If you’re not working in a design-led organisation, getting buy-in for UX can be tough. Especially when budgets are tight and time is scarce, your attempts to advocate for better UX may be met with scepticism.
Even if your manager is open to the idea, the reality of day-to-day operations and competing priorities might mean that UX never really makes it to the top of the list.
So how do you cut through the noise and finally persuade your manager to invest in UX?
Keep reading: we’ll show you exactly what you need to do in this guide.
First, we’ll outline 5 major benefits you must highlight in order to communicate the business value of UX. Then, if you’re hoping to get your manager’s approval for a UX design course, we’ll show you how to do that, too.
How to show your manager the business value of UX: 5 major benefits to highlight
You want to convince your manager to invest in UX—so it’s important to show them exactly why UX is valuable for the business.
By tying the impact of UX to key business metrics, you can demonstrate that UX is a worthwhile investment. One of the best investments to be made, in fact, when you consider that, on average, every $1 invested in UX yields a return of $100.
As Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, famously once said: “If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.”
With that, here are some key business benefits to highlight when discussing the value and impact of UX.
1. Good UX boosts conversion rates to drive sales and revenue
Conversions and revenue are crucial for every business, and investing in UX will help to increase both. Whether your company is targeting sign-ups, downloads, subscriptions, or sales; an accessible, intuitive, and well-designed user experience is key.
One of the most oft-cited statistics comes from a 2016 report by Forrester Research, which found that a well-designed user interface can increase website conversion rates by as much as 200%. The report also found that improving the overall UX of your website can help you achieve conversion rates as high as 400%.
Although this report is now almost ten years old, those findings ring truer than ever in today’s market. As consumers, our expectations of digital products are extremely high, and we have almost zero tolerance for poorly-designed interfaces.
And, of course, we have more options than ever before, so the user experience is even more critical now in determining whether or not a visitor turns into a paying customer.
Unsurprisingly, it’s well-documented that customers are willing to pay considerably more for a better experience—and that’s ultimately what UX is all about.
2. Good UX fosters customer loyalty
Customer satisfaction should be a top priority for the business. Happy customers are not only more likely to spend money; they’re also more inclined to return, remain loyal, and recommend the brand to family and friends.
Again, UX has a critical role to play here. Consider that 72% of customers will tell 6 other people about a good user experience they had (source: Spiralytics).
On the flip side, 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience—while 92% of customers would completely abandon a company after just two or three negative interactions (source: PwC).
Businesses who want their customers to keep coming back—and spread the good word about the brand—must invest in the user experience.
3. Investing in UX early on saves time and money
Cutting corners in UX, or failing to invest in UX at all, is an expensive risk to take.
A solid and thorough UX process centres on extensive user research, building a deep understanding of the end-users’ needs, and iteratively prototyping and testing to validate designs. This encourages early failure, allowing you to fix usability issues and design flaws before you spend a penny on development.
Without that process, you’re basing product decisions on guesswork and assumptions—and you have no idea how the design will actually perform when it’s in front of real users.
This is incredibly risky, and inevitably results in expensive recovery work later on. Not only is that a waste of time and resources; it’s also extremely frustrating for developers, customer service reps, and any other key stakeholders who are under pressure to put things right.
Investing in UX upfront saves businesses a significant amount of time, money, and employee frustration.
4. Companies that invest in UX have a strong competitive edge
At the end of the day, it’s not a company’s products or services that set them apart. Customers typically have many options when it comes to finding what they want, especially online.
What secures companies a competitive edge is their ability to meet their users’ needs. Seamless digital interactions, quick and easy purchase processes, and a generally engaging and intuitive user experience all give customers a compelling reason to choose one brand over another.
Consider some of the most successful brands in the world, like Airbnb, Spotify, Uber, and Amazon. None of these companies were the first to offer their respective products and services; similar players already existed.
However, all of these brands secured their competitive edge by prioritising the user experience. By removing friction in the user journey and raising the bar for usability and engagement, they’ve become the go-to choice among customers.
