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The Shifting Landscape of UX: What's Really Happening?
- 2024/09/12
- 再生時間： 8 分
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あらすじ・解説
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but it feels like a strange time in UX right now. I’m noticing many layoffs in our field, budget cuts, and a decline in work for external suppliers. It seems we’re going through another shift in our industry, which tends to happen every few years due to technological advancements or economic factors.In this email, I’d like to share my thoughts and best guesses about what might be happening and what the future could hold.However, I want to begin by clarifying what I don’t believe is happening: I don’t think the user experience field is being replaced by AI.AI Is Not Making Our Jobs RedundantWhile AI may streamline processes and reduce job numbers in the field, I believe the risk of AI replacing you anytime soon is minimal.This is due to the current nature of AI. It excels in areas like data analysis and written language but remains weak in other domains, such as:Strategic planning.Emotional intelligence.Creative thinking.Fortunately, these are the three core skills essential for user experience design. Therefore, I see no reason to worry about the impact AI may have on our jobs. While AI will inevitably change how we work, it won't diminish the need for our roles.So, if AI isn't driving the changes I'm observing, what is? It could simply be economic and political factors.The Broader Economy May Be A FactorThere is a lot happening in the world right now that creates uncertainty. We have the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, a cost of living crisis, and upcoming elections in the US. Additionally, the long-term effects of COVID have changed business operations and put significant economic pressure on governments.It's not surprising that organizations are looking to cut costs and are hesitant to start new initiatives. They are waiting to see how these issues unfold.However, we can't solely blame the broader economy. There is also issues specific to UX that are affecting the situation.The Honeymoon is OverTo begin with, we are witnessing the end of the honeymoon period in user experience design. For some time, user experience was the buzzword in business. Similar to digital transformation, senior management became aware of this discipline. Success stories from companies like Apple and Uber sparked a frenzy of investment in user experience.They were further seduced by statistics we all threw around like:Every dollar invested in UX results in a return of $100, representing a 9,900% ROI.Many of these companies did not prioritize user experience effectively. They either underinvested or had a culture that hindered genuine user-centric delivery. As we know, you can't just bolt on UX to an existing organization.As a result, it has often fallen short of management's expectations. Now, we see them starting to cut back, drawn in by the allure of the next big thing—AI.To complicate things further, this initial excitement, along with the maturing of the discipline, has led to another issue.The Maturity ProblemThe excitement around UX has attracted many people to the field, especially with the rise of UX bootcamps.Meanwhile, significant progress is being made in the discipline. We are discovering what works and what doesn’t. UX patterns and best practices are emerging, leading to fewer problems that need solving.Of course, every project has its nuances. However, we can achieve results faster than ever because we build on the solutions found by others in the past.These two factors—more professionals and fewer problems—have created an oversaturated market. At least that is my current working hypothesis.So, what comes next?What Comes NextWell, your guess is as good as mine. In the short term, we will probably see more of the same: more layoffs and more budget cuts. Unless the current economic and political uncertainty decreases, we are unlikely to see any improvements.However, it ultimately depends on how organizations choose to integrate UX in the long run. The importance of user experience is here to stay. Consumers now expect a good user experience, and that expectation will only increase. Bridget van Kranlingen from IBM consulting put it well when she said:"The last best experience that anyone has anywhere becomes the minimum expectation for the experience they want everywhere."The question is: how will organizations choose to deliver on it?As I see it, they have three options:They could recognize the importance of user experience and create strong, well-supported UX teams. While I believe some will take this approach, I doubt it will be the majority.They may abandon the idea and outsource everything to external suppliers. I think more will take this route, but it will come with challenges. This approach doesn't address the internal barriers to creating a great user experience. As a result, they will only achieve superficial improvements, mainly in user interfaces.They could democratize user experience by creating centers of excellence that promote best ...