{"id":7810,"date":"2023-01-23T16:04:37","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T16:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=7810"},"modified":"2023-04-26T13:29:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T13:29:18","slug":"recognise-ux-maturity-job-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/recognise-ux-maturity-job-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to recognise UX maturity while job hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a UX professional applying for jobs, you\u2019ll want to make sure your next company cares about UX as much as you do. But how do you cut through all the noise to identify organisations that are truly invested in creating great digital experiences?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this blog post, we\u2019ll explain the concept of UX maturity\u2014and equip you with a practical framework for measuring a company&#8217;s UX maturity level while job hunting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-ux-maturity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is UX maturity?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#the-six-stages-of-ux-maturity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The six stages of UX maturity\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#why-is-ux-maturity-important-when-applying-for-jobs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is UX maturity important when applying for jobs?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-to-evaluate-a-companys-ux-maturity-when-job-hunting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to evaluate a company\u2019s UX maturity when job hunting<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s dive in!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-ux-maturity\"><strong>1. What is UX maturity?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In today\u2019s tech-driven landscape, it might seem like a given that most companies have at least a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-does-ux-stand-for\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">basic understanding of UX design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014and why it\u2019s so important. In reality, organisations across sectors have varying approaches to UX; ranging from seeing it as a \u2018nice to have\u2019 to making it the number one business priority. These varying approaches to UX are known as <\/span><b>UX maturity levels<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Nielsen Norman Group<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> defines UX maturity as \u201cthe level of commitment an organisation shows towards user experience design.\u201d In other words, how seriously a company takes UX\u2014and the extent to which they\u2019ve adopted user-centricity into their core values.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A higher UX maturity means UX practices, like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-does-a-ux-researcher-do\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX research <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and user testing, are given enough time and resources to be implemented correctly. Companies with high levels of UX maturity tend to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prioritise customer feedback<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use data to drive decision-making, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remain agile in their approach to product development<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which, overall, makes them better equipped to meet customer expectations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, lower levels of UX maturity mean the discipline isn\u2019t taken seriously enough by senior leaders. As a result, UX activity is under-resourced and carried out sporadically\u2014with little impact on the business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-diploma-in-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ux-design?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog_panel_pdux&amp;utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"the-six-stages-of-ux-maturity\"><strong>2. The six stages of UX maturity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2006, Jacob Nielson of the industry-leading Nielsen Norman Group developed the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/ux-maturity-model\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX maturity model<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a practical framework detailing eight different stages of UX maturity within an organisation. The model was updated in 2021 and condensed into six stages; but well over a decade later, it\u2019s still widely used as a benchmark for where companies should be in their approach to UX.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s look at the six stages of UX maturity at a glance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 1: Absent<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this stage, UX is either ignored or nonexistent in an organisation\u2014and senior leaders don\u2019t think it\u2019s a priority (or even something that\u2019s needed). This means there are no formal employees focused on UX design, or any real advocacy for the user built into the product development process. This is usually the case in non-tech companies that have been around for a long time, with business models that don\u2019t rely on individual users for revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 2: Limited<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies with a limited approach to UX have an understanding of what it is, but still don\u2019t see it as a priority. As a result, they\u2019ll carry out UX-related activity on an occasional basis, without any real strategy. It may be seen as important by some members of the team, but it isn&#8217;t built into any formalised process. Without adequate time and resources, it lacks consistency and uniformity across products and services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 3: Emergent<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, we start seeing a shift towards more intentional UX practices like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-is-wireframing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wireframing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/why-ux-testing-is-so-important\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">usability testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Organisations at this level have started to realise <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/the-value-of-ux-design\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the value of UX<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and may have even hired some UX professionals in. But their efforts are still inconsistent and in need of structure and planning\u2014which requires senior leaders to buy in to UX as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 4: Structured\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The structured stage sees organisations invest in UX on a more serious level. More UX professionals join to form a proper team, and there\u2019s a recognition of the role UX plays in the overall business strategy in the senior leadership team. Standardised UX processes are being put in place throughout the product development process, but not everyone is on board with allocating resources towards it. This is where most companies sit in terms of UX maturity\u2014and some never make it past this stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read next:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/business-needs-and-user-needs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balancing business needs and user needs in a product<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 5: Integrated\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the stage when good UX becomes great UX. Widespread adoption of UX processes across all products and services means user satisfaction is becoming the norm. Everyone is on board with using UX methods to improve user outcomes, and usability sits as one of the business\u2019 key success metrics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stage 6: User-driven<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This final stage describes organisations whose dedication to user experience stretches beyond just having a dedicated UX department, but instead impacts every decision made at every level\u2014from product planning to customer service. Everyone understands its importance, and strives towards creating exceptional outcomes through user-centred design practices (i.e., user interviews, user research, and usability tests).