There’s been a lot of talk about it and over at SXSW it was more than apparent that there is a high demand amongst startups for UX help.
An increased demand for UX
Over in Austin I had a number of conversations with people either working on their own thing or being involved with startups. In more or less every instance when they heard what I do the answer was around how UX was a skillset they were looking for, or that they knew someone who needed it.
As many of us, during the last many years, to some degree have been “elbowing” our way forward in companies in order to ensure that clients and internal stakeholders are educated on the role, value, involvement and output of our profession, it’s great to see the demand for what we do rise. But there is a lot of education on the matter left to do, not the least with startups, ensuring that UX is not seen or included as a bandaid applied in the end to make sure the experience works.
The role of UX in startups
Early involvement of UX in a startup can help make or break the product. With so much talk about getting a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) out there as soon as possible, to test whether the idea is worth pursuing, and investing more time and money in, UX becomes even more valuable in terms of ensuring that the MVP that is launched is the right MVP. A small detail in a journey or structure can have a crucial effect on the take up and success of the product.
Though I’m fully booked at the moment, working with other startups, providing advice and mentoring is something I really want to do and I’m currently in a few conversations around UX and startups which I’m really excited about.
Far from every startup will have the skillset or budget available to involve a UX professional from the beginning, but there are some key principles to get off to a great start and I’m hoping to be sharing some of them throughout the course of the year. Here and in other places.
Tomorrow – Day 086 | Finding the rhythm
