The Manifest Names Create Ape as one of the Most-Reviewed Global Product Design Agencies

Picture it, you’re shopping for an outfit for an event where you HAVE to make an impression. Are you gonna settle with an off-the-rack article of clothing from Walmart or Target, or will you invest in a custom piece from a boutique designer?

Now, we’re not dunking on Walmart and Target too hard (we appreciate budget-conscious options). But in our competitive digital market, a mass-produced templatized solution won’t get you very far with your target audience.

As businesses crawl over each other to deliver flawless user interactions, choosing a UX design partner is not an easy decision. So, if you’re torn between investing in a larger firm or a boutique UX design agency — consider the unique and unexpected advantages of the latter.

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Boutique UX Design Agencies & Their Benefits

Cost-Effectiveness

The allure of boutique UX design agencies stems from the laser-focused attention they offer to their clients. These firms deliberately limit their client intake, enabling a truly immersive understanding of your needs, aspirations, and hurdles. 

This level of personalization results in finely honed, cost-effective solutions. In many cases, smaller and personable teams are more likely to work with their clients to construct designs and visual assets within shifting timelines and budgets. 

With resources optimized and focused solely on a handful of projects, the budget is allocated where it truly matters, enabling a higher return on investment.

Less Reliance On Templates

While a highly researched, tested, and iterated solution might work for one type of audience, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution in UX.

Boutique UX design agencies excel in shaping journeys that resonate with a client's target audience. Through close collaboration and intimate knowledge of client goals and user needs, these firms craft experiences that feel tailor-made to specific audiences. 

This level of connection ensures that every design decision aligns with the audience's preferences, driving engagement and satisfaction to new heights.

Smaller Teams, Real Impact

Unlike their larger counterparts, boutique UX design agencies boast compact, nimble teams. 

Some clients may worry that limited manpower means the project will take longer. But with fewer clients and more resources at their disposal, the designers and developers can dig deep into your project and truly become extensions of your company.

Every team member's role is clearly defined, contributing to a collective synergy that propels the project forward. This focused approach expedites decision-making, minimizes communication gaps, and maintains an unwavering commitment to project timelines.

A Better Understanding Of Your Industry

Boutique UX agencies stand out through their profound specialization in specific industries. This pinpoint expertise allows them to delve into your industry’s competitive landscape with a keen understanding of its nuances, challenges, and user expectations.

As a result, the solutions they conceive are not adaptations, but rather inventive answers born from an in-depth knowledge of an industry's intricacies. 

By collaborating with a boutique firm, clients benefit from a partnership with experts who effortlessly navigate their field's terrain.

The Value Of Focus

At the core of boutique UX design agencies lies an extraordinary value proposition you don’t see in a large, bustling firm.

In a landscape perpetually defined by unity between businesses and users, boutique firms exhibit an uncanny ability to adapt. Their size keeps them agile, pivoting swiftly and embracing opportunities with unmatched dexterity — an invaluable quality in generating customized solutions and overcoming obstacles.

As a boutique agency ourselves, we’re more than service providers – we’re enthusiasts of the UX design craft. Every pixel and every interaction is infused with genuine passion, forging connections with users on a deeper level.

A UX approach is a strategic investment in excellence, but a collaboration between your business and a boutique firm sparks better digital products and long-term partnerships.

In a market where differentiation reigns supreme, let CreateApe help you unlock the unparalleled value of personalized solutions. Start a project with us today!

When I first started as an intern at CreateApe, I was new to the UX/UI space. While I was familiar with some components of it, but understanding wasn’t fully developed. Now in my academic and professional career, I interact with the psychology of User Experience and User Interface design non-stop in daily life. As Cristina (our Director of Communications) and I were browsing blog topics for the month, one of the things we found really interesting were the blog topics on UX Magazine.

Why These Categories?

UX Magazines featured topics are under the categories: Accessibility, Data Visualization, Emotion, Empathy, Personas, and Storytelling. UX designers are familiar with all these categories, but I found some of them surprising. Why are things like emotion and empathy critical when talking about design?