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Screenshot-2023-01-23-at-15.41.18.png\" alt=\"6 stages of ux maturity\" width=\"1238\" height=\"594\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Source: Nielsen Norman Group]<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-is-ux-maturity-important-when-applying-for-jobs\"><strong>3. Why is UX maturity important when applying for jobs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you&#8217;re looking for a job as a UX designer, it\u2019s important to take UX maturity level into consideration. You might assume that a company hiring for a UX role in the first place is an indication of their maturity level. But before you sign any papers, it\u2019s worth digging a little deeper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding an organisation\u2019s UX maturity level will help you determine whether or not the team has enough knowledge and resources available to help you:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach your personal development goals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get backing for your ideas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hit your professional targets<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies with high levels of UX maturity typically have established systems that can easily integrate new designers into their workflow without disrupting existing processes. As a result, these companies tend to provide more support and guidance for their designers\u2014which can steer them towards success more quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, low-maturity companies often struggle to attract high-quality UX talent because there are fewer growth opportunities. As a UX designer, the last thing you want is to arrive at a new company, armed with endless ideas on optimising the current UX processes\u2014only to find you don\u2019t have the resources or company buy-in to see them through. A job that leaves you frustrated could lead to you quitting prematurely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-evaluate-a-companys-ux-maturity-when-job-hunting\"><strong>4. How to evaluate a company\u2019s UX maturity when you\u2019re job-hunting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the previous section, we explored why it\u2019s key to understand a company\u2019s UX maturity level before jumping aboard. But how do you go about measuring UX maturity as an outsider?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is two-fold:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research, i.e., browsing the company\u2019s website, LinkedIn, and any articles written about them in the press<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-to-expect-ux-job-interview\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking the right questions in the interviews<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what exactly are you looking to find out?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Existing processes the team has set up for product development.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Do they have dedicated teams focused on research and usability testing, with well-defined roles for each stage?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>How much autonomy the UX designers currently have.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Do they have free reign over decisions, or do they need approval from other stakeholders before making changes?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Resourcing and budgets.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> What\u2019s the quality of work coming out of the design team? Are there dedicated budgets allocated toward UX?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Values and mission statement. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is UX woven into the company\u2019s vision and mission?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Case studies or customer reviews related to products developed by the team. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of feedback are people giving about their experiences using the products?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Success metrics. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do they have an established baseline for evaluating user satisfaction, i.e., task completion rate?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Answering these questions can indicate where a company stands in terms of their commitment to UX, and allow you to make an informed decision about whether or not the job is right for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Round-up<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopefully, this blog post helped you understand what to look out for (and what to steer clear of) when assessing UX maturity on your job hunt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX maturity isn\u2019t a quick fix; it\u2019s the lengthy process of developing a sophisticated and robust approach to UX\u2014one that makes you competitive. More organisations are recognising that a high UX maturity level isn\u2019t an advantage as much as it\u2019s a universal expectation. Low UX maturity is a distinct <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disadvantage<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; one that sees organisations lose out on talent, customers, and traffic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more UX job hunt-related content, check out these blog posts:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/guide-to-ux-networking\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ultimate guide to UX networking (and 5 tips for success)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/switching-to-careers-in-ux\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why so many people are switching to careers in UX<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/hiring-managers-ux-portfolio\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What hiring managers look for in a UX portfolio<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ll explain the concept of UX maturity\u2014and equip you with a practical framework for measuring a company&#8217;s UX maturity level while job hunting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":7839,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[278,279],"tags":[335,343],"class_list":["post-7810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-ux-explained","tag-ux-design","tag-ux-maturity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7810"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7838,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7810\/revisions\/7838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}