By capturing four key elements of user experience, we are able to help business leaders and product managers prioritize decisions by understanding what matters most to their target users.

1. Business Decisions Done Right:
Through a UX Perspective
Frank Guo, PhD
Principal, UX Strategized
frank.guo@uxstrategized.com
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2. What’s UX Strategy, and Why Do
Businesses Need it?
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3. Topic: Improving business decisions through UX strategy
Professional background – UX research and strategy

Set up and led UX research for large companies
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Worked for Oracle, eBay, Barclays, BlackRock
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Shaped the design of award-winning Web and mobile products

An award-winning UX paper based on peer review

Published more than a dozen of UX papers

Co-authored a book chapter

PhD in cognitive psychology, UCLA
Improved UX, product strategy, and marketing for

eBay

Yahoo!

PayPal

StubHub

Motorola

Cisco

IMVU
Discuss improving business through UX with Frank:
650.678.8061 • frank.guo@uxstrategized.com • www.uxstrategized.com • www.frankguoblog.com
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4. The Current State of UX – Perceived as Equivalent of Design
Viewed as an implementation tool
Limited to digital UI
Huge opportunities missed
UX is more than just UI
design  UX Strategy
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5. Demystifying “UX Strategy” – False Assumptions
Is just about the digital UI
Is just about improving product usability
Is about UI design principles and patterns
Is about brand identity and color palette
UX strategy ≠ UI guidelines
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6. What “UX Strategy” Is Really About – Informing Business Decisions
Prioritize business opportunities
Today, will introduce a tool
Uncover hidden business opportunities
UX strategy = drive business decisions through a UX perspective
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7. Example of UX-Driven Business Decisions
– Identifying Features of an iPhone App
Features identified: Blog, charts, watch
list, and reports
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8. Example of UX-Driven Business Decisions
– Improving Adoptability of Corporate Social Platform
Key to user adoption: personalize
content, up-to-date
information, communicate based on
topics
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9. UX Strategy Tool 1:
VADU Model – Prioritizing Business
Opportunities
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10. Not Just Usability – It’s the Holistic Experience that Drives Usage
Products
VADU UX Factors
Value
Adoptability
Desirability
Customers
Usability
Note: The model is based on a series of articles published on UX matters
The images are from
freedigitalphotos.net
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11. The Building Blocks of the VADU Factors
Feature
Content
Value
Desirability
Visual appeal
Functional appeal
Discoverability
First use
Repeat use
Task completion
Navigation
Findability
Readability
Consistency
Adoptability
Usability
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12. Definitions
CX Element
Description
Value
Is it useful?
Feature
Do the features support user needs?
Content
Does the content provide value?
Adoptability
Is it easy to start using?
Discoverability
Is the product discoverable by the prospective user without overt marketing?
First use
Is the first-use experience streamlined and delightful?
Repeat use
Will the user come back to use it more after first use?
Desirability
Is it fun and engaging to use it?
Visual appeal
Is the product visually appealing?
Functional appeal
Is the product engaging to use?
Usability
Is it easy to use?
Task completion
Is it easy to complete tasks?
Navigation
Is it easy to go from one place to another?
Findability
Is it easy to look for a particular piece of information?
Readability
Is it easy to scan and read content?
Consistency
Is the UI consistent (visual presentation, page layout, user interaction, etc.)?
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13. What If a VADU Factor Is Missing?
Missing
Value
Missing
Adoptability
People won’t
use it if there
is no value
Adoptability
Value
People can’t
use it if they
don’t know
how to start
Desirability
Usability
Desirability
Usability
Value
Adoptability
Value
Adoptability
Desirability
Users will
stop using if
it’s difficult to
use
Users won’t
use it as
often if there
is no fun
Missing
Desirability
Usability
Missing
Usability
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14. Not All UX Elements Are Created Equal – Varies with Business Model
Gaming Example
Enterprise Software Example
0.8
1.0
0.5
0.2
Adoptability
Value
Value
Desirabil
ity
Usability
Desirability
0.5
Adoptabil
ity
Usability
0.3
0.7
1.0
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15. Not All UX Elements Are Created Equal – Varies with Business Model
Social Network Example
Ecommerce Site Example
1.0
0.5
Value
Desirability
1.0
1.0
Adoptability
1.0
Value
Desirability
Usability
Adoptability
Usability
0.5
1.0
1.0
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16. Using the Model to Prioritize
Work hard on value presentation
Align features to user needs
Develop features that differentiate on
Value
Visual presentation needs to support
value propositions and usability
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17. Using the Model to Prioritize
Focus on getting users started
Focus on making it addictive
Usability and Value play supporting roles
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18. Why VADU Model? It’s all About Business Prioritization
Peter Morville’s UX Honeycomb
VADU Model
Vs.
Focus on business impact
Focus on UI design
Simple to use for prioritization
Too many elements to help with prioritization
All elements are about general UX
Not all elements are related to general UX
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19. Value: Develop Products/Features that Add Value to Users
Good implementation:
Customer Reviews are always valuable
Comparison table helps with shopping decisions
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20. Value: Develop Products/Features that Add Value to Users
Poor implementation:
The image doesn’t present value to users
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21. Adoptability: Make It Easy to Start Using the Product/Feature
Good implementation:
Upselling premium service in the context of
using the product
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22. Adoptability: Make It Easy to Start Using the Product/Feature
Poor implementation:
How can a first-time visitor sign up?
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23. Desirability: Make It Engaging and Addictive
Good implementation:
Desirable ≠ Looking nice
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24. Desirability: Make It Engaging and Addictive
Poor implementation:
The homepage doesn’t look exciting
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25. Usability: Make It Easy for Users to Do Tasks
Good implementation:
Very easy to set up a meeting and send invites
in Gotomeeting
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26. Usability: Make It Easy for Users to Do Tasks
Poor implementation:
How can I get rid of the grid on the screen? Have to Google the solution
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27. VADU UX Element
Application
Value
Monetization model
Product definitions & features
Branding & positioning
Adoptability
Marketing
Download and installation
SEO
First-use workflow and “front door” experience
Desirability
Product features
Workflow
Visual design and content strategy
Usability
IA and workflow design
Interaction design
Visual design
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28. VADU UX Element
Application
VADU together
Prioritizing business opportunities

