USER EXPERIENCE STRATEGISTS
What is UX strategy?
User experience (UX) strategy is the practice of aligning UX design principles with business objectives.
Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for in UX strategy professionals:
- UX strategy, writing, and design
- UX tools (e.g., Sketch, Balsamiq, InVision)
- Business strategy
- Digital marketing
Why do you want to hire UX strategists?
The trick to finding top UX strategists is to identify your needs. Is your goal to find someone to map the customer journey through your online store? Will they also need to create an interactive prototype for user testing? The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed to bring your project to life.
HOW TO HIRE USER EXPERIENCE STRATEGISTS
It’s one thing to deliver a smooth UX. It’s even better if that UX also encourages users to perform a certain action such as submitting their email or making a purchase.
So how do you hire UX strategists? What follows are some tips for finding top UX strategists on Upwork.
How to shortlist UX strategy professionals
As you’re browsing available UX strategy consultants, it can be helpful to develop a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:
- Portfolio. You want a UX strategist with a portfolio that demonstrates their ability to design a UX that converts.
- Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., creating UX copy that encourages readers to follow through on a transaction).
- Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that can tell you what it’s like to work with a particular UX strategist.
How to write an effective UX strategy job post
With a clear picture of your ideal UX strategy in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
An effective UX strategy job post should include:
- Scope of work: from customer journeys to high-fidelity prototypes, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, software, or UX tools, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Ready to craft a streamlined UX that will boost conversions? Log in and post your UX strategy job on Upwork today.
FAQS FOR HIRING USER EXPERIENCE STRATEGISTS
How much does it cost to hire a UX strategist?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced UX strategist may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their UX strategy services more competitively.
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How long should you contract a UX strategist to complete your project?
As difficult as it is to estimate how long you will need a UX strategist, budgeting time is very important to keeping your project on track.
Be prepared to budget more time for more-demanding UX strategy projects. For example, tightening a customer journey around business objectives for an ecommerce store will take less time than expanding that strategy to include development of a mobile app.
What are the steps involved to hire UX strategists?
Here’s how to hire UX strategy consultants in four simple steps:
- Identify your project needs, whether it’s UX research reports or polished customer journeys.
- Define the scope of work and write a detailed job post. Be specific about deliverables (e.g., UX strategy for porting a web app to mobile).
- Review proposals and shortlist potential UX strategists for unique skills needed to bring your project to life (e.g., creating interactive prototypes with Proto.io).
- Interview UX strategy talent to gauge whether they’re the right fit for your project.