Unlocking the Power of UX Benchmarking: A Step-by-Step Guide
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, delivering exceptional user experiences is crucial for businesses to stay ahead of the competition. One effective way to measure and improve user experience is through UX benchmarking. In this article, we’ll explore the ins and outs of UX benchmarking, its importance, and provide a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a successful benchmarking study.
What is UX Benchmarking?
UX benchmarking is the process of evaluating a company’s or website’s performance based on criteria accepted by stakeholders or universal standards. It involves analyzing relative performance within a company to measure its success and identify areas for improvement.
When is Benchmarking Used in UX?
Benchmarking is necessary when:
- Return on investment (ROI) is below stakeholders’ target
- UX metrics indicate a poor user experience
- Measuring the company’s or UX team’s performance after specific changes in the product
- Market shifts changed the nature of competition
- A new paradigm appeared in industry standards due to innovations, law changes, or average industry performance
The UX Benchmarking Study: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 0: Necessary UX Data to Start Benchmarking
Gather all relevant UX data available for your company, including:
- Quantitative data:
- Time-on-task
- Conversion rates
- Error rate
- Completion rate
- Engagement
- Retention
- Qualitative data:
- Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
- System usability scale (SUS)
- Net promotor score (NPS)
- Customer effort score (CES)
Step 1: Identify Behavioral and Attitudinal Issues Using a UX Audit
Analyze the data gathered during the UX audit to identify patterns that explain customers’ behavior and discover ways to improve their experience. Possible behavioral and attitudinal patterns may include:
- Technical problems within the website
- Outdated materials
- Problems with accessibility and usability
- Building a roadmap of customers’ actions to reveal barriers that could impact their choices
Step 2: Define Standards You Will Look Up To
Identify reliable standards to compare your UX metrics to, such as:
- Product performance data
- Competitors’ performance
- Company’s goals
- Industry performance
Step 3: Analyze Comparative Results and Propose Solutions
Compare your current UX metrics to the defined standards and ask yourself questions like:
- Are there technical issues that lead to problems?
- Did the change in product lead to problems?
- What can be done to fix the underperformance or perform even better?
Step 4: Implement Changes
Answer why others are performing better or worse than your business and identify opportunities to outperform them. Test new things and stay updated to become or stay number one in the industry.
Step 5: Gather Post-Change Results on the UX Metrics of Interest
Conduct a post-change UX audit to find fluctuations in results and confirm whether the actions taken performed well.
Step 6: Visualize and Report the Findings
Structure and analyze the data acquired, using charts and infographics to appeal to stakeholders. The final report should