Understanding the Role of Customer Experience Metrics

UX metrics work best when aligned with the right questions. Below are ten common UX scenarios and the metrics that best fit each. 1. Completing a Transaction When the goal is to make processes like checkout, sign-up, or password reset more efficient, focus on task success rates, drop-off points, and error tracking. Self-reported metrics like expectations and likelihood to return can also reveal how users perceive the experience. 2. Comparing Products For benchmarking products or releases, task success and efficiency offer a baseline. Self-reported satisfaction and emotional reactions help capture perceived differences, while comparative metrics provide a broader view of strengths and weaknesses. 3. Frequent Use of the Same Product For tools people use regularly, like internal platforms or messaging apps, task time and learnability are essential. These metrics show how users improve over time and whether effort decreases with experience. Perceived usefulness is also valuable in highlighting which features matter most. 4. Navigation and Information Architecture When the focus is on helping users find what they need, use task success, lostness (extra steps taken), card sorting, and tree testing. These help evaluate whether your content structure is intuitive and discoverable. 5. Increasing Awareness Some studies aim to make features or content more noticeable. Metrics here include interaction rates, recall accuracy, self-reported awareness, and, if available, eye-tracking data. These provide clues about what’s seen, skipped, or remembered. 6. Problem Discovery For open-ended studies exploring usability issues, issue-based metrics are most useful. Cataloging the frequency and severity of problems allows you to identify pain points, even when tasks or contexts differ across participants. 7. Critical Product Usability Products used in high-stakes contexts (e.g., medical devices, emergency systems) require strict performance evaluation. Focus on binary task success, clear definitions of user error, and time-to-completion. Self-reported impressions are less relevant than observable performance. 8. Designing for Engagement For experiences intended to be emotionally resonant or enjoyable, subjective metrics matter. Expectation vs. outcome, satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and even physiological data (e.g., skin conductance, facial expressions) can provide insight into how users truly feel. 9. Subtle Design Changes When assessing the impact of minor design tweaks (like layout, font, or copy changes), A/B testing and live-site metrics are often the most effective. With enough users, even small shifts in behavior can reveal meaningful trends. 10. Comparing Alternative Designs In early-stage prototype comparisons, issue severity and preference ratings tend to be more useful than performance metrics. When task-based testing isn’t feasible, forced-choice questions and perceived ease or appeal can guide design decisions.

Design metrics shape decisions and lead to better business results. We're getting closer to launching Helio Glare, our open data-informed design framework. A key focus is connecting design metrics to business results. In it, we show you how to use a design metrics tree built with UX metrics. This structures how UX metrics influence broader product and business outcomes. Here’s how it connects: UX metrics as the foundation ↳ UX metrics like desirability, comprehension, usefulness, sentiment, usability, and success act as the leaves of the metrics tree. These represent the measurable aspects of user experience that indicate how well a design performs in terms of user perception, interaction, and effectiveness. Design initiatives as the branches ↳ Concept areas bridge UX metrics and product performance. These represent specific design initiatives: changes, optimizations, or experiments in design that are directly influenced by UX metric insights. Example: If usability scores are low, a design initiative might focus on streamlining navigation or reducing cognitive load. If desirability is lacking, the initiative could involve refining branding elements or UI aesthetics. Product metrics as the trunk ↳ Product metrics are most impactful with multiple design initiatives. They measure how well these initiatives contribute to product success, such as engagement rates, task completion, or feature adoption. Business metrics as the roots ↳ Business metrics ground the design work in measurable business outcomes like revenue, retention, conversion rates, or customer lifetime value (CLV). Great user experiences make products perform better, which leads to business success. A well-structured design metrics tree connects UX efforts to business goals. Design metric trees help teams: → Focus on UX improvements that drive business results → Show why investing in design makes business sense → Continuously improve design by measuring UX We’ve found this approach especially useful for teams to align design with business strategy. We use Helio to collect metrics and ensure the design isn’t just about looks—it’s measurable, impactful, and supports business growth. As Jodah Jensen shared with me, "we’re actually prompting the business to define what success looks like in the first place." #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

As CX programs are being cut, it’s becoming clear that those focused solely on survey scores are at risk. To truly drive value, B2B CX programs must tie their efforts to financial outcomes—a critical connection many programs miss. One simple but powerful metric to consider is order velocity—the frequency of customer orders, regardless of size or type. By combining the order data with good survey questions, you can track how improved customer experiences lead to faster order velocity. While it’s not the final financial metric, it gives you an early indication of CX impact. Order velocity works especially well in industries with less frequent transactions, like B2B insurance. For example, if brokers typically average six policies yearly, an improved experience should lead to more orders the following year. If not, it could signal that your surveys aren’t targeting the right issues or that other factors, like pricing, are having a larger impact. Remember, there’s often a delay between shifts in customer attitudes and changes in behavior. In industries like health insurance, a boost in CX scores during mid-year could drive more orders by Q4. In manufacturing, the timeline might vary—tactical orders may rise quickly, while long-term sales like turbines could take years to reflect the change. For a more holistic view, pair order velocity with client-specific metrics like margin per client or number of categories ordered. Order velocity is relatively easy to track and is a great entry point for deeper insights. Reporting on this invites questions from leadership—and when the right questions are asked, it paves the way for gathering more valuable data. #CX #CXROI #Customerexperience

Leaders, Stop Letting Your CX Metrics Get Ignored! Here is when it all changed for me, when the CEO looked me straight in the eyes and asked this one question: “What does this have to do with the business?” In that moment, I realized I wasn’t speaking the language of the business—I was just presenting numbers without a real story. I made a decision that day: I would never show up with “insights” again unless I could tie them to revenue, cost, or risk. Here’s why this mindset shift is critical: ✅ Execs care about impact, not just insights (but, always remember to keep the human in the process!) ✅ You need to connect customer, employee, or patient experience to the bottom line ✅ Without a business case, you’re just adding noise, not value Here’s how to lead like you really want to impact the top or bottom line: ✅ Stop leading with CX metrics—tie every number to financial outcomes ✅ Translate customer pain into operational costs and revenue opportunity ✅ Become the internal influencer your business can’t ignore This isn’t just theory or a framework. It’s the approach I’ve used for years, and I've always been able to get the resources I needed. Your Experience Evangelist, Shawn Follow ➡ #experienceevangelist ♻️ Repost to help your network. 🔔 Follow Shawn Nason to learn more on authentic, heart-centered leadership and transformative customer experiences. #whatinspiresme #happiness #bestadvice #inspiration #motivation #leadership #transformation #cx #customerexperience #innovation —— 📌 PS – If you're ready to lead with more heart, grit, and fire, hit “Subscribe” to Experience Matters in the feature section, and join 68,000+ others on the journey.