Investing in UX and securing this competitive edge is crucial for businesses that want to ensure long-term growth and profitability.
5. UX-first companies are better equipped to leverage (and profit from) emerging trends
Investing in UX is not just about meeting customers’ needs in the here and now. It also equips businesses to stay ahead of the curve and quickly adapt to, and profit from, emerging trends.
Take the example of Airbnb. By adopting a UX-first approach, Airbnb has remained agile—and highly successful—in an ever-changing market.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, CEO Brian Chesky recalls how the company lost 80% of their business within eight weeks.
So what did they do? They capitalised on a key trend—the rising popularity of remote work—and quickly launched new features that focused on longer-term stays.
Similarly, Airbnb has leveraged key trends around sustainability and personalisation to their advantage, introducing new features that enable guests to search for eco-friendly accommodation.
With its emphasis on continuous research, testing, and competitor analysis, UX ensures that companies are always attuned to how customer expectations and broader market trends are evolving.
Armed with these insights, businesses can adapt their products and services accordingly, just like Airbnb—whether it’s introducing new features, successfully integrating AI, responding to new accessibility standards, or catering to a new demographic.
In short: adopting a UX-first mindset enables companies to stay agile, responsive, and relevant.
By outlining these core benefits, you can show your employer that UX is indispensable for any business—and bring them one step closer to approving your UX course.
How to secure your manager’s approval for a UX course: 5 essential points to cover
Besides emphasising the business value of UX, you can also discuss why it’s important that your employer invest in your personal and professional growth.
Here are 5 key points to cover if you want to get your manager’s buy-in for a UX course.
1. Highlight the impact of professional development on employee happiness, productivity, and retention
According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in their career growth.
In the same report, 90% of organisations expressed concerns about employee retention—and providing learning opportunities came out as the number one retention strategy.
If you want to advocate for your own professional development, explain how learning new skills will help to build your confidence, increase your engagement at work, and enable you to envision a long-term future with the company.
A great employer will see how this is beneficial for both sides, and they’ll be invested in your growth and success.
2. Talk about how UX skills are critical for building a future-ready workforce
In the midst of rapid digital transformation, ever-changing consumer expectations, and advances in technology, UX skills are more important than ever.
Unsurprisingly, the demand for UX skills is increasing. According to the World Economic Forum, UX and design skills are among the top 10 skills that businesses will be prioritising in the coming years.
Reflecting this trend, 68% of UX hiring managers expect demand for UX skills to grow at their companies in the next few years (source: the UX Design Institute’s State of UX Hiring Report).
So what does that mean for you and your employer, exactly?
Well, by supporting your professional development through a UX course, your employer can ensure that they’re building a future-ready workforce—a workforce equipped to navigate emerging trends and tackle critical challenges.
Another key point to make: developing these essential UX skills in-house is much more cost-effective than hiring externally. Why not invest in an existing employee’s growth and development, rather than having to compete with other companies to hire talented UX candidates further down the line?
3. Emphasise the many transferable skills you’ll learn (and why that’s so valuable)
When you take a UX course, you’re not only learning essential design tools, practices, and methodologies. You’ll also be developing and honing some incredibly valuable transferable skills—like problem-solving, critical thinking, and research and data analysis.
These skills are not only relevant to UX design. They’re applicable to all areas of business, and will prove valuable across a whole host of disciplines—from marketing and customer support to product management and business strategy.
Investing in your UX skills isn’t just about improving the design of your product. It’s also about improving communication and collaboration, streamlining day-to-day workflows, and becoming a more agile and effective problem-solver—all of which are hugely beneficial to the entire organisation.
4. Connect what you’ll learn on the course to your company’s goals and challenges
Don’t just talk about the abstract, theoretical benefits of taking a UX course. Where possible, provide concrete examples of how you’ll apply what you learn.
Think about key goals and challenges within the business—and how your newfound UX skills can make an immediate impact.
