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The UXer’s Dilemma. Consumer vs. Enterprise vs. Platform UX, how different the UX approach should be?

Durga Prasad

May 23, 2023

After decades of brain crunching on articulating consumer UX and enterprise UX approach, I am at another cross road where platform UX needs an approach.

Well nobody is talking about platform UX yet. But my guess is that the nuts and bolts of it is getting formalised. If you have some insights, please share.

This morning I was thinking about the differences between these 3 in terms of UX intervention objectives. Here is a snapshot.

Consumer UX

The whole interaction between a user and an offering that enables personal, emotional and social gratification.

Target User: Anybody looking for options to access a specific offering from the marketplace.

Target Mindset: Dreamer and Social.

  • Dreamer mindset depends on doers and believes that everything is possible and keeps wanting for more.
  • Social mindset looks at exploring new and get influenced by social dynamics.

UX Intervention Approach:

  • Understand the voice of business
  • Research consumers
  • Identify user scenarios. Articulate challenges and opportunities through user stories.
  • Design, see it in action and iterate
  • Validate with technical team and iterate
  • Support during deployment
  • Observe and evolve continuously

Enterprise UX

The targeted interaction between a user and business processes that enables increased productivity through workflow and process driven collaboration.

Target User: Anybody looking for options to access a specific offering from the marketplace.

Target Mindset: Dreamer and Social.

  • Dreamer mindset depends on doers and believes that everything is possible and keeps wanting for more.
  • Social mindset looks at exploring new and get influenced by social dynamics.

UX Intervention Approach:

  • Understand the voice of business
  • Research consumers
  • Identify user scenarios. Articulate challenges and opportunities through user stories.
  • Design, see it in action and iterate
  • Validate with technical team and iterate
  • Support during deployment
  • Observe and evolve continuously

Conclusion

Ultimately UX is about users. But users are not just bunch of people. What they need, in what context and under what mindset defines their unique position in the UX universe. Whether consumer, enterprise or platform, the same users can display different mindsets while using them. Hence approach can’t be uniform.

Do you have some thoughts to share?

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