world projects, including our collaboration with SumUp and a unique project with Maina Town, an artist collective from Bulgaria. In this post, I’ll summarize the key points, providing a roadmap for better understanding the importance of UX design in driving business outcomes.

tl;dr Link to this headline

UX design is more than just creating visually appealing interfaces. It’s about crafting an experience that meets users' needs while aligning with business goals. Our work at Dinghy demonstrates how integrating teams from diverse backgrounds—developers, designers, marketers, and business strategists—can lead to products that provide great user experiences. Through real-world examples like SumUp and Maina Town, we see how prioritizing features and creating a clear digital strategy can lead to significant successes.

Understanding the Business Impact of UX Design Link to this headline

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, user experience design plays a pivotal role in shaping how businesses connect with their customers. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the rise of social media, dominant search engines, and now, generative AI. These shifts have led to a proliferation of digital products, many driven by AI features.

At Dinghy, we work with clients across various industries, focusing on one fundamental principle: great UX comes from collaboration across different disciplines. Whether it’s designers, front-end and back-end developers, marketing teams, or business strategists, all roles contribute to creating a digital product that not only works well but also delivers an exceptional user experience.

One key project we recently discussed is our work with SumUp, a card payments company. Our role in this project emphasizes the importance of connecting teams to ensure that everyone—from developers to business leaders—understands their role in building a product that resonates with users. Great UX doesn’t happen in silos. It’s a collective effort that requires close collaboration and alignment on business goals.

Maina Town: A Case Study in UX Design Link to this headline

Let’s shift gears to a completely different project with Maina Town, an artist collective from Bulgaria. This group reached out to us through LinkedIn after listening to our podcast, seeking guidance on how to structure their ideas and projects. They create custom storytelling products, like comic books, for organizations, and are also in the process of opening a museum that connects people with local culture.

For Maina Town, UX design wasn’t just about the visual aspects. It was about crafting a digital strategy that would help them organize and prioritize their wide array of ideas. Our task was to reverse-engineer how their customers would experience Maina Town, from the stories they tell to the events they organize.

We worked on distilling their vision by holding workshops and helping them focus on what mattered most. Much like the minimum viable product (MVP) concept in tech, we had to guide them through the trap of trying to do everything at once. Instead, we encouraged them to prioritize their efforts and refine their scope to ensure that they could deliver a product that would provide the best experience for their customers. This iterative approach is crucial to any successful UX strategy.

UX Design Is More Than UI Design Link to this headline

One common misconception I often see in the industry is the confusion between UX and UI design. While UI is a part of UX, the latter goes far beyond just visual elements. UX design encompasses everything that shapes how customers interact with a brand—from the first touchpoint to product usage and beyond.

In the case of Maina Town, we weren’t focusing on the UI at the start. Instead, we were mapping out the user journey, laying out a strategy for how their users would engage with their stories and projects. UX design, in this context, is more closely aligned with brand design. It’s about how people remember their interactions with your brand—whether it’s through an app, a comic book, or an event.

Making the Right Decisions for Great UX Link to this headline

One of the key takeaways from our work with Maina Town is the importance of making deliberate decisions. Great UX design is about saying no to certain things so that you can say a stronger yes to the things that matter. When you try to do everything at once, you risk diluting your focus and ultimately delivering a subpar experience.

By prioritizing what’s most important to their audience, Maina Town is setting themselves up for success. This focus on making one aspect of their project exceptional before moving on to the next will ensure they continue to deliver meaningful experiences that resonate with their users.

1. What’s the difference between UX design and UI design?

   UX design is about the overall experience a user has with a product or brand, while UI design focuses on the visual elements and layout of the product.

2. How can UX design impact business success?

   Good UX design improves user satisfaction, leading to higher engagement, retention, and ultimately, business growth. It also helps businesses align their product development with user needs and expectations.

3. Why is prioritization important in UX design?

   Prioritizing features and focusing on key aspects of the user experience allows you to deliver a better product and gather feedback sooner, helping to ensure long-term success.