Insights to Impact: Why the UX design process is a vital tool for marketers

In today’s fast-evolving market, it’s essential to create experiences that not only attract users but also keep them engaged long-term. A seamless, thoughtful experience across every touchpoint is the key to success—and that’s where UX (User Experience) design comes in.

UX design, when applied strategically, can be a powerful ally for marketers, helping to unlock deeper insights, create more engaging experiences, and ultimately, drive results.

What is UX Design?

User Experience (UX) design is about understanding people—their needs, behaviours, pain points, and motivations—and using that understanding to create cohesive, integrated experiences across all stages of a product’s lifecycle. UX isn’t just about interfaces or usability; it’s about shaping a seamless experience from pre-purchase to product use and beyond.

The term UX was first coined by Don Norman, when he started working at Apple in 1995 (and became the first person with UX in their job title) defined as something that looked at the cohesive, integrated set of experiences in a product – from pre-purchase through to end of life. Regardless of your opinion on Apple’s current ability to innovate, they have always been a leader in creating a cohesive set of experiences. One of our favourite examples is Apple’s early move to ship iPod’s with battery power, delivering immediate joy to users rather than the frustrating “wait to charge” experience common amongst other MP3 players at the time.

Three key lessons

At Unfold, we’ve worked with a range of clients—from small startups to large enterprises—helping them improve their digital experiences. Along the way, we’ve picked up three key lessons on how UX and marketing work hand in hand:

1. UX drives competitive advantage

At Unfold, we’ve learned that gaining a deep understanding of your customers is a game-changer. It’s not just about gathering basic data but digging deeper into their motivations and behaviours. This insight allows you to craft experiences that resonate on a much more personal level, helping you stand out from the competition.

For example, with a client like Muddy Trowel, a company focused on selling plants online, we didn’t just look at the data, we spoke directly with the customers to find out their motivations for buying plants from Muddy Trowel. Turns out they were less interested in gardening and getting their hands dirty, and really wanted instant impact in their garden.This allowed us to improve the positioning of Muddy Trowel and the experience for the users on the website.This helped Muddy Trowel, by seeing sustained growth in average basket size and conversion rate and also customer satisfaction, with a Net Promoter Score of >90 and 254 TrustPilot reviews rating them as “Excellent.

2. Customer insight helps us challenge common (and incorrect) assumptions

One of the most important roles UX plays is questioning the assumptions we all carry about what users want or need. At Storebox, a UK-based self-storage provider, we worked on redesigning their website and booking application. The challenge was not only to improve the booking experience but also to communicate their unique, no-contact approach to storage.

Industry assumption: If the customer is looking for the price they must be interested in buying, therefore sales needs to speak to them pronto! Through our user testing we were able to conclude that this in fact was not how the customer was receiving this. Without price, none of the marketing messages were landing with customers.

With this insight onboard, we were able to challenge our initial assumption and make a change. We decided to make pricing transparent from the beginning of the journey. 

By challenging these assumptions and designing an intuitive, seamless interface, we were able to boost bookings and improve the overall customer experience.

And the results speak for themselves.. 

• Smashed an all-time monthly booking record within 6 months of launch
• Highest occupancy rates on record: 82% (up from 62%)
• +14.5% YoY revenue increase in the first 3 months after launch

3. Customer insight helps you make sense of quantitative data

Quantitative data, such as conversion rates, bounce rates, and traffic patterns, is invaluable. However, data alone doesn’t always tell the whole story. Often, we fall into the trap of making assumptions about what the numbers mean without understanding the “why” behind them.

That’s where qualitative insights come in—by pairing user feedback with hard data, you can make sense of the numbers and find real solutions.

A great example of this is our work with Ashridge Trees, a company that sells bare root trees and plants. When we looked at their quantitative data, we saw high bounce rates and poor conversion rates on the product pages. The client’s initial conclusion? Customers weren’t interested in the products, or maybe the prices were too high.

But digging deeper through customer interviews and user testing, we discovered something crucial: customers liked the products, but didn’t realise that bare root trees could only be delivered between November and March. Many customers were seeing “out of stock” messages at other times of the year, leading to frustration and abandoned purchases.

Solution:

• We added clear messaging to the product pages, explaining the seasonal nature of bare root trees. Reassuring customers they could pre-order for delivery in November.
• We also offered easy alternatives (like potted trees) for customers who wanted a product outside of the bare root season.

Results:

• We retained more traffic by addressing concerns directly and ensuring customers knew they could still place orders for future delivery.
• We avoided the need to expand the product range or lower prices, which would have been costly.
• Customers who visited the site in the off-season were diverted to other products, increasing overall engagement.

This example shows how insight helps you interpret and act on quantitative data, leading to smarter decisions and better outcomes.

Why UX and Marketing need to work together

The relationship between UX design and marketing is symbiotic. Marketers create the messages that draw users in, while UX designers ensure those messages lead to seamless, engaging experiences. Together, they can create a holistic strategy that not only attracts but also retains customers over time.

By integrating UX insights into your marketing strategy, you can:

• Deepen customer loyalty through tailored, user-centered experiences
• Improve conversions by designing more intuitive, user-friendly journeys
• Align your product offerings with what your customers truly need

When you combine the power of customer insight, UX design, and marketing, the results are truly transformative.