Is UX Right for Your Business?.... #157

What does a UX designer actually do?

UX is one of those terms that gets used a lot, but rarely explained well.

Most business owners hear UX and think:

“That’s for apps and tech companies”

“That’s just making things look nice”

“That’s probably not for my kind of business”

In reality, UX has very little to do with making things pretty and a lot to do with how your business actually works.

Let’s break it down.

First, a Simple Reframe: UX Is a Business Tool

A UX designer (or UX consultant) doesn’t exist to polish screens.

They exist to help businesses:

Reduce confusion

Remove friction

Improve decision-making

Increase conversion and retention

Save time, money, and energy

The simplest way to think about UX is this:

Wherever confusion costs your business money, trust, or time — UX matters.

That confusion might show up in your website, your onboarding, your emails, your systems, or your internal tools.

UX looks at how people experience your business — not just what it looks like.

UX vs UI

These two get lumped together, but they’re different.

UI (User Interface) is what people see: buttons, layouts, colours, screens.

UX (User Experience) is how it feels to use something: is it clear, intuitive, frustrating, or easy?

You can have a beautiful interface with terrible UX. And you can have simple visuals with excellent UX.

From a business perspective, UX is the more important of the two.

The Types of Businesses That Benefit Most From UX

1. Digital Product Businesses (Not Just Startups)

This includes:

SaaS companies

B2B platforms

Marketplaces

Internal tools

These businesses often already have engineers and features — but users:

Don’t understand the product

Need training or hand-holding

Don’t use key features

Drop off or churn

UX helps by:

Clarifying value

Streamlining workflows

Improving onboarding

Reducing churn

An outside UX perspective is especially valuable when teams are too close to their own product.

2. Service-Based Businesses (Massively Underrated)

This is where UX is often missed entirely.

Think:

Consultants

Agencies

Law firms

Accountants

Coaches and therapists

Financial advisors

UX here isn’t about apps.

It’s about:

Client onboarding

Booking and scheduling

Forms and portals

Emails and instructions

“What happens after someone contacts you?”

Good UX here means:

Fewer back-and-forth emails

Less client confusion

Higher trust

A more professional experience

In short: UX is designing the experience of being your client.

3. Healthcare, Wellness, and Education

In these sectors, UX isn’t optional — it’s critical.

This includes:

Clinics and hospitals

Telehealth platforms

Education providers

Training organisations

Nonprofits in health or education

Users here are often:

Stressed

Unwell

Learning something new

Dealing with complexity

UX helps with:

Clear language

Accessibility

Error prevention

Navigation and flow

In some cases, bad UX doesn’t just hurt conversion — it has real-world consequences.

4. Legacy or “Non-Tech” Businesses Going Digital

These are some of the highest-ROI UX opportunities.

Think:

Manufacturing

Logistics

Insurance

Utilities

Government contractors

Common problems:

Internal tools built by engineers, for engineers

Systems employees hate using

Long training times

Costly mistakes

UX improves:

Employee onboarding

Operational efficiency

Accuracy

Staff satisfaction

Internal UX might not be visible to customers, but it directly affects performance and cost.

5. E-commerce and Retail

Not just big brands.

This includes:

Shopify stores

Subscription businesses

Direct-to-consumer brands

Local businesses selling online

UX focuses on:

Product discovery

Checkout flow

Trust signals

Returns and support journeys

Often, a few UX improvements lead to:

Higher conversion rates

Lower cart abandonment

Fewer support tickets

Small changes can have measurable revenue impact.

6. Nonprofits and Mission-Driven Organisations

Budgets may be tighter, but the impact is high.

UX supports:

Donation flows

Volunteer sign-ups

Information clarity

Accessibility and inclusion

UX helps align good intentions with real human behaviour.

How to Spot a UX Problem (Even If You Don’t Call It UX)

If you’re advising a business — or running one — listen for these signals:

“Users don’t get it”

“We get the same support questions over and over”

“People drop off halfway”

“We built it, but adoption is low”

“We keep adding features, but nothing improves”

“Clients say it’s confusing”

These are UX problems — even if no one uses that term.

UX Consultant vs In-House UX Designer

UX consulting is especially valuable when:

The business doesn’t need full-time UX

An outside perspective is needed

The problem isn’t clear yet

Leadership needs evidence to make decisions

The issue is about how things work, not just design execution

In many cases, UX work starts with understanding the problem — not jumping straight to solutions.

The Big Takeaway

Almost every business has UX.

The question isn’t whether UX exists — it’s whether it’s intentional or accidental.

The businesses that benefit most from UX are often:

Service-heavy

Process-heavy

Confusion-heavy

Going through change (growth, digital shift, rebrand)

Understanding UX doesn’t mean becoming a designer.

It means understanding how people experience your business — and where small changes can remove friction, build trust, and improve results.

If this article helped you see UX more clearly, then it’s already doing its job.