Understanding UX/UI has changed the way I look at communication. At UC Berkeley, I’m seeing so many things I haven’t seen before, especially when connecting UX/UI to consumer behavior and human emotions. Upon deeper exploration, I’ve concluded that UX design goes beyond just the aesthetics, it’s the psychology behind the design in our lives.

Data Visualization

At Berkeley, it’s incredible the amount of emphasis that is put on numbers. “Big data” and “data analytics” are buzzwords that float through classrooms. It seems as if everyone is in a number crunch race, but for what reason? Numbers tell a story. Number’s tell stories, sometimes even better than words.

For example, in UX/UI, we use heat mapping to let the user tell us a story. We utilize reports on what users have been clicking on the most, where their eyes first land when browsing a landing page and more. This data helps interpret a path the user takes through a series of clicks. From the amount of time someone stays on a landing page, to what part of the website they frequently visit- all aid in the quest of understanding our actions and why we act in certain ways. When we see a perfume ad, our first instinct may be to look at the people in the ads. Why is that? It all boils down to psychology and it’s the UX designer and marketers job to explore and understand why.

Qualitative vs. Quantitive

Data can tell us where the future is moving. Both qualitative and quantitative data gives us valuable information about consumers and how they approach design. Although there is an emphasis on numbers, qualitative data is just as important.

This Ted Talk by Tricia Wang reveals why human insights in data are so crucial. Nokia had been conducting surveys about smartphones in rural Asia and receiving the data back. While the data stated that the demographics of the area had no interest or need for smartphones, Wang’s ethnography findings found just the opposite. She had talked to and observed those in rural Asia and found, in fact, that there was an increasing desire for smartphones within the community. Nokia refuted the data simply because it wasn’t rooted in the numbers and has been trying to catch up in the smartphone industry since.

The UX/UI designer is in many ways an ethnographer. They have to observe a user base, understand how they use their current tools and design accordingly. Like a 5-year-old, they must ask many ‘why’ questions and never stop re-evaluating, why? Both qualitative and quantitative data are essential in allowing designers to bring a human insight approach to design. Quantitative data can tell us about a demographic but qualitative data can extensively show us how the user is interacting with designs (like user testing).

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Storytelling

There’s no doubt that storytelling is crucial in the way designs are presented. Storytelling is a form of communication that’s designed to connect with the user. We tell stories to connect with others. It’s the same with UX. We create pathways and stories through designs that are impactful and connect with users on a personal level.

Good design limits choice. In consumer behavior, we talk a lot about decision fatigue. If a user is overwhelmed by a decision in which they have too many choices, they end up making no decisions at all or make a rash or spontaneous decision. This is why storytelling is so crucial. Users don’t want to make decisions 100% of the time, and if they do they want them to be easy. In order to create an impactful story, we must use anticipatory design.

Anticipatory Design

Anticipatory design eliminates choices for the user. We think we want a lot of choices, but psychology has proven we actually don’t. This is evident just within the In n’ Out menu. Its simplicity and limited choice have allowed the brand to flourish. There is a freedom in limited choices, like having your credit card information already on file rather than choosing which one to use and re-input every time you shop. There’s a reason why designers like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wore the same thing every day.

When we have choices omitted from us, it’s easier to follow a path or a story. That’s what UX aims to do for the user. Designing simple and impactful illustrations is what makes using products and browsing interfaces that much more enjoyable. Good UX is supposed to anticipate our next move before we do, and it works. Designing stories and a path for users to take utilizes anticipatory design.

Accessibility

When scrolling through UX Mag’s website, their articles about accessibility focus on availability. It’s about designing for everyone. UX/UI isn’t just about design, it’s about breakthroughs. It’s about that ah-ha moment that makes life just that much easier. It’s no surprise that great designs can change the world, but they can only change it if they’re accessible. A great example of this is the Apple Watch. Their interface is designed for an athlete, stay at home mom, student, chef, or virtually anyone. It’s designed for the everyday user and pushed the boundaries of design. The creators of the Apple Watch anticipated wearable tech that now has opened many possibilities for design and made it accessible and friendly for each user.

