The generational shift – why you need to continuously modernize your UX/UI (part 1)

Today’s audiences speak a visual language, communicating through myriad forms of media to connect, share, and engage with one another. In their frantic digital lives, they are bombarded by brands constantly yelling at them which makes them strive for relevant and valuable digital experiences more than ever. Millenials and Gen Z are impatient and have low tolerance for mistakes which can easily get them disappointed by a product/service with a suboptimal UI/UX. Therefore, your product/service might not be given a second chance. So, don’t get stale! If you want to succeed in the digital-first era the importance of continuously improving your UI/UX applications is crucial.

But where to start from? Which are the indicators that tell you that you need to modernize your applications? In this and a follow-up blog post, we are giving you the answers. You will learn:

• Why modernizing your UX/UI and how to pick the right moment for that (part 1)
• How to approach UX modernization and which are the best practices and common pitfalls in the field? (part 2)

Curious? Let’s get started!

Why modernize and when is the right time to re-evaluate the user experience?

Imagine you have worked in a company for 10 years and you are part of putting together the UI/UX applications. It’s hard to be objective at that point because the user experience is your baby and it’s really hard to call your baby ugly. The reality is not that it’s ugly or poorly done but the technology choices we have now are so much better than they were just a few years ago, that we need to continuously renew our UX/UI design if we want to stay in the game! So, this is when you must question your modernization. No matter if you decide to hire someone external or do it in-house, you have to provide objectivity or allow another pair of eyes to look at your UX/UI and have the courage to criticize the baby. And you need to be ready to take critique from 25 year old’s…

Don’t worry. Here are a few indicators that give you a sign you need to modernize.

1. Performance issues

The biggest question we should ask ourselves is “Is our solution performing on the level of the industry today?”. Usually, this is the greatest indicator for a problem with our UI/UX.

One reason is that new generations are much more demanding, resulting in a higher acceptance bar for any product or service they consume. In the meantime, the pace with which new solutions are emerging and disrupting the industry by optimizing the client experience while solving traditional problems is impressive. So, if we have a broken journey or a gap in the user interface, this will create frustration for our demanding clients who might not give you a second chance to prove yourself.

2. Negative user feedback

Then, it is about the feedback you receive - companies should constantly listen and take into consideration client feedback, prioritizing and fixing high-impact problems in the experience and user interface. Researching client’s feedback nowadays is the shortest way to find out areas for improvement in UX/UI. This can be done either in-house via the highly accessible DIY research platforms or with the help of a consultant.

3. Accessibility and usability issues

Companies shouldn’t forget to cover the basic standards of accessibility and usability, too, as those often have high impact power into the client’s evaluation criteria of a product/service. Those are the requirements that are technical and relate to the underlying code rather than to the visual appearance. Neglecting such indicators might impact losing brand reputation and competitive advantage which would eventually hurt your business.

4. Solution gap

Many companies struggle to find UI/UX experts for their teams who can successfully lead such a project. Yes, there are common patterns and standard best practices to learn from and get inspired for each industry, but very often there is no one easy fix to fit everywhere. If you have serious ambitions for your business, you will know that only a UX expert can dive into your specific solutions. Such a person can evaluate how to execute a modernization without impacting your current business model and how to measure success. Because as in any other business area, “What is measured is managed”.

This is the first of two blog posts in which we are exploring the secrets behind successful UX/UI modernization.

Stay tuned for the second part in which we will have a closer look at how to approach the modernization of your applications and which are the best practices and common pitfalls in this space!