Over the last few years, ROI has been sought as the “holy grail” of getting more headcount and credibility for Web design teams. By unraveling how to measure the value of Web design, ROI analysis contextualizes corporate decision-making and transforms user experience design into a real competitive advantage.

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Bad design decisions are not the fault of any one designer, manager, or developer; rather, they stem from an inability to understand the business value of the design process. ROI and other valuation techniques transform abstract design decisions into real business cases. This report will help you think about user experience in terms of business value.

Too often, the business value of the Web is narrowly viewed the sum of two parts: increased online revenues, plus the cost reductions that technological efficiencies offer. Such thinking ignores the firm’s entire relationship with its customers, and constrains Web design priorities to specific, short-term outcomes.

Applying ROI methodology to user experience design helps to ensure that you’re investing in high-value projects that touch many parts of the business — from marketing and customer conversion to order fulfillment and customer support. At the same time, if you approach Web projects with user-centered design principles, your site becomes a strategic lever for understanding the whole customer, influencing their online and offline behavior, and anticipating their future goals.

This report provides frameworks and analysis that will help you to:

• Understand how to choose high-value, high-impact Web development projects
• Evaluate Web investments in the context of the larger corporate budget
• Internally advocate for user experience as a competitive advantage
• Optimize your business processes and organizational structure to better leverage your Web site

Download the Executive Summary (PDF, 84 KB) »

Authors:
Scott Hirsch is a consultant specializing in project finance and development processes.

Janice Fraser is a founding partner of Adaptive Path, where she specializes in the intersection between design and business. Her recent clients include PeopleSoft, Intel, and the United Nations.

Sara Beckman is a senior lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and serves on the board of the Corporate Design Foundation. Her research and teaching focus on product design and development processes.