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Emotion

Emotion in design is impactful. We see, think, and feel emotions every day. We make choices and design our life based on emotions. The world around us has the ability to influence user experience and design. Going back to the Apple watch example, it was designed to be worn on the wrist because of its psychological placement on the body. The design was made with emotions in mind, our wrist being associated with being delicate, often intimate and right on the pulse. We can now send our heartbeat to a loved one via our Apple watch and our Spotify recommends playlists are based on our moods. Emotions shape design.

Amanda O’Grady, the Design Strategist at Intuit says, “True emotional connections come from experiences that feel magical and meaningful.”

Even the actual design of emoji was made for us to convey emotion. Each emoji is based on a feeling, an emotion that is designed based on movements in facial features. Dr. Ekman, ranked among the most influential psychologists of the 21st century, is world-renowned for his research on facial expressions, emotion, deception, and compassion. His research has aided to furthering emotions in design and worked on movies like Inside Out. This inherently shows that we gravitate towards designs that help us convey or relate to emotions. This trait is crucial in UX/UI as the first step of design is understanding the emotions behind it.

Empathy

I thought it was amusing that UX Mag’s image used for this topic was a man changing one foot into a heeled shoe. We see empathy in design everywhere. In the design world, and the real world, there aren’t any empathy filters. Designers aren’t going to wake up one day and think to start designing with empathy. But empathy allows us to consider how people are thinking and feeling. Being empathetic in design is to put yourself in the user’s shoes.

Most designers designed something because they have empathized with themselves. For example, the person who invented the bike probably hated the fact they had to walk miles and miles every day. Empathizing with users allows designers to gain a genuine understanding of how to solve users problems and build better products. Designing with empathy is human design. It’s not an algorithm made from a device, that’s why UX/UI is so crucial, it’s personalized designed built from human nature.  

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”- Theodore Roosevelt

Personas

A persona is a group of users who all exhibit similar types of behavior. This is the ideal customer or user, the one who is going to have the most impact. In consumer behavior, personas are often used in targeting a certain demographic and usually require some research. Personas allow for perspective. Like empathy, personas put you in the user’s shoes and allow the designer to ask the crucial questions on how the user will perform while using their products. Understanding who you’re designing for is the first step to any design success.

Personas help teams find the answer of who they are designing for. Not only is this helpful for segmentation, but it’s helpful in understanding empathy. Creating personas makes designers understand that users have varying needs and expectations. A persona puts into perspective how a person interacts with a product, their patterns, and puts behaviors into context.

Psychology of UX

At the root of UX/UI is a question of why. UX is supposed to provoke questions. It’s supposed to ask why humans do things, why we do them the way we do. These blog categories encapsulate the core of UX design. UX is about combining data, regular human emotions, using empathy and accessibility to connect that to impactful storytelling. As a design field based on human nature, it has deep roots in psychology.

Additionally, there is a historical aspect to this type of design. It’s an example of who we are as a society at any given time and a peek into how we live our lives. Historically, you can look at UX/UI designs and know what society was like at any given time because designers were building for that society.

What’s ultimately successful in UX Mag’s blog titles is their ability to provoke questions. The purpose of UX design is to ask the questions. Why do we do this? Why is it purposeful? Could we function without it? The average person wouldn’t know what UX/UI design even was, so why is it so important?  UX marries both design and psychology, and in the end develops as a sort of sociological report on who we are, what we believe in and what we want. That’s why it’s important.

What’s better? Web based application versus a native iOS/android app?

So you have an idea for a business and want to get it out in the world. How do you decide whether or not you want it to be strictly a web based application or make it a native iOS or android app?

At the end of the day, there are tons of reasons why you should choose one over the other- but we’re here to talk over the basics. Here’s what you absolutely need to know when deciding between using a web based application versus a native iOS android.

First let’s talk differences:

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Native iOS

A web-based application is a website that’s housed as a domain and that’s how people primarily access it. An example would be the Safari browser. Many people have it on their iPhones and computers, but it’s not sold in the app store and it doesn’t need to be downloaded on the user’s device to be accessed.

