In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital products, the marriage of business strategy and user experience design is crucial for creating successful, user-centric products that have and maintain a competitive advantage in the market. Jaime Levy's practical book, "UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want," fills a critical gap by providing a comprehensive framework for executing UX strategy in unison with business objectives.
According to Levy, UX strategy, like any strategy, helps “create a game plan that looks at your current position and helps you to get where you want to be.” Her book acts as a hands-on guide for achieving such a plan by breaking down UX strategy into four tenets: business strategy, value innovation, validated user research, and frictionless UX. Levy dives deep into each tenet, introducing readers to a set of techniques for each, providing entrepreneurs, UX/UI designers, product managers, and intrapreneurial teams with the skills needed to create products that people not only use but truly desire.
Unlike other popular books in the field, Levy does not rely solely on well-known UX success stories, such as those of Facebook and Airbnb. She includes extended examples from her own life, mostly notably from her own experiences with UX students. These examples are highly relatable, providing real-world context for the concepts discussed. Of all the examples provided, I found those concerning her students the most impactful as they showed how Levy’s lessons can be incorporated into my life and work.
Furthermore, Levy's conversational writing style makes the book engaging and accessible to readers of all levels of expertise in the field. However, there is a lot of information offered in the book which can leave a beginner feeling overwhelmed. This is not the fault of the text but the reality of learning a new subject and something to consider when just starting in the field. I am not a beginner but even I felt as if I could not hold onto all the valuable information Levy shares in the book, and I will be going back to reference various chapters when needed.
Overall, by providing actionable steps and practical advice, Levy equips her audience with the necessary tools to successfully navigate the dynamic landscape of digital product development. Whether you want a good place to start or a good read to brush up on important concepts, “UX Strategy" is a must-read as it is thoughtful, well-written, and highly educational.
Comments