If your team is focused on improving customer retention, for example, explain how learning fundamental UX principles will help you to improve usability and engagement.
Or perhaps your manager wants the team to be more data-driven. After learning how to collect, interpret, and communicate data effectively on your UX course, this is an area where you can lead great change.
By tying your UX course to concrete wins for the business, you can emphasise just how valuable an investment it will be. This approach also demonstrates proactivity, showing that you’re committed to contributing to the company’s success.
5. Emphasise the importance of studying UX with a reputable provider
Last but not least, you need to advocate for your chosen UX course—and explain why it’s a better investment than free UX design courses or bootcamps.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of courses that promise to teach UX design, but they vary considerably in terms of quality and relevance. If you can demonstrate that your chosen UX course is credible, effective, and great value for money, it’ll be much easier to get your manager’s approval.
If you’re hoping to take the UX Design Institute’s Professional Diploma in UX Design, here are some important points to highlight:
- The course is highly practical. You’ll go through the entire UX design process from end to end, with practical exercises and portfolio projects to mimic real-world scenarios. This learning-by-doing approach ensures you come away with practical skills and confidence, not just theoretical knowledge.
- The Professional Diploma in UX Design is officially credit-rated by Glasgow Caledonian University. Both the curriculum and overall learning experience are vetted rigorously by an external body, ensuring quality, relevance, and accuracy. Upon successful completion, you’ll get a professional qualification that’s globally recognised.
- You’ll work with dedicated mentors and industry experts. The entire learning experience is built around expert support, guidance, and feedback—giving you unique access to industry insights and making sure you’re continuously learning and improving. This is essential for successful course completion, and it can help you grow your network and make valuable industry connections.
- You can study flexibly while continuing to work full-time. The program has been built to accommodate working professionals and upskillers, allowing you to work through the curriculum and practical exercises at your own pace (with broader deadlines and milestones to keep you on track). Taking the course won’t interfere with your job or your workload; you can comfortably complete it within six months if you commit just five hours per week.
- The curriculum is continuously evolving in line with the industry. The UX industry moves fast, so it’s no good to learn UX with an outdated curriculum. The Professional Diploma in UX Design is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect what’s going on in the field—making sure to teach the most relevant skills, tools, and best practices. The curriculum now includes a dedicated AI module, for example, ensuring all students are equipped to navigate this major trend.
Course Report chose UX Design Institute as one of the 14 top UX design schools in 2024. Fortune Education included the Professional Diploma in UX Design in their top rankings for UX education.
You can also share reviews from past UX Design Institute students to further showcase the value of the course.
What next?
Investing in UX is one of the best decisions a business can make—and now you’ve got some compelling data, insights, and benefits to help you communicate that to your manager.
As you approach your employer to discuss the importance of UX and to get their approval for a UX course, remember to frame it as a mutually beneficial opportunity: one that drives great value for the business and fosters your growth and development as an employee.
Focus on:
- The importance of UX in boosting conversions, driving sales and revenue, fostering customer loyalty, gaining a competitive edge, and equipping the business to leverage emerging trends.
- The importance of investing in your professional growth—highlighting how your new skills will directly translate to both quick and long-term wins for the business, and how the opportunity to learn UX will impact your confidence, job satisfaction, and ability to contribute to the company’s success.
- Why it’s important that you take a credible UX design program that offers practical learning, flexibility, expert support, and a professional, globally recognised qualification.
With everything we’ve covered in this guide, you should be in a great position to communicate the value of UX and get your manager’s buy-in. Good luck!
Want further industry insights to help you advocate for UX? Consider the following:
- UX Design Institute reviews: hear from our students
- 6 reasons to choose a university credit-rated UX certification
- Why UX testing is so important for your product
Emily is a professional writer and content strategist with an MSc in Psychology. She has 8+ years of experience in the tech industry, with a focus on UX and design thinking. A regular contributor to top design publications, she also authored a chapter in The UX Careers Handbook. Emily also holds a BA in French and German and is passionate about languages and continuous learning.
