First and foremost, a UX strategy is a business strategy. Every project must have a strong strategy that balances both the business and the users.
In my role, I can help develop this strategy. The creation and success of this strategy relies on the input and participation of the business, product, development, and design disciplines. We work together to develop a strong foundation built upon the Vision, Goals, and Plan.
Vision
A compelling product vision serves as the north star that guides all strategic decisions, uniting business aspirations with user needs. It paints a clear picture of how the product will create value in the market while solving meaningful problems for users.
The vision should be both aspirational and achievable, providing enough specificity to guide decision-making while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions and user needs. It serves as a framework for prioritization, helping teams evaluate opportunities and make strategic choices that move the product forward.
Success lies in finding the sweet spot where business goals and user needs intersect. This requires:
Identifying opportunities that serve both business and user interests
Creating sustainable value propositions that drive user adoption and business growth
Building features and experiences that users love while supporting business metrics
Establishing clear success metrics that reflect both user satisfaction and business outcomes
Goals
We need goals that balance both business and user needs.
Goals can quickly dismiss who we are solving problems for at the end of the day. We need to understand how the business can survive but we also need to understand what the user needs and wants to keep the business alive.
Strategic goals create a framework for measuring progress and success, establishing clear targets that satisfy both business requirements and user needs. Well-defined goals provide teams with concrete direction while ensuring accountability and alignment across stakeholders.
Plan
Strategic product plans transform vision and goals into actionable initiatives, creating a clear path forward that balances business objectives with user needs. Effective planning ensures resources are allocated efficiently while maintaining focus on both organizational success and user satisfaction.
I think one of the most important aspects to keep in mind is that plans are not intended to be linear and rigid, rather the idea of a plan is a set of steps or guides to get us to a goal.
We can set objectives in our plan but we must be open to change. A good plan is flexible, documents change, supports making decisions, and most importantly communicates very well.
We rely on our cross-functional roles to provide expertise and input. Product, design, and development work together to reference, update, and communicate a plan so that the business can easily keep an eye on a clear, end goal.