Kate Lorenz

This got me thinking. I hear a lot of leaders say they're looking for cultural transformation, and want to shift in a direction that values reactivity, challenge confrontation, and collaboration. What they're describing is a design-driven culture. Many of these attributes are vital when UX is at the center. If that resonates, then looking at design maturity is the better route. #DesignMaturity #DesignDriven #Culture

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We're keenly aware that budgets aren't what they used to be and money isn't flowing' like it's 2012. I've seen a lot of companies, medium and large, pull back on experience strategy initiatives and hand it off to internal teams. Nothing wrong with that yet, they're struggling to make sense of how to approach the right problem, align changes with company directions, sift through user data, etc. When you aren't trained in a given profession, you're bound to stumble. So.... • What does an experience (ux) strategist DO!? • Do you need an experience (ux) strategist? Experience consultants ( 👉 me 👈 ) are an excellent way to "try before you buy". Be it to get things done at a reasonable cost or to test the UX waters. There's never a bad time to dip your toes into the waters and invest in the possibilities of experience design. Start out with a task then perhaps a small project. Then check to see if the needle is moving in the right direction. And what we do doesn't have to be for your users. It could be for your teams own sanity! "Hey team, can we dump this work on the ux strategist? We're swamped." UX is not just about creating design artifacts. Experience strategist's: • Analyze business opportunities • Dive deep into assessing problems • Build the approach to a solution • Align to business strategies • Validate audience needs • Establish success metrics • Create content structures • Build data migration plans • Compose micro-copy • Test and validate ideas & concepts • Interview teams, co-workers, executives ... and so much more. Human (and AI) behavior is constantly evolving. To stay on target with your businesses goals you must continually identify issues and explore opportunities. We're the persons in the watchtower, the sounding board looking out for you, the expert advisor to make sure you're on the right path. Leverage us. Leverage ux. Oh, ... and DM me if need UX strategy 😉 #uxLyfe

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Hey, if you're traveling this weekend in the car, and you need something to listen to, check out this episode of the UX Consultant's Lounge by Kyle Soucy where Lynne Polischuik and I kick around some thoughts about the state of UX work today, the impact (and opportunities!) that AI brings to it, and the value that consultants can offer in the quickly changing world out there. https://lnkd.in/gyYqGmf2

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Diversity in design isn't just a buzzword—it's a business imperative. 🌈 As a hiring manager, I've seen firsthand how diverse teams boost creativity, product quality, and profitability. I believe in building teams that reflect our users and bring fresh perspectives to every project. How do you ensure fairness during the hiring process when you have to look at portfolios? Here is my perspective on the challenges of inclusive hiring. #DiversityInDesign #InclusiveHiring #TeamBuilding

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As I observed last week at uxcon vienna and frequently hear on client calls, design leaders are increasingly being asked to both prove the Return on Investment (#ROI) of experience design and to achieve more with fewer resources. This growing demand underscores a significant challenge in our industry: we are generally not very adept at benchmarking and proving the value of investment in user experience (#UX). To address this critical gap, we are excited to announce new research by Brent Stewart, entitled "How to Measure the Value of User Experience Design." This study delves into the essential behavioural and attitudinal measurements that every experience professional should be tracking. This research provides actionable insights and methodologies for: Behavioural Measurements: Understanding user actions and interactions with your product to gauge effectiveness and satisfaction. Attitudinal Measurements: Capturing user perceptions and feelings about their experience to inform design improvements. This research is now available to Gartner clients and is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to substantiate the impact of their UX efforts with concrete data. Leverage these insights to not only justify your investments but also to optimize and enhance user satisfaction and engagement. For more information, Gartner clients can access the full report through their client portal.