A native iOS or android application means that users of native apps can download them in app marketplaces like the App Store or Google Play Store, an example being games like Candy Crush or Temple Run.

Pros of Native iOS/Android

There are a couple reasons of why you would want to be in the iTunes store:

1) If it’s a native iOS, there are already a lot of developer tools that you have access to. This will make the app easier to actually produce and save time and money in the end.

2) Native iOS and Android have an existing basic UX/UI framework that already exists. As a consumer you’re familiar with the idea that iPhone/Android have pre-existing drop down menus, navigation and a pretty solid existing framework that you can borrow from and use.That means for the user, they’re already going to be somewhat familiar with navigating your app. With just that aspect alone you’ve already lowered the investment of time and effort you use to create an application using tools that already exist in the native environment.

The biggest reason why you would want to go native iOS or android is that the marketplace already exists. With some buzz and marketing around your product, you can become featured in an app store. If you’re product takes off and is featured in the app store you’re going to get a lot more users for your application.

Pros of web-based:

If you’re just making a web based browser application, it’s like making a new website and trying to find new customers. You have to figure out how to market it and the existing framework is no longer there. Although that brings up a challenge, there are many pro’s to going web based:

1. There is more control when building a web based application vs. native iOS/android. There’s a possibility you’re coding the applications differently and want to be free from the constraints of designing for native iOS or android.

2. If you’re selling something off of a marketplace, the app store will get a piece of how much you make off your product. Whereas if you’re totally on your own you own building a web based application, you control the environment of your application.

3. There is greater free range when building a web based application vs. native iOS/android. If you’re on the app store, you are beholden to their rules and requirements. For example, if you’re making an application that can be viewed to some circles as being inappropriate for some ages but you don’t think the age restrictions apply, you can still easily be kicked off. Even if new rules occur in the marketplace, you are responsible for making the changes whether they be small and change nothing, or are larger issues that alter your value proposition. If you’re working within an environment that you can’t control, there’s some risk that you always have to be aware of.

A comparison:

It’s much faster to do something native, get it out there, and start to prove the model before creating a web based application. We see this with a lot of our favorite social networks. Instagram initially started off as a native iOS and android app, but within the last year decided to add a mobile website component. It was easier to build an audience by using the app store and then move that audience to a mobile website.

At the end of the day, the biggest difference between having your application on a web based system and not native iOS or android is control. The control that you get to affect changes is huge in web based applications and you aren’t stuck to the rules of the marketplace but, you lose the pre-existing market place and framework.

Whether you go with a native iOS/android application versus a web based application is unique to the business. Every product, service, and business will have different goals with specific outcomes in mind. Although there are many factors that go into deciding which application platform to move forward with, control and existing frameworks are key components to consider first.

Are you a business owner or entrepreneur that needs help deciding on which application is best for your business? Let us help get you #JungleReady. Let our CreateApe expert team be your jungle guide. We will help you traverse the wilds as we take your project to new heights.

As industry leaders in UX, CreateApe has no trouble keeping up with digital trends. New technologies are created every day to simplify tasks, and website design is no different. Staying on top of (and sometimes starting) UX/UI trends is the easiest way to guarantee a flawless user experience.

Just like software, elements in a website’s interface become dated quickly. Redesigning your website with the latest popular features shows that you’re designing with your audience in mind. You may think your website is perfect as is, but ignoring trends eventually leads to a stale, outdated, and (gasp) boring experience for your user.

2020 and 2021 saw an explosion in technologies and platforms that made remote working and living easier...for obvious reasons. AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) were gaining popularity, then exploded because of the pandemic. We can safely predict that design trends will continue to steer in this direction for the foreseeable future. 

Certain aesthetic trends within interfacing elements also started gaining traction in 2021. Busy interfaces are being replaced with more minimalist designs. Bold, bright colors and typography are dominating over more simplistic, muted tones. And websites become more and more interactive with each passing year.

