UX Basics to go: Usability maturity (part 2)

Basics to go
basics

Let your business mature

Usability maturity – part 2

Last week you could read about how “usability maturity” is defined. We have familiarized you with the maturity levels "incomplete", "performed", "managed" and "innovating".

All well and good - but how do you make your company actually "mature" in terms of usability? How can a company develop from maturity level 1 (incomplete) to maturity level 4 (innovating)?

What you can do to let your company "mature":

First, a need for change must arise. This often happens, for example, when a company increasingly receives negative customer feedback. Even if the development from one maturity level to the next does not happen in one day, it is worthwhile for a company to take this time in order to minimize negative customer feedback, for example.

To upgrade your company from the first maturity degree to the next maturity degree (2) – performed, it is sufficient if individuals try to create awareness for UX. First attempts of integrating UX and usability into processes of the company are being made.

How exactly does this happen? At maturity level 2, committed individuals, such as the product designer, plan usability tests. At this point, employees are used as test subjects. In order to increase the impact of the usability tests, important stakeholders are brought on board and are included in the planning and execution of the tests. The procedure for test development and test execution is documented, as are later test results. Ideally, this documentation is shared with as many stakeholders as possible to spread the word about UX within the company. This does not mean that everything works out perfectly at the first attempt. The more positive results arise, the easier it is to convince colleagues and decision-makers of the integration of usability and UX.

Once this is done, and a company recognizes the importance of the human-centered design process, resources (budget and staff) are made available for UX testing. We are now at the third level of usability maturity - managed.

A UX Management Team can be installed that is responsible for all UX issues and works across projects and departments. UX is now an integral part of the company. 

In the highest, 4th degree of maturity - innovating, a company thinks, hears and feels UX. "The process of human-centered design is continuously improved to respond to changes resulting from organizational goals." (UXQB Curriculum) UX is part of this corporate strategy. By continuously optimizing processes, business goals can be better supported, increasing effectiveness and efficiency.  

 

Want to know more about UX?

Would you like to delve deeper into the subject of usability and lend greater importance to the process of human-centered design in your company? Maybe you are interested in our Facit Digital User Experience seminar. In this two-day training you can acquire all basic knowledge around usability and user experience.

Michael Wörmann

Franziska Michels

How do people perceive an interface? What kind of operation inspires? What happens to users when they use a product for the first time? These are questions that Franziska deals with with her background in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.