INVEST: Discussion
Summary
In this session, panelists tackled nuanced challenges in enterprise user experience, especially where product purchasers differ from users. The first speaker emphasized understanding how a company makes money—such as using revenue per loan (RPL) metrics—and how this drives UX priorities. He observed a convergence in buyer and user expectations due to widespread mobile device use, which eases translation between stakeholders. Regarding maintaining design quality at scale, John and Bill described multilayered design reviews, including team and cross-functional sessions called power hours. They highlighted practices like pairing designers and involving usability engineers early to reduce risks. For uplifting UX across different business units, panelists recommended identifying strengths in mature teams (e.g., B2C), sharing those practices through cross-team collaboration and design jams, and securing senior executive allies to gain investment and attention. Ethical challenges discussed included balancing profit and social missions when serving financially underserved populations, complying with regulations like the Fair Lending Act, and designing AI experiences responsibly as Amazon’s Alexa team does by refusing advertising to children. Speakers stressed embedding legal counsel into design processes to navigate these issues. Finally, the discussion covered how to pitch delight in enterprise software used internally and highlighted strategies, such as champion programs that empower users to increase feature adoption and reduce churn, linking UX improvements directly to business impact.
Key Insights
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Understanding a company's revenue model, like revenue per loan, helps align UX priorities with business outcomes.
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The gap between buyers and users of enterprise software is narrowing as all stakeholders expect modern, mobile-grade experiences.
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Scaling design quality requires multilayered reviews including team, design system, product, and executive levels.
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Pairing designers with each other and usability engineers before stakeholder reviews reduces risks and improves quality.
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Transferring mature UX practices from one business unit (e.g., B2C) to another (e.g., B2B) requires identifying strengths and fostering cross-team collaboration.
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Securing senior executive allies who understand design can fast-track investment and attention to UX improvements.
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Ethical design challenges arise when designing products for financially underserved users and regulated industries, requiring close collaboration with legal teams.
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Embedding legal counsel into the design process transforms potential compliance blockers into advocates for better design.
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Amazon’s Alexa team enforces strict ethical 'tenets' like no advertising to children to guide design decisions under pressure.
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Creating internal product champions among end users helps increase feature adoption and reduce churn in enterprise contexts.
Notable Quotes
"You have to understand how the business actually makes money to align UX with it."
"There’s been a huge convergence because everybody’s got a mobile device now and expects a certain kind of experience."
"I never want to walk into a review with my stakeholders at the SVP level and see something for the first time."
"Show them, don’t tell them — involving stakeholders early builds skin in the game and helps control quality."
"Investment is attention: If the business funds you, it means they believe in what you do."
"Find your senior executive ally who understands design and go talk to them first — it works."
"Making your chief legal officer your best friend as a designer makes a lot of sense."
"We use Alexa’s personification for good, fun, and delight, but we don’t advertise, especially because there may be kids listening."
"The culture between buyer and user impacts feature adoption and overall satisfaction."
"Creating internal champions in client organizations helps improve adoption and reduces churn."
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