Trends ebb and flow, but we can see these UX/UI trends sticking around for a while.

UX/UI Trend Predictions for 2022

1. Dark Mode

Besides looking REALLY cool, there are many visual benefits of having a dark mode for your website/app. From a design perspective, a black background looks sleek and modern. White text on a black background is more eye-catching and helps the user fixate on the content of a web page.

Dark mode has two benefits for the user. For most modern screens like OLED and MicroLED, each pixel on a screen is individually lit on a white background, which drains the battery pretty quickly. Dark mode reduces the power drain and saves the overall energy consumption needed to power a laptop or mobile device.

Dark mode also significantly reduces eye strain, making for a more comfortable user experience. We spend so much time in front of screens, and exposure to blue light can cause problems over time. A dark, black background is much easier on the eyes, reducing the blue light exposure that causes eye strain from prolonged periods of screen time. 

It seems like every social media platform and mobile app is starting to catch on to dark mode, so we can see this design becoming the new norm in 2022.

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2. Abstract Data Visualization

A simple graph or chart is an easy way to visualize data-but let’s face it, they're overused and not that interesting visually. UX designers need to find new ways to present data that engages the user and encourages interaction.

Think outside the box with data visualization by creating infographics with inventive designs or adding interactive animations to charts. Getting creative with these elements is a great way to show users that you want to make the experience fresh and innovative.

The way you present data is also an opportunity to sneak in your voice and branding elements. Try to incorporate your typography and color schemes into charts to enhance the brand's presence. It's also a good place to add microcopy that conveys your overall attitude.

More and more small website elements will become interactive as time goes on. As a result, UX designers will look for more original ways to bring data to life.

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3. Personalized Experiences

The stereotype about technology is that it is cold and impersonal. As it becomes a more prevalent part of our lives, there is a push to make it more inviting and less intimidating. This idea is at the very core of UX and especially for CreateApe’s design process.

CreateApe prioritizes user empathy in all of our designs. What better way to show we design with the user in mind than creating an interface personalized for them? We can create a tailored experience based on the user’s wants and needs through research and data collection.

Interfaces can be personalized with the user’s location, demographics, search history, and purchasing patterns. By showing the user content that is relevant to their life, you inspire loyalty and show that you want to make your brand convenient for them. Personalize your interface to become a seamless part of your user’s life.

Plenty of big-name companies build their UI’s around personalization (Amazon, Netflix, and social apps like Facebook and Tik Tok to name a few). Since they make for such a smooth navigational experience, we don’t see this trend going away any time soon.

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4. Voice-User Interface

How easy has voice recognition made your life? Do you still watch the weather channel, or do you just ask Alexa what today's forecast is? With voice-activated assistance, you can find answers without having to pull out your phone. After all, typing is awfully time-consuming.

The main draw of this technology is that it completely streamlines the search process. It lets the user quickly find what they need while focusing on other things. We’ve noticed how convenient voice-activated devices are, and some companies are starting to incorporate them into their interface.

That said, the technology is not perfect yet. Voice recognition software is not 100% accurate yet, and some users have privacy concerns when using the technology in public and private. However, technology evolves and works out its own kinks over time.

The software needed to implement a voice-user interface is accessible for developers and the technology can adapt to the user’s speech patterns. It's not super common now, but we can see this feature gaining traction next year.

5. Bold Colors/Fonts

Your website’s visuals are a super important part of UX. However, visual trends can change pretty rapidly. Many websites put a focus on having a clean, professional look with modest colors and fonts. It’s fine to emphasize the website’s function more than the design, but it doesn’t make for an interesting experience overall.

Visual designs are starting to favor bright, bold colors. They’re much more eye-catching and tend to grab the user’s attention right away as opposed to neutral tones. If you’re looking to redesign your website or re-brand, this is an opportunity to take a risk and play with your color scheme a bit. Gradient colors are also popular right now and lend a cool, futuristic look to your site.

