Have you ever invested in technology thinking it would solve a problem, only to find nothing changed in the end? It happens frequently: a company hires a new system, modernizes the tool, spends a fortune… and keeps hearing complaints. From employees, from customers, or from both.
The problem might not be the technology itself, but a sign that you need to improve the user experience (UX).
Let’s break this down clearly so you know exactly where to focus.
What is UX (User Experience)?
UX is the experience someone has when using a specific product or system. It could be an application, a website, an internal company platform, any digital tool. The focus here is: can this person do what they need to do quickly and intuitively?
Imagine a management system that takes 30 seconds to open each screen. Or a dashboard full of information where no one can find the data they’re looking for. Or that form with 15 required fields when 5 would be enough. All of this is a UX problem.
According to Forrester Research, a well-designed interface can increase conversion rates by up to 200%, while improved UX can raise that number to 400%. The math is simple: when users don’t have to think too much to use something, they use it more and complain less.
The scope of UX is specific. You’re looking at a product, at a tool. The central question is: “does this solution work well for whoever is going to use it?”
What is CX (Customer Experience)?
CX is much broader. We’re talking about the complete customer journey with your company, from the moment they discover the brand until after-sales and beyond. It involves service, communication, delivery, support, how they feel at each interaction.
A customer can have a terrible experience on your website (UX problem), receive exceptional phone service, and still rate the company well overall. Or the opposite: your app works perfectly, delivery is delayed two weeks, and you lose the customer forever.
According to PwC, 32% of customers abandon a brand they love after just one bad experience. And Gartner points out that 89% of companies now compete primarily based on customer experience, no longer on product or price.
CX involves multiple departments, channels, and moments. The central question here is: “how does the customer feel about the company as a whole?”
UX is Part of CX (They’re Not Rivals)
Here’s the point many people get wrong: UX and CX are not opposing concepts. UX is part of CX. Every time your customer interacts with one of your digital products, their experience at that moment (UX) contributes to their overall perception of the company (CX).
Think about an online store. If the website crashes when finalizing the purchase, you have a UX problem. This will affect CX because the customer will be frustrated. Now, if the website works perfectly and the product arrives broken because the logistics process is poor, you have a CX problem that has nothing to do with UX.
Poor UX quickly brings down CX. CX can even survive with mediocre UX if other touchpoints compensate, like excellent customer service or a generous return policy. But no one should count on that.
When to Focus on UX vs CX
Internal Systems = Focus on UX
If you’re developing or improving tools for internal company use, the main focus should be UX. We’re talking about ERPs, CRMs, management systems, dashboards, internal communication platforms.
When these systems work well, productivity increases. The team spends less time fighting with technology and more time doing actual work. According to McKinsey, employees waste about 20% of their time searching for internal information or tracking down colleagues to help with specific tasks. Much of this happens because of poorly designed systems.
External Systems = UX Feeds CX
For products aimed at end customers, applications, websites, e-commerce platforms, UX is one of the fundamental pillars of CX. It’s not the only one, because the customer journey involves much more than the interface. It involves communication, delivery, support, the entire experience with the brand.
Technology needs to work well and make life easier for whoever is on the other side. When you have a poorly developed external system, you’re throwing money away on marketing to bring in people who will give up at the first difficulty. The Baymard Institute shows that the average cart abandonment rate in e-commerce is 70%, and much of this comes from complicated or slow checkout processes.
Signs That You Need to Improve Each One
Your UX Needs Attention When:
- People complain that the system is “hard to use” or “not intuitive at all”
- New employees take weeks to learn how to use basic tools
- There’s constant rework because the system doesn’t make it clear what to do
- You receive requests for features that already exist (no one can find them)
- The team creates parallel spreadsheets because they don’t trust the official system
Your CX Needs Attention When:
- Customers don’t return, even when the product is good
- Your NPS is low and comments are vague (“bad experience,” “didn’t like it”)
- Complaints appear across different channels (not just in the app or website)
- Support response time is long or solutions don’t resolve issues
- You have a high drop-off rate at different stages of the journey
If you checked several items on both lists, you probably need to work on both fronts. And that’s okay, it’s common. Technology and processes go hand in hand.
How NextAge Helps in Both Scenarios
When it comes to improving internal productivity, we develop custom systems that actually make sense for whoever will use them. It’s about understanding the team’s day-to-day and building tools that eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy.
Our team allocation model (our staff augmentation) works exactly for this: you have dedicated professionals who know your business and develop with a focus on real usability.
When the goal is to improve customer experience, we start with strategic diagnostics. Where are the problems? In the technology, in the process, or in both? From there, we develop solutions that facilitate the customer journey at all digital touchpoints. Learn about our services!
