Increasingly, large companies and corporations are making purchases User Experience Services in the form of formal or simplified tenders. Specialists and managers of purchasing departments are therefore faced with the need to understand the specifics of UX services, prepare documentation, conduct a tender and support in choosing a winning offer.
What are User Experience (UX) Services?
Services from the UX category are usually associated with design, redesign (redesign) or optimizing the layer visible to the user of digital solutions such as applications, software, websites or online stores. Popular UX tools and techniques include:
Name of servicesService descriptionWork effectUsability auditVerification of the tested solution (e.g. website, transaction process) to meet the conditions of a useful solution for customers.Report after the audit (presentation, PDF document) usually with recommendations for improving usability.Tests (tests) usabilityVerification of the tested solution during tests with its real users.Report after audit of a mockup (presentation, PDF document) usually with recommendations to improve usability.Design mockups (UX design) Creation of a mockup (prototypes) of the designed solution.Mockup (prototype) of the service in the form of graphic visualization.Graphic design (UI design) Creation of the final appearance (interface) of the designed solution.Graphic files on the basis of which you can implement the finished solution.
In the case of ordering a comprehensive project (e.g. redesign of the current websiteo) it is usually necessary to use a package of services that combine in a logical process. This means that the offer may include, for example, usability audit, mock-up design and graphic design.
Who provides user experience services?
On the Polish market, UX services are provided by various entities. The most specialized - the so-called. UX agencies - focus exclusively on the implementation of work in the area of User Experience, i.e. design and optimization of the service/application layer visible to the user. They have the most experience, although usually they will not be able to complete a comprehensive contract covering work from design to implementation on their own. A good idea to build a list of suppliers in this market segment is to use the ranking TOP UX Designers developed by Clutch based on real customer reviews.
In addition to UX agencies, this type of service can also be found in the portfolio:
- Interactive Agencies, which will also offer services in the field of implementation of the designed solutions or their subsequent marketing service;
- Software Houses, that is, technology companies focused on the construction of IT solutions;
- SEO/SEM Agency, which, admittedly, will be closer to handling advertising projects in digital Although sometimes they are able to provide simple UX work such as usability audits.
In the case of complex projects implemented for large companies and corporations, perhaps the most popular model is the combination of the forces of a typical UX Agency with an equally typical Software House. In this way, we get a guarantee that the most specialized entity on the market (UX Agency) is responsible for the interface design stage, and the implementation stage is carried out by an equally specialized technology company (Software House).
How to make a tender for UX services?
On the market you can usually find two forms of tenders for services in the field of User Experience. The first of these concerns Request for quotation (RFQ - Request for Quotation) in which the contracting authority is able to independently build a set of tasks for implementation. Examples of such tenders are enquiries regarding usability audits or user surveys.
The second of these concerns Solution Inquiries (RFP - Request for Proposal), where the contracting authority expects a specific effect of the work but the selection of a set of tasks exceeds his competence. These are usually queries involving the design of web sites, redesign Internet services.
SAR Marketing Communication Association and Polish Logistics and Purchasing Association PSML prepared The White Paper, which is a set of recommendations and tender tools developed by advertisers and agencies. The last chapter of the White Paper deals with purchases in the digital. It is worth finding inspiration for preparing a tender for UX services.
Request for Quotation (RFQ) Pitfalls
It would seem that the preparation of a request for quotation (RFQ) should not be too complicated. The set of tasks to be performed by the agency is known, so it is enough to collect offers from the market and make an appropriate decision on the choice of contractor.
From my experience in implementing RFQs, it is worth paying close attention to the following.
- Extensive portfolio without specifics. Potential contractors like to present an extensive portfolio that does not correspond to the execution of the ordered services in our RFQ. It is worth checking whether the project carried out for the indicated company, so that it certainly includes specific works on which we want to verify and whether these works were carried out independently or in cooperation with another supplier.
- Different effects of work in response to the same tasks. Agencies may approach the implementation of the same tasks in different ways. It is worth verifying the final product delivered by the contractor. Even the simplest work - e.g. conducting usability studies - can end with providing not only a report, but also a report with recommendations, additional audio & video recordings from the tests carried out, etc.
- Suspiciously low cost of implementation of the scope of work. The appearance in response to an RFQ of an offer with a cost of execution significantly different from other offers should arouse our interest. Of course, this may be due to the bidder's pricing policy (e.g. he would like to acquire a new customer from our industry), but it can also indicate a misunderstanding of the scope of the RFQ. An individual conversation becomes a necessity.
Solution Request (RFP) Pitfalls
Preparing a correct RFP will certainly be more complicated than an RFI. Solution enquiries tend to address more complex projects, and responding to an RFP often provides a different scope of work from bidders and complicates making a final comparison of the bids received.
During the implementation of RFP, we may encounter similar pitfalls as in the case of RFI. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the following issues.
- Difficulty comparing offers. Responses to RFP may contain different scope of work and vary significantly in price despite ultimately delivering the same product. For example, a redesign of a website can only include the creation of mock-ups and graphic design, but it can also include data analysis and tests with users. Therefore, individual interviews with bidders in order to present the process of implementation of the commissioned task will be particularly important. We will have to understand how additional work translates into the final solution. It would be a good idea to carry out a second stage of valuation in which all invited agencies will estimate exactly the same scope of work.
- Lack of competence to evaluate offers fairly. Naturally, on the part of the contracting team, we will not always have at our disposal people who have knowledge enabling a reliable assessment of the scope of work in each of the procured offers. If the scope of the RFP significantly exceeds the competence of the team, the support of an external consultant may be considered. True, in the case of UX services, this model is rarely found, although in the case of queries, for example of an advertising nature, the use of an external media auditor is quite natural. It is worth transferring these experiences to the ground of working with UX agencies in the case of large-scale projects.
- Variant offers that do not cover the entire scope of work. As I mentioned, a common model in the case of large projects is the commissioning of works in tandem with the UX Agency and Software House, which causes the appearance of two independent contractors of certain stages of work. In such situations, it is worth paying attention to the experience of the UX agency in cooperation with a technology partner. The portfolio of completed projects is a good way to verify.
The difficulty in purchasing UX services is their highly specialized nature. The main framework of the tender can be based on the recommendations from the aforementioned White Paper of the SAR Marketing Communication Association. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to be aware of the main pitfalls that lie in wait for “buyers” when executing inquiries in the form of RFQ and RFP.
