How do you define your UX goals?

1 Understand the problem

Before you can set any UX goals, you need to understand the problem you are trying to solve and the context in which it occurs. This means conducting user research, competitive analysis, and stakeholder interviews to gather insights and data about the current situation, the pain points, the opportunities, and the constraints. You should also define the scope and the objectives of your project, as well as the key metrics and indicators that will help you measure success.

2 Identify the user needs

Based on your research, you should be able to identify the main user needs and expectations that your solution should address. User needs are the underlying motivations and desires that drive user behavior and satisfaction. They can be expressed as user stories, personas, scenarios, or jobs to be done. You should prioritize the most important and urgent user needs and align them with your project objectives and metrics.

3 Formulate the UX goals

Once you have a clear picture of the user needs, you can formulate your UX goals. UX goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) statements that describe what you want to achieve for your users and how you will know if you have achieved it. They should be based on the user needs and the metrics that matter most for your project. For example, a UX goal could be: "Increase the completion rate of the checkout process by 20% in six months by reducing the number of steps and errors."

4 Communicate and validate the UX goals

After you have defined your UX goals, you should communicate them to your team, your stakeholders, and your users. This will help you create a shared vision and a common language for your project, as well as get feedback and buy-in from everyone involved. You should also validate your UX goals by testing them with real users and data. This will help you check if your goals are realistic, relevant, and achievable, as well as identify any gaps or issues that need to be addressed.

5 Review and refine the UX goals

Finally, you should review and refine your UX goals throughout the project lifecycle. UX goals are not set in stone, but rather dynamic and flexible. They may change or evolve as you learn more about your users, your market, your technology, and your solution. You should monitor your progress and performance against your UX goals regularly and adjust them as needed to reflect new insights, feedback, or requirements.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?