Myth 1: UX Firms Deliver Unclear Value

Many cybersecurity startups are hesitant to engage in product design at the earliest stages of their product.

It might be because they believe some of these myths about UX firms. 👇

• Myth 1: UX firms deliver unclear value
• Myth 2: UX firms are too expensive at early stages
• Myth 3: UX firms don't understand complicated security problems
• Myth 4: UX firms need too much hand holding
• Myth 5: UX firms won’t adjust their process to match our business needs
• Myth 6: UX firms won't mesh with my team
• Myth 7: UX firms make it difficult to bring UX inhouse later

We all value things that are well designed. Consider the clothes you are wearing right now, the layout of your house, and the car you drive. Your decision on each of those items was based on a mixture of function and form. The same is true of security products.

Early-stage cybersecurity startups are known to initially focus on killer engineering talent and neglect great UX/UI. This is likely because the value of product design seems unclear compared to building essential features.

Initially, the dev first approach seems like the right decision. And it is… in the short term. Let’s consider a more balanced long-term approach.

UX research is valuable

Understanding user needs through UX research ensures you are building something users actually want and will use.

Even if you think, “I know what to build,” it doesn’t mean you know why you should build it.

UX research uncovers the why by testing concepts and prototypes. This guarantees you are on the right track before investing in engineering.

Better UI design means higher adoption rates

Well designed interfaces are easier to use, and sales teams will tell you they are also easier to sell.

Great visual design gives early prospects confidence in your product because your product looks more established.

With good UI design, new users won’t struggle to figure things out. The interface will guide them, so they can win fast. That's key for driving adoption.

UX impacts the bottom line

Yes, a product needs to allow a customer to accomplish her tasks, but building a confusing workflow not only makes things difficult for your customers. It also makes things diffcult for your sales team.

Frustrated users may abandon your product, but great UX design reduces the churn and costs associated with acquiring new customers.

Even if you can convince early adopters to try your product after a redesign, building the front end of an application a second time is more than twice as expensive.

It all comes down to this

When you are creating a security product company, you’re balancing a lot. So take a que from the other startup sectors and better prioritize UX/UI from the beginning. It will pay dividends in product-market fit, user adoption, and long-term growth.

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