Don't let the bold colors distract from your site’s messaging or overwhelm the eye. A good way to combat this is by pairing the color scheme with a minimalistic design that prominently features your messaging or product. Bold fonts in a contrasting color from the background make your messaging stand out. Draw the user in with creative colors, then make sure they can’t miss your message by using a heavy, striking font.

Grabbing the user’s attention within the first few seconds of interacting with your site is critical. With the intensity of the outside world, a fun splash of color is a welcome change. 

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So Why Is This Important?

Your website should always be on-brand. However, on-brand does NOT always mean on-trend. Websites need to adapt to new technologies and aesthetics so the audience will not lose interest. When you are constantly innovating, you keep your audience coming back for more.

CreateApe's designers know how important it is to keep an updated interface. Every element that goes into the site should serve the brand identity and overall utility. We ensure that your website is on-brand, user-friendly, and conversion-optimized.

If you need someone to redesign your website to be current and on-trend, reach out to us today!

Awards come in all shapes and sizes (much like apes)! But when one of our digital product designs wins a prestigious award in one of the largest industries we serve, it’s hard not to brag.

Speaking of…our Incident Management System design for Performance Health Partners just ranked #1 by Best In Klas for Healthcare Safety, Risk & Compliance Management Software! Pop some champagne, peel a banana, and soak up this victory with us.

According to PHP’s blog, “Best in KLAS is a designation given to healthcare technology and services companies that have been ranked highest by healthcare providers in the annual KLAS Research report. The KLAS Research report is a widely recognized and respected industry benchmark for healthcare technology and services, and is based on feedback from thousands of healthcare providers.”

To win this award, their software needed rave reviews from users (healthcare providers) and other stakeholders in the healthcare industry. So it’s safe to say that the CreateApe-designed Incident Management System is a big hit with hospitals around the country!

Creating an easy-to-use incident reporting tool was no small task for our team. After all, management doesn’t end after a report is made. To resolve issues quickly and promote safety, they needed detailed (yet expeditious) forms and follow-up tools to make informed decisions. A simple, streamlined design alone wasn’t going to cut it.

We worked in tandem with PHP’s creative team to conceptualize a valuable digital product that ticks all the boxes. Also, as a product for healthcare providers, we had to work around extra hurdles surrounding complex app permissions and HIPAA/ADA compliance.

But after a few brainstorming sessions, evaluations, and a refreshed UI, we finally had it — A KLAS research-approved Incident Management System. Just LOOK at those performance metrics!!!

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But, as always, we’re not successful unless the client is successful. We’re super grateful for PHP’s collaboration and feedback throughout this project. Congrats PHP, We wish you lots of continued growth with your Incident Management System!

You want to win awards, right? Of course, you do! Our design team knows a thing or two about raking in industry accolades. Start your award-winning digital product project with us today!

A successful digital product can do wonders for your company. But if you’re not actively improving on what you already have, it’s only a matter of time before another brand emerges and steals the spotlight.

Digital products have been making our lives easier for years. And with the recent AI explosion, you never know which new revolutionary technology will become a mainstay for your users.

In our bustling digital world, simply adopting a new technology for your latest feature or functionality isn’t enough. You need solid research and strategies to ensure it’s appropriately implemented and works for your target audience.

This is obvious to us UX designers — as we NEED this testing and validation to guarantee we’re not investing time and money into something useless. What’s less obvious is how to measure the impact of our efforts.

Key performance indicators (which we’ll call KPIs for brevity) are qualitative or quantitative insights into how your product or feature is performing. When starting a UX project, you define KPIs around your business goals — so they can look different depending on the product.

There may be some overlap in KPIs between the initial launch and subsequent features. But whether your goal is to raise consumer awareness, generate leads, or boost revenue with new functionality, the goals must be clearly defined, closely monitored, and adjusted to keep your business on a profitable track.

How Many Different Kinds Of KPIs Are There?

A lot…Not even joking. For every project goal, there are probably several performance indicators and even more tracking tools to measure your product’s efficacy.

But for the sake of this article (and probably because you don’t want to read about 20+ KPI categories), we’ll narrow it down to four critical components within the digital ecosystem.