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Etsy was recently seen A/B testing AND eventually shipping a more visible search with the help of a higher contrast orange background button color (instead of a ghost-like icon only approach). Full screenshots: https://lnkd.in/gVJThW3W Now I don't work for Etsy (as much as I'd love to design some experiments for/with them) so we can't see the actual numbers beyond this feint probabilistic residue from the public domain. However, the amazing Andrey Andreev who runs experiments at Metro recently ran a very similar one and shared a solid result on GoodUI - with a positive impact to sales and searches. N = 896,009 SRM Check = Pass p-val on Increased Sales = 0.0139 (I know some people might like this to be even lower for a primary metric; but there is also reinforcing evidence on increased searches with an even lower p value at "ultra stat-sig" levels using Ron Kohavi's language; p < 0.00000001). I inverted the a/b test and categorized it under the Filled Vs Ghost Button pattern - further weakening the ghosts and strengthening the high contrast filled button styles on multiple metrics. https://lnkd.in/gmD8Exvc Thanks Andrey for a somewhat of an unintended replication, as I know your source of inspiration came from somewhere else on this one. :) Have you tested anything similar or different. If so, what did you discover? I'd be super curious to see more examples where increases to search have either ❌ failed or ✅ succeeded. Please share independent of outcome. ps. We also have a handful of similar "visible search" experiments where companies tested adding or hiding search: https://lnkd.in/gvWqzrK5 - further supporting this direction. [EDIT]: Note the additional confounders / variables in the Metro test - a stronger border, a change in background color of the search box as per Jakob Nielsen comment. They may be similar along the lines of the increased visibility theme - but possible additional variables nevertheless. #experimentation #ecommerce #replication #optimization #ui #ux

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It’s time to unf*ck your user onboarding. Here’s what you DO NOT need: 🛑 Generic tutorials 🛑 Complicated processes 🛑 Every possible user info What you DO need: ✅ Understand your users & collect feedback ✅ Create a clear onboarding path ✅ Use the right onboarding elements at each stage Stop complicating your onboarding. Stop ignoring user feedback. And get started :) Did you not use an app or tool before because the onboarding was confusing?

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Patterns for implementing human-centric design thinking and UX to GenAI #GenAI #UX #AI

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Confession: I love Config. It’s one of my favorite things about Figma. I love how much the conference covers, how it's branded, and the ambition. I’ve been a Config fan (a "Confan"?) since attending the first one as an industry analyst in 2020. The conference has always stood out to me - whether for 2022's 24 hours of content or for the multiple inspiring talks last year. That’s why I’m so excited to share that I’ll be hosting this year’s Leadership Collective at #Config, a gathering of 800 leaders who want to help their companies design and build great things. And the best part is that the content will be free and available on YouTube after the event. Speakers will cover:  - modern design leadership - how design leaders + tech leaders work together - the way companies transform today - how companies can plan more effectively - just what is craft in software anyway? - AI, AI, AI - And more! Can’t wait. And, get in touch if you’re going to be there!

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I just read Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism by Kyle Chayka, and it got me thinking about the power of minimalism—not just in art and architecture that you hear so much about, but in how we experience the world. Chayka's core message is that minimalism isn't just about reducing clutter—it's about creating space for clarity, intentionality, and deeper meaning... principles that really resonate with me and the UX design discipline. Here are some thoughts looking at Minimalism through the lens of user experience design: https://lnkd.in/gnmJGfyM

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In the world of e-commerce, cart abandonment is often cited as a critical metric, but does the label truly reflect what's happening with users? When we talk about "abandonment," we imply that users have completely given up on their purchase. But is that always the case? In reality, users may leave items in their cart for various reasons that aren't as negative as we think. Maybe they're saving it for later, like bookmarking a product they plan to revisit. Or perhaps they're comparing prices or waiting for a sale before completing the purchase. It's also possible they were interrupted or not ready to buy. Instead of viewing it as "abandonment," we could consider labels like: Future Intent: Recognizing that users might bookmark items for a future return. Pause for Consideration: Reflecting the user's need to take a step back, compare, or wait for a better offer. Unfinished Journey: Acknowledging that the user's purchase process was interrupted, they may return to finish later. By shifting our mindset from "abandonment" to these alternative labels, we can better understand user behaviour and create more meaningful strategies to re-engage them. It’s time we stopped seeing it as a loss and started seeing it as an opportunity to engage. Any suggestions of other labels other than abandoned? Contact me to discuss how Akendi can help optimize your eCommerce experience. #UX #CX #ecommerce #userexperience #metrics #customerexperience #analytics

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Figma is a tremendous tool for designers and I love it—but I have a concern: Last week, it came out that Figma's “Make Design” AI feature created a design eerily similar to Apple’s Weather app. After many expressed worries about the AI's training, Figma temporarily disabled the feature, giving users until August 15th to opt out of allowing their content to be used for such training. In accordance with our confidentiality policies, Scoresby has opted out of allowing our content to be used for AI training—and we’re recommending our clients do the same. Whether you are a designer or exec at a company that uses Figma: ● How are you handling this? ● What policies are you putting in place to protect proprietary content? ________________ Articles for Reference: https://lnkd.in/gf4rzR95 https://lnkd.in/gxx_GGqW #Figma #AI #Design

