Deciding whether to hire an agency partner or build a user experience team of your own can be tough; after all, there’s a huge list of pros and cons that surround either choice. But since smooth and effective UX design is critical to putting together a website that converts, it’s a decision you need to make.
Deciding to choose a UX Team will fulfill your need to craft a marketable design that keeps users, developers, and content creators involved in the collaborative effort to make your products and services reliable and accessible front and back. Here are a couple of reasons that will convince you that building a UX Team of your own achieves that goal.
1. UX Teams Are More Flexible
Flexibility is an important aspect of UX design because it allows your company is able to produce the best possible visual and industrial designs. A flexible design process helps your UX communicate the relevance of your company towards your visitors and users.
How does flexibility help you achieve this? First of all, it is likely that you’re going to have a vision of what you want to communicate to your consumer base. Second, you are likely going to have pivoted from that vision because of internal and external circumstances.
In that case, it is important that your UX Team is aligned with your company’s strategy. You need to be able to shift strategies without worrying as much about the cost and hardship of changing strategies. A UX Team of your own means that they already have a deeper understanding of your company’s strategy and vision than what any Agency Partner could ever dream of.
2. UX Teams Create a User-Centered Culture
A big number of companies that lead today’s industries are user-centered. The design is embedded in every part of the organization of these industries. In today’s age where convenience is a prominent element of a successful business, it is important that your design is user-friendly. If you take a look at applications and software that succeed, you will notice a couple of things. First, they are easy to use. Second, they look attractive and fun to use. Last, they communicate the company’s intentions well. Design and user-satisfaction are critical elements that make or break companies.
A User-Centered Culture is important to every company that wants to succeed. It is the bread and butter of a company that wishes to possess a positive relationship and communication with their consumer-base. The higher the satisfaction of your users is; the better it is for your company. If you think about it, the only thing that you need to create this culture is to encourage growth within your intricately hired UX Team.
3. UX Teams Have Comparative Advantage in Niche Markets
If you are entering a new type of industry, it is inevitable that competition will soon start building-up. In that case, it is critical for you to have a competitive User Experience Design. A competent UX Design allows you to stay in the competition so that you do not weaken your head-start advantage. This is exactly how Facebook managed to beat first-movers like MySpace and Friendster.
You need to pay attention to the competition. If they assign a lot of value to UX, then it means that you have to compete in the UX aspect as well. In that case, having your own UX team is the best way to go. While UX agencies are experts on UX; standing above competition requires an understanding of your own business. Your own UX Team will have the vested interest to give you critical insights regarding opportunities and potential challenges. Your team will have a deeper understanding of the circumstances of your business. Furthermore, your own UX Team will be more familiar with solutions that work and do not work in relation to your business.
In short, your very own UX Team can bring out the factors that make your company different than others.
4. UX Teams Are More Focused on You
While it is true that UX Agencies know the intricacies of UX and have a lot of experience when it comes to developing design; they do not have the dedication to your product. UX Agencies spend a lot of time coming up with different designs for different companies such that the focus that they have is spread thinly. In these instances, it would be wise to go for a UX Team of your own. Having your own UX Team means that there is a team out there that is dedicated and responsible for serving your company for all time.
The focus is an important aspect of UX. For example, having a focused User Researcher who understands consumer behavior and necessities is critical to know how you can improve your company. You have to note, that it is not only important for User Researchers to understand consumer behavior, but it is important for them to understand the behavior of your target market and consumer-base. The more time that researchers and designers spend with your company, the more nuanced their insights become. In the process of always being there for your company, your own UX Team accumulates a lot of insights that will help the growth of your company.
Read more: Responsive Web Design: 6 Tips For A Mobile First Approach
5. UX Teams Are More Consistent
Consistency is an important element of efficiency within large organizations. In order for you to maximize your resources, you need to make sure that processes are in place and job descriptions are well-defined. Within your own UX Team, you get to know them individually. Knowing the people who are responsible for the success of your company means that it becomes easier for you to know the extent of their skills and which aspects of work you can trust them in. Familiarity with the skillset and fostering trust and growth within the company entails that it is easier for you to craft an efficient and effective process that is good for both your company and workers.