What are some of the most common UX pitfalls for PMs and how can you avoid them?

The power to empathize and deeply understand people's perspectives and situational contexts is not just a tool, it's the very foundation upon which transformative user experiences are built. When we place ourselves in our users' shoes, seeing the world through their eyes and feeling it through their emotions, we unlock invaluable insights that transcend mere data. This empathetic approach allows us to design solutions that resonate on a profoundly human level, creating experiences that are not only functional but also emotionally engaging and profoundly relevant ways. We can then transcend the boundaries of technology, producing meaningful research that drives innovation that genuinely enriches people's lives.

One term "VALUE" can make us think about everything we should do with a product. What value are we giving or is needed? How do we provide this? When we give something to the user, it has to be Useful, Usable and Compelling. To understand this we need to understand the users through research, analysis, testing and ideations. Some have the privilege to talk to users directly, some can have a tool to do that and others can learn from the path a user travelled to accomplish something. Each of this learning can tell us about the value we have/haven't created/offered. Once we have proper research done, define those, ideate and make it better. UX is definitely a critical part in product development and should be thought of as such.

When building a functionality start with experience. Users will insist they want the feature to function in their specific ways, but the experience can be significantly improved by employing a different experiential approach. For example a client insisted that they only need a log of data for agent movement but the experience is incomplete with just viewing the log. You need to be able to check whether the agent movement is hampering performance. Outliers should be highlighted and filtered out.

There will always be times when there isn’t enough data available to make the absolute best decisions, and a product manager will need to rely on some measure of gut instinct. The strongest product managers have enough experience and intuition to make good calls in the absence of data. Having said that, even the very best product managers cannot take the place of solid, user research and data. The best decisions come from truly understanding what users need, and that comes from talking to them, listening to them, and observing their behaviors.

Avoid overcomplicating interfaces; prioritize simplicity for user-friendly experiences. Steer clear of assuming user behavior; conduct thorough user testing for genuine insights. Resist the temptation to neglect mobile optimization, catering to a diverse user base. Foster clear communication with design and development teams, preventing misalignment in product vision and execution.

The value proposition helps the customers to understand our product. We get the best results when we can create a statement that clearly shows the benefits of our product to the customers. If we fail at this point, the customers are not going to understand the product and therefore buy it. We usually create a value proposition canva together with the internal stakeholders, from product managers to UX specialists to marketing and sales teams. We can create a few statements that we then check with our customers to understand which one resonates with them the most. The best value propositions use the same words as our customers. Additionally, we need to verify if there are other value propositions for different stakeholders.

Potential clients are left in the dark about the product's benefits and distinctiveness if the value proposition is not defined clearly. A value proposition conveys why a product is useful and unique, which aids in customer acquisition and retention. Without a defined value proposition, the product may struggle to differentiate itself in the market, which will result in lower client interest and adoption. Using a value proposition canvas would aid in refining and iterating a strong value proposition, enhancing customer-centric product development and marketing and encouraging iterative development, ensuring that the product continually evolves to meet customer expectations.

It is a mistake to prioritize features, because at the time you are prioritizing, you have no idea if the feature-ideas are any good. You should instead prioritize the customer problems you are trying to solve. For each problem you choose to solve comes at the cost of not solving (or delaying solving) another one. As you experiment and iterate on solution approaches, your ideas about which features are most effective for solving the problems you choose can change. Anchor on how someone else is better off because they use your product. Then explore ideas about which features are effective at making people better off. Don't ignore the user's goals and how customers get value from using your product to solve their problems.

Let's flip this around. It's important to prioritize value over features in product development, which leads to more user-centric, efficient, and successful products. It helps create offerings that resonate with users' needs and stand out in a crowded market. ? A focus on value helps maintain alignment as you move towards achieving your product vision. ??Products that deliver real value, rather than a plethora of features, tend to meet the actual needs of the users more effectively. ??A product focused on value rather than an abundance of features is typically simpler and more intuitive to use. ??Concentrating on value allows for more efficient use of resources.

This pitfall mainly occurs when the user's research isn't thorough. While designing the product, defining who the users are should be clear. A few things that can help to achieve them are: - Having a diverse team - Creating various user profiles

Most people fail to even understand this concept correctly. Testing is not something that validates your product, but rather the way your user thinks. Nothing is intuitive to the point of being underestimated, sometimes a new login page can be enough to frustrate your UX. DO usability teste! A good tip on usability test is saying that someone else created that interface and you want to test it. The user will feel more comfortable because the test is cleary on this product (not they) and will feel free to criticizing it (it works like gossip). Let they complain and never correct your user or justify the product behavior! Agree and encourage they to talk more. It is from dissatisfaction that hypotheses arise.

Designing for yourself, not the user is a common UX pitfall. When PMs develop for a user base that they are not a part of, it's not uncommon to fall into this trap. For instance, consider a team developing a product for Indian SMEs. The team might naturally gravitate towards a sleek, minimalist design that aligns with global SaaS trends. However, this might not sit well with their target users, who might find such an interface too sophisticated or alienating. These users might be more comfortable with a more information-dense, traditional layout that they perceive as functional and familiar. In such cases, PMs need to make a conscious effort to avoid projecting their biases and preferences onto the product design.

Pitfall 1 : Bringing your own bias in design with a conviction and ignoring the user persona Pitfall 2: Forgetting that UX Principles are fundamental but tactics and design thinking are bound to change. Pitfall 3 : It's the user job to do and what one is trying to accomplish comes priority before the design...It's not the other way around..You don't design with assumptions and then change the user success metrics. Pitfall 4: The most important - the PM should not dictate UX designer on designing rather give freedom for creativity and ensure that the outcome is achieved.

An important lesson I learnt while practicing with a coach on a product we developed for purely user testing purpose. Consider this: in a project aiming to improve an e-commerce platform, we initially overlooked a specific user group with visual impairments. The oversight surfaced when we received feedback about the inadequacy of the contrast ratio, making the site navigation challenging. It was a pivotal moment that taught us the value of inclusive design. We learned to integrate features such as screen reader compatibility and high-contrast options, transforming the platform into an inclusive space that embraced users of diverse abilities.

-Dismissing or neglecting user feedback. -Adding too many features at once, cluttering the interface. - Inconsistent design elements, interactions, or terminology -Ignoring specific design guidelines for platforms (e.g., mobile vs. desktop). -Forgetting to address the emotional impact of the design.

Do not confuse UX and UI. Great UX design is often mostly about designing the experience for the user, instead of focusing on the visuals. Yes, at some point you need to create a great UI design. But that should usually not be the starting point. Start from the actual user perspective, and design the complete end-to-end experience for them. Including any steps that take place outside of your (software) product. UX design is about making that experience as smooth and seamless as possible, and to take away as many hurdles as possible for a user.