UX Strategy, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2. The Four Tenets of UX Strategy

[ 2 ]

The Four Tenets of UX Strategy

In war, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.*

—SUN TZU, ART OF WAR

A stellar UX strategy is a means to disrupt the marketplace through mental model innovation. Because what’s the point in spending time and energy crafting a product that isn’t unique? Or, at the very least, is a much better alternative to current solutions found in the marketplace?

To realize that advantage, we need a framework in which to connect all the dots that will build a cohesive UX strategy. In this chapter, I’m going to break down the most important tenets that you need to understand in order to successfully implement the tools and techniques in this book. Think of it as a primer to get you and your team thinking like strategists.

How I Discovered My UX Strategy Framework

In the digital world, strategy usually begins in the discovery phase. This is when teams dig deep into research to reveal key information about the product they want to build. I’ve always liked to think of the discovery phase as similar to the pretrial discovery process used by attorneys in the United States. To avoid a “trial by ambush,” lawyers can request to see the evidence of the opposing counsel in order to prepare sufficient counterevidence. In this way, attorneys try to avoid surprises, and you as a product maker should also want to strategically do just that.

My first chance to practice UX strategy occurred in 2007. At the time, ...