Project roadmap

KPIs and metrics

Customer satisfaction surveys

Product and design review checkpoints
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29. Used as Scorecard
UX Element
Actual Score
Target Score
Value
3
2
Adoptability
5
8
Desirability
9
10
Usability
9
5
Actions:
Focus on Adoptability
Can sacrifice Usability as trade-off
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30. Used as Scorecard
UX Element
Actual Score
Target Score
Value
3
10
Adoptability
5
5
Desirability
9
3
Usability
9
7
Actions:
Focus on Value
Can sacrifice Desirability and Usability as trade-off
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31. Used as Scorecard
UX Element
Actual Score
Target Score
Value
3
10
Adoptability
5
10
Desirability
9
10
Usability
9
10
Actions:
Focus on Value and Adoptability
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32. Case Study – It’s About Adoptability, Not Usability
FB Connect is very easy to use, but
hard for people to adopt in an
eCommerce space.
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33. VADU Business, Product, and Design Checklist
Value




Feature/Need alignment – Does your product support user needs?
Branding and marketing messaging – Does your branding and marketing messages align with value
propositions?
Differentiation – Is it compelling for new users to see “why” they should use your product?
Monetization model – Does the monetization model align with users’ value perception of your product?
Adoptability







Exposure – Can non-users be exposed to your product, through SEO, ads, product reviews, etc.?
Installation – Is it easy for users to download and install?
First-use experience – Is the first-use experience streamlined and engaging?
Tutorials – If the product is complex to use, do you have tutorials to get them started?
Emails – Are there welcome emails and email tips that help users start using the product?
Landing page – If users find your product through SEO or ads, do you have well-designed landing pages?
Decision aid – What kind of decision making help do you offer for users to choose a product of yours?
Desirability



Engaging experience – Do the look and feel, branding, features, and content excite users?
Content abundance – Do you have enough interesting content for users to “get lost” in your product?
Gamification techniques – Have you applied gamification techniques, when appropriate, to your product
Usability








Discoverability – Are information and calls to action easy to discover?
CTA – Does your UI have relevant and clear calls to action?
Readability of content – Is it easy for users to review information?
Comprehensibility – Is your content written in a way that’s easy to understand?
Error handling – Does your UI let users know and recover from errors?
Navigation and IA – Is it easy for users to go from one place to another? Is the information well organized?
Findability – Can users easily find that they seek?
Accessibility – Does the UI support accessibility design?
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34. Q&A
To read more about UX strategy examples and ideas, check out
my UX blog: www.frankguoblog.com
Have questions or suggestions? Feel free to email me at:
frank.guo@uxstrategized.com
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35. About UX Strategized
Unlock business value through user experience

Insight  Advice  Outcome
About the firm: We are a boutique digital strategy and design firm based in San Francisco bay area. Leveraging awardwinning experience and proprietary techniques, we provide end-to-end digital strategy and design
consulting, specializing in performing 360-degree UX research and analysis, driving digital strategy that unlocks
business opportunities and elevates user experience, developing UI architecture that lays down a solid experience
design framework, and providing usability solutions that dramatically improve ease of use and user engagement.
Improved UX, product features, and marketing for
Industries: enterprise software, eCommerce, finance, mobile
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





eBay
Yahoo!
PayPal
StubHub
Motorola
Cisco
IMVU
Professional background








Award-winning digital products
An award-winning UX paper based on peer review
Published more than a dozen of UX papers
Co-authored a book chapter
Frequent speaker at professional conferences
Led UX research for major companies
Developed many UX guidelines and trained professionals in applying them
PhD in cognitive psychology, UCLA
Request a free consultation from Frank:
650.678.8061 • frank.guo@uxstrategized.com • www.uxstrategized.com
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