Stakeholder KPIs

These are the metrics that everyone should care about. But more accurately, they’re the ones stakeholders (clients, CEOs, investors, and other bigwigs) will hone in on.

Stakeholder KPIs give your colleagues visibility into how your design efforts support their larger business goals. They also help them create a benchmark for future product endeavors, ultimately creating a foundation for an ongoing strategic partnership.

• Revenue (how much profit you generate for the company)
• Lead Generation (how many users show interest in the product)
• Attach Rate (how many existing customers buy the product)
• Audience Penetration (how many target audience members buy the product)

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User KPIs

Now for the ones that UX designers care about. Don’t get us wrong, stakeholder goals and KPIs are SUPER valuable in the grand scheme. But User KPIs help us gauge how well we solved the problem we set out to answer.

In UX, it’s about more than just selling a product. It’s about creating a solution for an everyday thing and creating an experience that users love returning to. And these user-centered metrics show us that we fulfilled our purpose in creating a product that builds customer trust and loyalty.

• Activation (The percentage of users that sign up and become active users)
• Retention (The percentage of users that remain active over a given time frame)
• Net Promoter Score (Customer experience insights, usually gathered from surveys)

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Usability KPIs

Sounds similar to the last category, right? You can’t have an excellent experience without being able to actually use the product.

These KPIs are tracked when a company wants to fix or optimize their user experience. But when you’re incorporating a new technology or AI feature, it’s essential to monitor usability KPIs to ensure your product isn’t crashing.

• Cross-Device Responsiveness (How well your product performs across devices and screen sizes)
• Performance Optimization (Load times, crash rates, and error rates)
• Learnability (How quickly users can learn to use your product efficiently)

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Brand KPIs

These metrics are all about your reputation in the consumers’ minds. While individual perceptions are famously hard to measure, there are a few ways you can quantify your brand’s reach and leverage your findings to set you up for a successful future launch.

• Aided Awareness (How many people recognize your brand when asked about your specific product)
• Unaided Awareness (How many people recognize your brand when asked questions about your industry)
• Intent To Purchase (The number of audience members that express interest in your product and will buy it upon launch)
• Social Media Mentions (How much passive publicity your brand gets through word-of-mouth)

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How To Define KPIs For A New Feature Launch

You might think these KPIs could apply to any product or feature launch — and that’s partly true. Each aspect plays a unique role in the long-term success of a digital product. But depending on how your business is growing, you should occasionally shift your focus to achieve a defined goal.

Intent matters…especially in UX design (and ESPECIALLY when you’re incorporating a new technology in your business model). KPIs are there to make sure you get the highest possible return on investment, showing you where you need to pivot to meet your users’ expectations.

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at some common launch scenarios and discuss which strategic KPIs to track.

Scenario: “We’re incorporating a new AI-driven functionality for an established product to relieve a pressing user frustration.”

• Solution: User KPIs
  
• Why?: A new feature has great power to either help or hinder the user experience. As such, it should be tested thoroughly and consistently evaluated post-launch to understand how your audience responds.
  
• What Specific KPIs Should We Track?:
• Feature Adoption: Assess how often and how many users are using specific features within your product.
• Task Completion Time: Measure how long it takes to complete specific tasks or actions.
• Task Success Rate: Measure the percentage of users who successfully complete a specific task or action within your product.
• Error Rate: Track the number of errors users encounter while interacting with your product.
• Abandonment Rate: Assess how many users start a task but do not complete it.

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Scenario: “Our client wants to target a new audience with their latest product update and new features.”

• Solution: Brand KPIs

• Why?: Whether you’re creating a brand new product to reach an established audience or vice versa, you need to ensure that your design, sales, and marketing efforts are landing in front of the right eyes. Tracking brand KPIs will help you evaluate the strength of your brand assets, value propositions, and long-term viability in your new consumer base.

• What Specific KPIs Should We Track?:
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measure the rate of users clicking on a specific element, like a button or link.
• Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as signing up or making a purchase.
• Content Interaction: Track how users engage with various types of content, such as articles, videos, or images.
• Session Duration: Measure how long users typically spend in a single session.
• Social Media Mentions: See how awareness for your product is generated through the audience’s preferred online platforms.

