UX Strategy explains how to build a shared understanding by defining the vision, the goals and the plan to get there — way before designing and implementing solutions. Ultimately, it guides the prioritization and execution of UX work over time.
- Most design work is tactical: it reacts to a problem in the moment.
- Usually we don’t know the intention or outcome of our work.
- UX strategy is proactive: it’s about the change we want to see.
- Strategy is a high-level plan that takes you where you want to go.
- Tactics are single steps and actions that will get you there.
- For impact, we need to be less tactical and more strategic.
- UX strategy has a vision, goals/measures and action plan.
- Vision is improved future state of where UX is going and why.
- Goals is how we’ll know if we’re making progress.
- Plan is the actionable path we take to get there.
- UX strategy considers people, processes, tools, standards.
- Vision communicates desired outcomes and changes.
- Goals help prioritize actions with the highest business impact.
- Design KPIs help measure and track progress over time.
- Good plans are flexible, communicate priority, acknowledge change.
- Life is messy and chaotic: good plans describe, but don’t prescribe.
Many conversations in the industry focus on practical skills and tactical decisions, such as interface design, prototyping or journey mapping. But design always need people to carry it in action. In fact, good design execution is about relationship management, and it requires a good UX strategy.
A good strategy ties better UX to measurable business outcomes. It doesn’t speak about design patterns, or intuitive design or well-organized components. Instead, it speaks the language of business strategy —OKRs, costs, revenue, business metrics and objectives that decision makers understand.
A design can succeed without a strategy. However, as Sun Tzu once wrote, strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. And tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat.
Useful resources
- UX Strategy: Study Guide, by Sarah Gibbons, Anna Kaley
- How To Develop An Effective UX Strategy, by Chloé Garnham
- How to Create an Enterprise UX Strategy, by Cassandra Naji
- What Goes Into a Proactive UX Strategy (video), by Jared Spool
- UX Strategy: Product Strategy Techniques (Book), by Jaime Levy
- UX Strategy Book Summary + second summary
- UX Strategy Toolkit
- Business Model Canvas
- User Centered Design Canvas
- UX Strategy Template
- Business Model Canvas
- User Centered Design Canvas
