As a UX designer, you know that the work you do is invaluable. After all, your job is to help create products that make people's lives easier and more enjoyable.
But future-proofing a successful UX career isn’t just about designing intuitive and aesthetically pleasing interfaces.
It also requires the ability to identify opportunities, generate ideas, think outside the box, and contribute to your company’s strategic growth.
In short: you need to develop a skill set that ties the value of your work with company goals and vision.
Developing your business acumen as a UX designer can open up a whole new world of possibilities—both in your current role, and future career opportunities. In this blog post, we’ll look at five ways to ensure your success as a UX designer goes hand-in-hand with helping your organization achieve their long-term goals.
Let’s get started!
Why do UX designers need business acumen?
In today's competitive business landscape, a cohesive user experience can make or break a company's success.
A growing number of organizations across every sector are waking up to the value of UX—with 55% of the world’s companies actively conducting user testing in 2023. These companies are investing in talented UX designers to help them achieve some key business goals:
- Drive revenue
- Maintain a competitive edge
- Bolster their reputation.
Business thinking can be a blind spot for UX designers, who are typically trained to focus solely on user needs. However, it’s important to strike a complementary balance between addressing user needs and achieving business goals.
What does this balance look like?
On one extreme: solely focusing on user pain points—but neglecting to position a product as the ultimate solution—might leave a UX masterpiece commercially invisible.
On the other hand, an overzealous focus on company goals might lead to employing dark patterns, which deceive users into making an action that benefits the business (but can lead to distrust and a loss of brand reputation).
Possessing a strong business acumen allows UX designers to navigate this delicate balance, ensuring their designs not only cater to user needs but also enhance the company's strategic objectives.