A Company (UX) Maturity Model
Posted on 19. Jun, 2010 by Nurit Peres in Leadership Theory, Strategy
As I saw Will Evans model for UX career growth towards management and 
leadership, it made me think about companies’ growth into being more focused on users. These are parallel processes. UX leadership in companies is not just about UX but also about the entire company.
As companies understand the importance of users to their success, they move from viewing UX designers as problem solvers (“how will we present all this information in a understandable way?”) to a more deep, interwoven process (“what information should we present to the user?”) and further on to a strategic view that is part of their business vision (“what is our next product?”).
Is there a difference between companies with a good UX team which is part of the product team and companies that have a UX leader in their management board? In both, the UX team may have great ideas and creative solutions, but these are not necessarily enough to bring good experience to the user. It is also about the questions that are brought to the UX team and the company commitment to those solutions. A company with UX leadership will usually have these issues covered much better. The difference between management and leadership is not about design per se but it is about the role of user experience in the company, a role which will influence in many ways on the quality of experience delivered to the user.
When companies are looking to improve the user experience of their products they need to understand that they cannot settle with great designers, they need a leader to lead the design team and the UX thinking throughout the company.
10 Responses to “A Company (UX) Maturity Model”
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27. Jul, 2010
[...] A Company (UX) Maturity Model | UXLEADERSHIP As companies understand the importance of users to their success, they move from viewing UX designers as problem solvers (“how will we present all this information in a understandable way?”) to a more deep, interwoven process (“what information should we present to the user?”) and further on to a strategic view that is part of their business vision (“what is our next product?”). (tags: ux strategy userexperience business) [...]
The problem is not that companies “settle with great designer”. The problem is that most companies still don’t understand or value UX – or even the value of a basic informational website. And in this regard, many so-called “developed” countries, including my own country, Denmark, are actually depressingly underdeveloped.
Thanks Eric, good point, although it is hard to think of Denmark as underdeveloped…
It is also the case here in some companies. But from my experience in the last couple of years, speaking with some CEOs and entrepreneurs, I found them talking very enthusiastically about UX and usability, saying how important it is, but then it turn out they have one UX person doing it all on her own, working under the R&D manager (who has no clue). And I didn’t mention this person lack of education in the field or minimal experience (or both). These people think they are doing really well regarding UX, actually they perceive themselves as pioneers (which they are in other fields). Pointing out the problems with this situation is not an easy task, but concepts like management, leadership and strategy, which they are familiar with from other areas, are part of it, I think.
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Nurit
We just finished a UX workshop in Shanghai based on the “Usability Kit” and we have definitely seen an upswing in 2010 in more businesses becoming interested in UX.
It is really good to hear Dan. I still have to wander what are they looking for? Company UX maturity can also be reviewed when looking at their request from a UX consultancy. In what stage of the product does the company outreach to a consultant? What level of freedom does she get? Are they requiring a full cycle or just part of it? Answers to these questions can tell a lot about the company user focus… What type of requests are you getting?
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Nurit
The main request we get are people wanting to improve the way they make products. Sometimes, they are driven by the products the use themselves, delightful and poor experiences and following an increasing flow of articles about success stories like Apple. Recommend reading – http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/147/apple-nation.html
Part of UX maturity also comes back to how we assess if a business is receptive and open to other ways to approach making stuff.
One element that has helped us is to find 1-2 people or team that are passionate about UX and help them build capability and market to their management and so on and so on and so on …
rgds,
Dan
Educating businesses can be very hard, it takes a lot of evangelizing at times, but I have learned (being a lone “UXer” in a large company) that tackling the issues in smaller part at times helps.
By getting my hands dirty and improving the customer experience (even if my means are not conventional due to budget constraints or lack of support) in small chunks that are noticeable, I am able to show consistent value and improvement over time, which in turn builds a “value equity” and lends to buy in from management, and other key stakeholders.
Not easy, and frustrating at times… what are other suggestions for showing the value of User Centered thinking, and getting that buy in to build a team even if it is a small one at first.
~ Aaron I
Great article Dan, thanks. I wish I could be a bug on the wall in Jobs’ office for a while…
What I find really dificult is getting to level 4 and 5, where UX is part of the business strategy. That is why the Apple example is interesting for me, although I’m not sure it can be done elsewhere.
Best,
Nurit
I’m not sure I buy this pyramid. It is very narcissistic. Why should an organization let UX Lead? I don’t think i would ever want a UX Designer no matter how versed in the organization to lead the organization. And no, Jobs is NOT a designer. I want a seasoned business person who understands the value of strategy and that any strategy needs to be balanced between all the sides that influence execution.
If Apple is a model they do not lead with a vision of UX. That is totally naive. They are a marketing machine 1st and formost. They make decisions that are completely counter to UX. They avoid direct observation of human beings and they avoid validating their designs with direct human observation as well.
The best organizations consider UX, but never lead with it. It is part of a greater whole.
(BTW, it is obvious we are using the term UX here so generally here in this article that it basically means, any consideration of the human being stakeholders involved. It doesn’t even relate to design any more. bah humbug!)
I have two answers to your comment David.
The self confident Professional in me says: Companies’ leaders never start as leaders or even as a business people. There is no one path to the top; they come from development/technology, marketing & sale, and sometimes from finance or even law. With time and experience in middle management roles, some become seasoned business people (which I totally agree is required) that can lead a company to success. Those original expertises may help them (I’m skipping the examples to help you get to the end) or hold them back. Anyway I don’t see why a computer graduate and a former developer is more up to it than a UX pro. Obviously both need tons of talent, an MBA (maybe) and relevant experience. I believe that in many cases a CEO with a UX background will bring a company to its peak.
But all this is not in my above model. Please note that the top of the pyramid is “chief – subordinate to CEO” meaning this UX leader person is not the CEO, but in line with CTO, CFO etc. What I mean is that UX should be represented in top management and should be one of the sides the CEO is trying to balance between. Today, at least from what I see, UX rarely get to be in that position, they are usually under product or R&D or marketing, so the UX voice is balanced at a prior stage… I would love to hear if this makes more sense to you now…
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Nurit