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Engaging advice for aspiring design leaders

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Two of the best things about working with my new client, Manifest UX (https://manifestux.com/), are their: 1. track record of being able to add value at any point in a product's development cycle and their 2. commitment to always involving the principals of the company, ensuring that important work is not handed down to a junior person. Manifest UX can enhance a product at any stage of its development. Whether it's improving an existing product, solving challenging problems, or adding powerful new features, their input can transform an OK product into a GREAT one, boosting daily active users (DAU), monthly active users (MAU), and revenue. At DS Digital (dansteiny.com), we are proud to provide business development support to ManifestUX in driving exceptional results for their clients. If you’re looking for flexible, high-quality UX and product design support, feel free to reach out. I'd love to connect you with this amazing team. #UserExperience #ProductDesign #BusinessDevelopment #Partnerships #ManifestUX #DSDigital #DigitalMedia #AI

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Continuous, lifelong learning has always been crucial for #UX practitioners, if we are to remain relevant and in demand. With the advent of #artificialintelligence, never has this been more critical. If you're not thinking about how your role in #productdesign or #contentdesign might change, and the skills you need to acquire to keep up, you should be. And if you don't believe me, listen to Marko Thorhauer's interview with Patricia Reiners where his caution "AI won't replace you as a designer. A designer working with AI will replace you" particularly resonated with me. https://lnkd.in/gqPtxPDM

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Most UX patterns in enterprise companies exist because of legacy company processes, not because they actually work. When working with enterprise clients, we're not here to challenge best practices (they exist for good reasons). We're here to challenge outdated conventions that create friction. This played out recently when working with one of the most well-known brands in America— The organization had two complementary service offerings … but you can’t have two masters: …and there was political infighting about who belonged where and how to serve both. We knew membership was more important, so we stripped all insurance content from the homepage to get people into the membership funnel. That one change increased membership sign-ups by over 30%. 💡 Here's why it worked: People don't read. They scan. A webpage with 1 headline, 1 button, and 2 supporting pieces of content will perform best. When you give users a single focus, they’ll take action. This simple truth guides our approach— In enterprise UX, success means knowing exactly when to push against established patterns to achieve clear, measurable goals.

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My pal Vitaly Friedman is second-to-none when it comes to delivering thorough, thoughtful, and actionable design advice. He's released a few courses that are really valuable for practicing designers and design leads: 🧠 Smart Interface Design Patterns: https://lnkd.in/e-v-jsCG 📏 How to Measure UX Impact: https://measure-ux.com/ #design #ux

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Not sure how I missed this podcast with Lenny Rachitsky but this episode with Katie Dill is amazing. There's a reason it has 47k views on YouTube. Just furthering my claim that the very best of Lenny's podcasts are not about product development or traditional product management. His best episodes are about design and business. "The use of the word beauty in books that have been digitized by Google has decreased,  like pretty dramatically. And it's aligned with this idea of, "Well,  functionality is king. Functionality is what matters." As if people think about  functionality and beauty as like two opposite things. No, they're not two  opposite things. Functionality is important. And actually beauty enhances functionality  because it does make things easier to use, more approachable, more comp elling to use.  And the other piece of it that is not talked about in business as often is just  the importance of how people feel. Things that are more beautiful, increase trust. You see that  we've put painstaking detail into this, and we care about the details of how something works,  and that gives you assurance that we care about other details that you can't see too." —Katie All I have to say is YES.

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🚀 Are Companies Cheating UX Maturity with Design Systems? In a recent blog post (https://lnkd.in/etYdAjDW), I shared how some companies attempt to fast-track their design maturity by adopting a design system before determining the best designs to use in the system. The result is a false sense of UX sophistication followed by surprise, and the system doesn't meet expectations. In a recent conversation, a startup was eager to purchase an out-of-the-box design system but still needed to define their product market fit, audience, or user flows. It's like handing over the keys to a Lamborghini to a first-time driver—exciting but potentially disastrous. Imagine trying to build a spaceship without a blueprint—you might end up with a shiny but ultimately useless rocket ship. A well-defined UX process ensures you have the right tools for your specific product needs suited to your brand. How is your organization focusing on the tools or cultivating a culture? If you need guidance on integrating a design system or getting your organization ready for one, feel free to reach out to @Akendi. We're here to help you navigate the journey to design maturity effectively. 🌟 #DesignSystems #UXMaturity #ProductDesign #DesignCulture #Startup #Akendi #UXDesign

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