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Scenario: “We’re helping our client expand their product suite by creating new products and features geared towards different industries.”

• Solution: Stakeholder KPIs

• Why?: Ultimately, what your client is trying to do here is open up a more profitable avenue for their business through digital products. While it’s important to track other KPIs, lead and revenue generation are the metrics they’ll be focusing on. This will help them identify the best paths for long-term growth and sustainability.

• What Specific KPIs Should We Track?:
• Revenue: (Duh…) Measure the profitability of the new business venture and determine if further expansion is worth the investment.
• Lead Generation: Track how many users indicate interest in the product or feature and complete the sales flow.
• Return Users: Track how many users return to your product after their initial interaction.
• User Churn Rate: Calculate the percentage of users who stop using your product over a given time frame.
• User Ratings and Reviews: Monitor ratings and reviews on app stores or review websites to assess user sentiment.

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Scenario: “Our client is updating their onboarding flow with a new integration software to reduce their abandonment rates.”

• Solution: Usability KPIs

• Why?: We touched on the risks of new technology earlier but from a user adoption standpoint. Every technology can crash and burn, leaving your new feature completely useless and bogging down the experience. Luckily, the efficiency of your tech-driven strategy can be verified with the quantitative data from usability KPIs.

• What Specific KPIs Should We Track?:
• Page Load Time: Assess how quickly web pages or screens load within your product.
• App Responsiveness: Measure how responsive your application is to user interactions.
• Crash Rate: Track the frequency of crashes or technical issues affecting the user experience.
• Error Rate: Track the number of errors users encounter while interacting with your product.
• Task Flow Completion: Evaluate how easily users can navigate through your product and complete multi-step tasks.

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Some Things To Consider

We know, it’s SO easy to take these KPIs and use them as a guide for launching your new product or feature. But to make a real impact, you need to be strategic when defining KPIs.

Each product, business, and user has unique problems they need to solve. While your list of target KPIs may look similar to the ones listed above, it could also be an amalgamation of metrics from every category.

Always keep these factors in the back of your mind when you and your stakeholders are establishing success metrics:

• Alignment with Business Goals: Ensure that your chosen KPIs directly align with your overall business objectives.
  
• Specificity: Make your KPIs as specific as possible. Vague or broad KPIs are difficult to measure effectively and may not provide actionable insights.
  
• Measurability: Define the proper tools to measure your chosen KPIs accurately. Consider the availability of data and analytics tools.
  
• Relevance: Focus on KPIs directly related to the success of the product launch. Avoid measuring metrics that may be interesting but do not directly impact your goals.
  
• Time-Bound: Set clear timeframes for achieving your KPIs. Establish both short-term and long-term goals to track progress over time.
  
• Benchmarking: Take stock of baseline measurements or benchmarks before the launch to compare post-launch performance to the pre-launch state. This helps in assessing the impact of the launch.
  
• Cost-Efficiency: Factor in the costs associated with achieving your KPIs. Ensure that the resources and efforts required are reasonable and justifiable.
  
• Realistic Targets: Set targets that are challenging but achievable. Unrealistic goals can demotivate teams and lead to frustration.
  
• Contingency Plans: Develop contingency plans in case KPIs are not met. This may involve adjusting the product, marketing strategy, or resource allocation.
  
• Ethical Considerations: Consider the ethical implications of your KPIs, especially if they involve user data or behavior tracking. Ensure that your metrics respect user privacy and consent.
  
• Long-Term Impact: Think about the long-term impact of your product launch. Some KPIs may focus on short-term gains, but it's also important to assess how the launch contributes to the product's overall growth and sustainability.

By carefully strategizing the KPIs for your product launch, you can gain client and stakeholder confidence by creating a measurement framework that prioritizes business goals and contributes to long-term success and growth.

Still not sure about your new product or feature’s KPI strategy? That’s a piece of cake for the CreateApe team. Start a project with us today!