There’s something concerning that happens often in the UX space, something we don’t always talk about.

The issue: firms (or people) who claim they “can do UX” but aren’t actually familiar with what “UX” means. So you get UI design, without adequate consideration for UX.

This often means skipping out on really important stuff like ensuring they understand the problem fully, talking to users, or testing the usability of the new designs. As a result, your team may have gotten the impression that UX is UI design, and doesn’t take very long. Or you may have invested more than you should have, and been dissatisfied with the outcome.

In either scenario, working with a “not-quite-UX” design service provider can cause leaders to shy away from investing in proper UX in the future, which hurts their product in the long run.

As an industry, we shy away from this because it’s a nuanced discussion. Every project is different. We want teams to do design user-centered experiences, even if they’ve got to do it lean.

The key? Everyone should realize when a process is lean, and understand the risks. If you’re blindly trusting the team’s assumptions about user needs, that’s a risk. If you’re not actually talking to users, that’s a risk. If you’re building without testing the usability of new designs, that’s a risk. At some point the level of risk overwhelms the money saved by skipping steps, and you find yourself upside down.

Why does this happen?

There are so many specialties within digital design, and so many people and organizations who are awesome in things like development, graphic design, or eCommerce. And UX is a really hot topic right now. Service providers feel like they get it, sometimes even when they don’t realize what all goes into proper user-centered design.

That can mean their clients don’t even realize what they’re missing out on.

Do yourself a favor: If you’re looking for UX expertise, and you see UX listed as one service among a laundry list of services, ask some questions.

• Is the organization big enough to do everything on this list well?

• How do they incorporate first-hand user insight into their design process?

• What major insights have they delivered through their research, and how did it change business outcomes?

• How much of their type goes to UI design vs other activities like user research?

UI design is important. But an experienced UX partner will have stories of the lessons they’ve learned through research. They’ll be able to share stories of how insights added value or saved money. You need to know that a UX partner will check you on your assumptions rather than taking them at face value.

At Slide UX, our signature process includes user research before design, and usability testing on designed prototypes. We do it efficiently using lean, time-tested, and continuously improved processes that we share as a team. We also offer standalone user research services. If you’re interested in learning more, book a consultation.