Book Review: UX Strategy

Defining UX Strategy

Levy recognizes the potential for people to misinterpret the term UX strategy and addresses this early in the book. In addition to covering my initial concerns, she advises that UX strategy is not closely related to brand strategy. Perhaps her most illuminating clarification is that UX strategy is more than just product strategy.

She provides an example that shows, while a company might have multiple products—Apple makes iMac, iPhone, Apple Stores, iCloud, and more—in reality, there should only be one experience that ties those products and touchpoints together. This realization is at the root of UX strategy, which Levy defines as follows:

“The process that should be started first, before the design or development of a digital product begins. It’s the vision of a solution that needs to be validated with real potential customers to prove that it’s desired in the marketplace. Although UX design encompasses numerous details such as visual design, content messaging, and how easy it is for a user to accomplish a task, UX strategy is the Big Picture. It is the high-level plan to achieve one or more business goals under conditions of uncertainty.”

Incorporating UX-Strategy Activities

Throughout her book, Levy highlights a variety of activities that are complementary to UX deliverables and activities, but also mesh well with product management and business strategy. In particular, her discussion of competitive analysis is very well done. Competitive analysis is one of those tactical activities that can be very helpful, but, if misused, can send you in the wrong direction. If you are using the method to match another product, feature for feature, assuming that every feature is valuable to users, you’re doing it wrong. If you are using competitive analysis to establish the table stakes for a given product entry, that’s a bit better. Ultimately, you are working to develop insights—not just about competitors but about customer expectations for the industry or market in which you plan to play. Levy provides a well-considered spreadsheet that includes a rationale for each of the attributes you should evaluate.

While the term disruptive innovation always seems to get a lot of attention, Levy advises that context determines the value of any innovation. When you’re evaluating the prospects for successful innovation, timing could be the most important factor. While being first might sound good, if the market isn’t ready for your innovation, it will fail. An innovative company, Apple has cultivated a reputation for making desirable, game-changing products. However, Apple’s history is littered with potentially disruptive products that Apple introduced before customers were ready for them. Just two examples of their focus on invention that was not moored to the realities of market readiness and customer expectations include the following:

1. Apple Newton—This product ultimately opened up the market for Palm Pilots and other PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).
2. QuickTake Camera—This was one of the first, if not the very first commercially available digital camera.

The timing was wrong for both products, but they created later opportunities for competing firms.

Levy describes Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas, a very useful tool with which UX professionals should become familiar. This tool encourages product teams to take a larger view of the experience they’re creating, reminding them to focus not only on the user but on the context of the experience, including stakeholders, channel partners, revenue potential, and other considerations.

Conclusion

If you are a UX professional who works within a product-centric organization and are looking for ways to integrate User Experience into existing processes, reading UX Strategy might be helpful in identifying palatable methods of working with your colleagues. If you are looking for ways to demonstrate the commercial value of User Experience or are looking to increase your value to a business, this book can be helpful there as well.

Levy’s book recognizes that UX professionals work within an ecosystem that comprises professionals in other disciplines. The methods and concepts that Levy presents in this book promote greater collaboration and better outcomes for all.