How UX design created new business opportunities
By understanding user needs and solving real problems, founders can open doors to new opportunities.
In this case, our UX approach helped a client who was developing a food delivery platform not only meet customer expectations but also identify new market segments, which helped them greatly with investors' negotiations.
After conducting unplanned user interviews, we defined product user groups and user needs. Two new user groups emerged beyond our assumptions, along with ways to engage with them, which led our client to new business opportunities.
Outcomes of the UX research project
We avoided making design decisions based on assumptions by talking directly to users
User interviews showed us what people really needed, which was different from what we thought, helping us make better design decisions
By speaking with users, we identified their needs, which helped us design a product that solves real problems
We learned that user needs can be practical, emotional, or social, which helped us decide on the most important product features
We discovered two new groups of users, opening up new business opportunities
We shifted the product focus from mobile to desktop because users preferred it, improving their experience
Meeting user expectations led to better engagement and more relevant solutions for the market
We worked on a new food delivery platform that asked for our help in creating user journeys and wireframes for the prototype. After conducting stakeholder interviews, it transpired the product team hadn’t talked to potential users who may want to engage with the platform.
We sat down with the leadership team and suggested that, before creating user journeys and wireframes, we would need to engage with their potential users to find out what they expected from the platform and how and when they would use it.
UX research solves real problems
Engaging with potential users would enable us to identify user needs and requirements when using the product to ensure that we are solving real-world problems. Otherwise, these user journeys and wireframes would’ve based only on our assumptions, where we would’ve been forced to predict the features and functionality users expect and what kind of UI elements resonate with them.
Instead, we ran user interviews and explored real user needs and motivations when using the platform. In the end, these were quite different from our prior assumptions.
We identified and defined platform user groups and even found two new user groups beyond our assumptions, determining the best ways to engage with them that created new business opportunities. Based on user needs, we then refocused product design from the app to desktop.
'User needs' express people's goals, values, hopes referring to individuals’ main requirements and expectations when using a product or service. These can include functional, emotional, and social aspects, encompassing what users desire and find valuable in their interactions with a particular system or solution.
Increasing market value through UX
If a service doesn’t solve a genuine problem for users, it may struggle to gain traction or maintain the customer’s interest. Identifying and addressing real user needs is key for a service's success, as this increases its relevance and value in the market.
Clearly defined user needs and requirements provide input to product ideation, design and help to determine the product’s feature set. User needs and requirements help to prevent designing a product that is based on assumptions, as this poses a risk of wasting time and money on solving wrong or non-existent problems.
User needs and requirements are the most important UX artifacts
I believe that user needs and requirements are the most important UX artifacts. This case study perfectly illustrates that.
Well-defined user needs offer actionable, measurable, and context-specific insights for more informed design decisions.
The ‘Who, What, Why’ framework is especially useful here:
▪ Who - defines the user’s demographics, roles, and behaviours
▪ What - focuses on the user’s goals, tasks, and problems
▪ Why - reveals motivations and pain points, helping designers create engaging experiences
UX research is a 'must-have' for identifying and addressing user needs and making better design decisions.
Investing in UX design isn’t just about creating visually appealing interfaces - it's about understanding and solving real-world user problems that create new opportunities in the marketplace.