A User Experience Designer is Like a Personal Stylist… at REI

I have a metaphor for you today that might better illustrate what User Experience Design is and how it can benefit you as an entrepreneur. Hopefully the metaphor isn’t too heavy-handed.

Entrepreneurship is a hike. A hike that requires you to invest in the right gear so that you can have an enjoyable experience.

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For this hike, you can’t really rely on those cheap Sketchers that you bought at Target. 

You have to go to REI and get the technical equipment and clothes you need in order to succeed and enjoy it along the way—otherwise you will get blisters, you won’t be able to keep up, you’ll be weighed down by the wrong gear, and you’ll be too cold.

A Website Designer is Like a Personal Stylist

In the real world, you may dream of having a personal stylist. This person is a professional—she helps you by assessing your current closet, learning your likes and dislikes, outlining your needs based on your lifestyle, and then finding wardrobe pieces that match all of that.

In the online entrepreneur space, you need a designer. This can take the forms of:

• Logo designer

• Brand designer

• Website designer

• etc.

These designer professionals will all help you get to where you need to go with a cohesive look that you and your ideal customers love.

You Need Technical Advice to Succeed

But back to that hike—you not only need to look good… you need to have the right technical gear in order to succeed and enjoy the journey.

Your REI salesperson is going to be much better equipped to advise you on all the things you may need for your adventure: a base layer, wool socks, waterproof boots, a hydration backpack, and more.

At REI, they’ll ask you about the hike you’re going to take, the weather, and the duration of your trip. Then they’ll help you build the right collection of gear—so in the end you’ll look good and feel good.

A User Experience Designer is Your Technical Website Stylist

So as a UX (User Experience) designer and one-stop shop—I’m your personal stylist at REI.

Your website will not only look good; it will have the technical layers that your website needs:

• Analysis + audits

• Empathy mapping

• User research

• Journey mapping

• Testing

• Mobile-readiness

• User flows

And that’s really just the beginning of it.

User Experience Designers can help you get your website better prepared to be of service to your ideal customers—which in turn will create clarity, build brand trust, and sell more products and book more clients.

Enjoy the adventure.

How can your website benefit from User Experience Design? Comment below.

Cover photo by Katie Drazz

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