Measuring Your Worth as a Designer: A Comprehensive Guide to UX Metrics
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Understanding Your Value as a Designer
Many organizations still overlook the potential profit that effective product design can bring. Likewise, numerous designers fail to recognize that their contributions extend beyond merely creating visually appealing interfaces. It's crucial for designers to grasp the company's business objectives, comprehend how their efforts influence those goals, and learn to evaluate that impact. Designers are engaged to aid businesses in achieving their aims, and thus, their output should always be considered through this perspective.
To help you substantiate your value as a designer, here’s an exhaustive list of metrics that can be employed at the conclusion of a project.
Metrics for Consumer-Facing Websites and Applications
Consumer-facing websites are tailored for the general public and typically provide details about products or services, facilitate purchases, and may also offer customer support or additional resources. The focus of these projects is generally on user engagement, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Conversion Rate: The proportion of users who complete a desired action (e.g., making a purchase or signing up).
Conversion Rate = (number of conversions / total visitors) × 100. A healthy conversion rate falls between 2% and 5%.
Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave the site after viewing only one page.
Bounce Rate = (number of single-page sessions / total sessions) × 100. A bounce rate between 26% and 40% is considered good.
Session Duration: The average time users spend on the site or application.
Page Views Per Session: The average number of pages viewed during a single session.
Page Views Per Session = total page views / total sessions. Generally, 2–3 pages per session is the norm.
Return on Investment (ROI) Metrics
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The total cost incurred to acquire a new customer through the website or application.
CPA = total marketing costs / total acquisitions. This metric should ideally be minimized.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): The anticipated revenue a customer will generate throughout their relationship with the company.
CLV = average order value × number of repeat purchases × average retention time. A CLV that is at least three times your CPA is typically favorable.
Revenue Per Visitor (RPV): The average income generated per visitor.
RPV = total revenue / total visitors. Higher values indicate better performance.
Success Metrics
User Satisfaction (e.g., Net Promoter Score, NPS): This gauges user loyalty and contentment.
NPS = (number of promoters - number of detractors) / total respondents × 100. An NPS above 50 is considered excellent.
Usability Improvements Over Time: Tracking changes in usability metrics from the baseline after redesigns or updates.
Error Rate: The frequency of errors users encounter and their severity.
Error Rate = number of errors / total interactions × 100. Ideally, this rate should be kept as low as possible.
Metrics for E-Commerce Platforms
E-commerce sites are centered around direct sales, the shopping experience, and customer retention.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Cart Abandonment Rate: The percentage of users who add products to their cart but do not finalize the purchase.
Cart Abandonment Rate = (total carts created - total carts converted) / total carts created × 100. The average rate hovers around 70%, so lower rates suggest better performance.
Checkout Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who successfully complete the checkout process.
Checkout Conversion Rate = number of completed checkouts / total checkouts initiated × 100. A good rate is generally above 60%.
Success Metrics
Product Page Engagement: The time spent on product pages and the rate of interactions.
Product Page Engagement = total time on product pages / number of product page views.
Repeat Customer Rate: The percentage of customers who make another purchase.
Repeat Customer Rate = (number of repeat customers / total customers) × 100.
Metrics for Internal Tools and Platforms
Internal tools are designed to enhance operations, processes, and workflows within an organization, primarily for employee use.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Task Completion Rate: The percentage of tasks users successfully finish using the tool.
Task Completion Rate = (number of tasks completed / total tasks attempted) × 100.
Adoption Rate: The percentage of targeted users who begin using the tool.
Adoption Rate = (number of active users / total targeted users) × 100. A rate above 70% is considered favorable.
Error Reduction: The decrease in errors or issues reported after the tool's implementation.
ROI Metrics
Time Saved: The reduction in time needed to accomplish tasks with the tool.
Time Saved = old time for task - new time for task.
Cost Reduction: The drop in costs linked to processes after implementing the tool.
Cost Reduction = old cost - new cost.
Metrics for Mobile Applications
Mobile applications focus on app-specific metrics, user retention, and performance.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Active Users (Daily/Monthly): The number of unique users engaging with the app daily or monthly.
Retention Rate: The percentage of users who return to the app after their first visit.
Retention Rate = (number of returning users in a given period / number of users at the beginning of the period) × 100.
ROI Metrics
User Acquisition Cost: The expense involved in gaining a new app user.
User Acquisition Cost = total cost of user acquisition / number of new users acquired.
Revenue Per User: The income generated per active user.
Revenue Per User = total revenue / total number of users.
Success Metrics
- App Store Ratings and Reviews: Average ratings and qualitative feedback from users on app stores.
- Engagement Metrics: The frequency and depth of user interactions with the app.
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