UX and CRO - The Key to Success is Collaboration

We call ourselves Conversion Managers, User Researchers, Digital Analysts, Product Designers, and a range of other things. But regardless of what we happen to call ourselves at the moment, we all work to change and develop services and products. We all have a common interest in the product's future, and this common denominator ties us together and is something we need to take advantage of.

We are hardly the first to say that the key to success is to collaborate. However, what we want to advocate is to lift our gaze a little higher, over that wall that for some inexplicable reason has arisen between UX/Design and CRO, and look each other in the eye. For real! See the strengths in each other's respective fields and take advantage of them.

What we want to advocate is to lift our gaze a little higher, over that wall that for some inexplicable reason has arisen between UX/Design and CRO, and look each other in the eye. For real!

So when we now tear down those walls and collaborate, what does it mean? Let's discuss three parts that need to fall into place for the team to start working well and create value:

1. Team setup
2. Goals
3. Projects

Cross-functional team for real

Form teams that have all the parts needed to move a product forward. The team needs to be decentralized and able to carry out initiatives from "seed to fruit" without outside interference. All the skills required to complete a project need to be in the team. Such a team could consist of:

• User research
• Digital analysis
• UX Design
• Visual design
• Optimization
• Full-stack development

And a scrum master and/or project manager, of course.

Depending on the team's goals, other skills may be relevant, but this is definitely a good start.

And remember that the team should not be too large. The larger a team becomes, the more difficult communication, team spirit, coordination, etc., become. Amazon advocates that teams should not be larger than they can share two pizzas (or one family pizza), which in this case means that one person may need to wear multiple hats (e.g., digital analyst and optimizer). Still a good team!

Common goals

Set common goals for the team. And we mean goals in plural. There needs to be a leading goal, but also supporting metrics that together provide a picture of the user experience as well as how the business is doing.

Developing and optimizing a product towards a single goal can often be dangerous. You become blind to speed, and suddenly you have adjusted something that in the long run harms both the user experience and the business. So make sure that the data points you follow and develop the product against provide a holistic view of the experience in the product and ensure that they are available to follow somewhere. There are many dashboards in office landscapes nowadays, but we hope that if there is only one dashboard you look at every day, it is the one where you can follow how your goals are doing.

So make sure that the data points you follow and develop the product against provide a holistic view of the experience in the product and ensure that they are available to follow somewhere.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), which is mainly used in marketing, may be a complex metric but at the same time a metric that more product development teams should look at more closely. Are you working with a service that values a long-term relationship with your users? Maybe it could be something for you too!

Handle different types of projects

Product development teams are used to having to adjust small things and having to explore areas and insights more deeply. Simply handling different sizes of projects with different time perspectives. What is often forgotten, however, are the initiatives that require experimentation. So what does that mean? Let us explain.

As UX Designers, we do formative usability tests and evaluate along the way. But it happens all the time that you stand at a crossroads and do not know which way is the right one to go. Qualitative research says that both ways work. So is it just a matter of choosing? What we mean is that if users can now use both solutions, there is still an angle left to evaluate from. That is, which option performs best from a business perspective?

What we mean is that if users can now use both solutions, there is still an angle left to evaluate from. That is, which option performs best from a business perspective?

When an optimizer joins the team, this will come naturally, but for product development teams, it is still a new phenomenon to handle scenarios like this. The ability to test quantitatively as well.

When we at Conversionista work with sites and research future efforts, we usually roughly group them into three "buckets" just to include these different time perspectives:

• Just do it - The things that just need to be adjusted directly. Go straight to design and development.
• Experiments - The design and adjustments that we need to test quantitatively to evaluate which way is right going forward. This is the bucket where we find most A/B tests, but it could also be experiments in the form of impression tests or usability tests.
• Explore - Interesting areas that we do not know enough about and that need further research to be able to move forward and possibly become something.

Those who have taken our course Conversion Manager or have otherwise taken part in our presentations on CRO have probably heard of these three buckets before. But they are not just tools for us who work with CRO but something that also needs to be considered and worked towards when working with product development.

This is where the magic begins! When we as a product development team also take in A/B tests as an evaluation method for those crossroads. It gives us all the tools to create the best possible service for both users and the business!

It absolutely takes work to get started with these buckets and the different time perspectives they entail, but if all this is woven together and worked on in the same team, the learning and insights will come continuously, and we will create really good products!

In summary

Think about what skills are needed in the team to cover all competencies. Set common goals and base project prioritization and work on them. Consider the different time perspectives needed to develop the right type of solutions to ensure that decisions are truly based on data and insights.

Because honestly, it's not most important that it goes fast but that it is done right.

By ensuring that your team is cross-functional, setting common goals, and handling different types of projects with the right time perspectives, you can create a collaborative environment where UX and CRO work hand in hand. This collaboration will lead to better products, happier users, and ultimately, a more successful business.

Key Takeaways

1. Cross-functional Teams: Form teams with all the necessary skills to move a product forward. Ensure the team is decentralized and can execute initiatives from start to finish without outside interference. Keep the team size manageable to maintain effective communication and coordination.
2. Common Goals: Set multiple goals for the team, including a leading goal and supporting metrics that provide a holistic view of the user experience and business performance. Avoid focusing on a single goal to prevent tunnel vision and potential long-term harm to the user experience and business.
3. Project Management: Handle different types of projects, including those that require experimentation. Use A/B testing and other quantitative methods to evaluate which solutions perform best from a business perspective. Group projects into "Just do it," "Experiments," and "Explore" buckets to manage different time perspectives and ensure continuous learning and improvement.
4. Collaboration: Break down the walls between UX/Design and CRO. Recognize and leverage each other's strengths to create a more cohesive and effective team. Collaboration is key to creating the best possible service for both users and the business.
5. Data-Driven Decisions: Base decisions on data and insights rather than assumptions. Use both qualitative and quantitative data to inform your decisions and ensure that you are making the right choices for your users and your business.

By following these principles, you can create a collaborative and data-driven environment where UX and CRO work together to achieve success. Remember, it's not about how fast you can get things done, but about doing them right.

Happy optimizing!