September 14, 2018

12 Competencies of UX Design No. 2: Creating a Vision of the Desired Outcome

By Ward Andrews

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This is the second installment of our series on the 12 Competencies of UX Design.

Creating a vision of the desired outcome is one of the most powerful things a designer or product leader can do. A strong vision statement speeds up decision making, keeps your team aligned, and leads to products and experiences that attract loyal, like-minded customers - all with just a few words and a clear point of view.

What Is a Vision of the Desired Outcome in UX Design?

A vision of the desired outcome is a short, high-level, aspirational statement about the future state your work is meant to create. It does not describe features, products, or services. It describes where you are going and what things will look and feel like when you get there.

Think of it this way: your vision is what you want to achieve. Your purpose (Competency No. 1) is why you want to achieve it. The two go hand in hand.

Why Does a Vision Statement Matter?

The most admired CEOs and designers of our time - Steve Jobs, Elon Musk - are often celebrated for their ability to articulate a meaningful desired outcome. That same ability matters at every level, whether you are working on a company-defining initiative or an individual task.

A good vision statement:

Speeds up decision making
Keeps your team and organisation aligned
Leads to more meaningful products and experiences
Attracts loyal, like-minded customers

And it does all of that with just a few words.

What Makes an Effective Vision Statement?

An effective vision statement does four things:

Reinforces the deeper "why" or purpose behind your work
Pinpoints a real problem your customers or users actually experience
Paints a picture of what the future will look and feel like when you solve that problem
Is validated by users - this is one of the few scenarios in UX design where we recommend the Product Owner or leader sets their vision first, then completes user research to validate the idea

Notice what is not on that list: any mention of what the actual feature, product, service, or experience will be. That is intentional. Your vision should not get into the nitty gritty details. The best vision statements are short and to the point.

Good vs. Bad Vision Statements: Real Examples

How Does Facebook Home Score as a Vision?

In 2013, Facebook released a new product they were sure would be the next big thing for Android users: Facebook Home. The app was essentially a "wrapper" that made Facebook your phone's home screen.

Facebook's vision statement for Home was to "turn an Android phone into a great, living, social phone."

Let's see how it scores:

| Criteria | Score | |---|---| | Reinforces the deeper "why" or purpose behind the work | Somewhat | | Pinpoints a real problem customers or users often experience | No | | Paints a picture of what the future will look and feel like when you solve that problem | Yes | | Validated by users | No |

The Home vision may have sounded cool, but it missed the mark in a few important ways.

It had some connection to Facebook's mission ("to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected"), in that Home would make it easier to share and connect on Facebook. But "a great, living, social phone" does not make that link very clear.

More critically, the vision did not solve a significant problem for enough people. Home was the result of massive internal efforts to deeply integrate Facebook into users' lives - not a real consumer need. Facebook would have discovered this if they had validated the vision with real people. As Business Insider noted at the time, "The consensus between reviewers and critics: Home worked only for the most fanatical of users."

Poor vision was one of the things that led to Home's fast demise. Within less than a month of launch, the two-year subscription plan dropped from $99 to $0.99. Within a year, the Home engineering team was disbanded.

How Does 23andMe Score as a Vision?

While Facebook Home failed to gain traction, 23andMe skyrocketed from a startup to an industry leader in an entirely new category, backed by Google, Johnson & Johnson, and several other major biotech players - thanks in part to a meaningful vision.

CEO Anne Wojcicki describes a twofold vision for her DNA testing and genetic analysis firm: to give people greater access and ownership of their health information, and to revolutionise drug discovery.

Let's see how it scores:

| Criteria | Score | |---|---| | Reinforces the deeper "why" or purpose behind the work | Yes | | Pinpoints a real problem customers or users often experience | Yes | | Paints a picture of what the future will look and feel like when you solve that problem | Yes | | Validated by users | Yes |

23andMe scores high on all fronts. The vision connects directly back to their purpose of helping people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. It solves a real problem that multiple audiences validated: consumers want to better understand their DNA and health without going to expensive labs, and drug companies want a way to develop new products they know will perform in the market. The vision articulates that 23andMe will help both sides reach their goals.

Forbes reports that 23andMe has received over $490 million in funding, has over 5 million customers in more than 50 countries, and employs over 500 people. Proof that creating a solid vision of the desired outcome is a key step to actually achieving it.

A Vision for Victory

It is tempting to skip the vision statement so you can focus on technical skills and "doing the work." But the most successful brands of our time will tell you it has been a key factor in their success. By quickly articulating your design philosophy - starting with your "why" and your vision - you and your team will make faster and easier decisions, stay aligned, and build experiences that bring that vision to life.

FAQ

What is a vision statement in UX design? A vision statement in UX design is a short, high-level, aspirational description of the future state your work is meant to create. It focuses on the desired outcome, not the specific features or solutions that will get you there.

How is a vision different from a purpose in UX design? Your vision is what you want to achieve. Your purpose is why you want to achieve it. Both work together, but the vision gives your team a concrete picture of the future to work toward.

Should users be involved in creating a vision statement? Yes, but in a specific order. The Product Owner or team leader should set the vision first, then conduct user research to validate it. This is one of the few cases in UX where user input comes after the initial direction is set.

Why did Facebook Home fail as a product vision? Facebook Home's vision statement failed because it did not pinpoint a real problem users actually had, and it was never validated with real people. It was driven by internal priorities rather than genuine consumer need, and it showed.

How long should a vision statement be? As short as possible. The best vision statements are a sentence or two. The goal is a clear, distinct point of view that anyone on the team can remember and use to guide their decisions.

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