BY UNDERSTANDING YOUR USERS!

So, you should know your users. This will allow you to go through the right design path which consists of the design phrase empathize – define – ideate – prototype – test. You see you need to know and understand your user to empathize

In this article, I will be sharing information about segmentation with you.

First of all, what is a segment and why should they be involved in UX? Then, I will list what are the main types of segmentation, and finally, I will explain the descriptions of these listed segmentations and what data each segmentation consists of.

What do segments mean for UX? And Why should they be involved in UX? 

Segmentation is the process of dividing the users based on their commonalities and homogeneity, the different attitudes of users towards the product.

In other words, a product has to have its user and customer, segments allow you to understand your users and customers.

This method allows you to do precise adjustments to the product and user requirements. 

User segmentation is a UX strategy that divides broad targets into subsets of users who have common characteristics, needs, and demands. 

• Having defined segments allows you to set clear and concrete goals for the short and long term and stick to them.
• They enable you to create and share the right experience, thereby creating value for your users.
• It makes users who use your product feel valuable for the time they spend using your product by the launch of features aligning with the user demand.
• Whatever your product is, you need to conduct segment analyzes to make joint agreements with your team about the product and to find the key opportunities that the product has to offer.

Shortly, segmentation offers you to maximize effectiveness and optimize your resources in the process of UX design. 

You see, segments don’t just help predict market interest for a product. At the same time, they are an integral determinant for product design and indispensable for providing a good user experience. 

We know that many marketer benefits from the S-T-P approach; Segmentation → Targeting → Positioning. Right positioning of the product is a need and must for having the best UX.

If you identify your segment or segments clearly, it will be easy to follow your strategies and focus on areas that are effective for your product.

You can define your product accessibility, substantiality, and uniqueness according to your targeted segments. ((Very simply, we do not produce a product that uses Spanish for a German-speaking segment.))

And when do you need a segmentation? If you have or will a product. You can have a different segmentation objective for the existing or new product. User segmentation may help your existing product to be kept, defend, nurture maybe reposition while it helps your new product to be innovative and diversified.

The time you spend on Segmentation is an investment in your product and UX. Not targeting your users or customers will cost you even more by causing you to make the wrong business decisions.

 So, after emphasizing the importance of segmentation, let’s look at what types of segmentation exist.

There are several types of segmentation to identify your segments. The basic and accepted segmentation types can be listed as follows.

Segmentation Types: 

1. Geographic Segmentation
2. Demographic Segmentation
3. Behavioristic Segmentation
4. Psychographic Segmentation
5. Benefit Segmentation
6. Need-based Segmentation
7. Media Segmentation 
8. Firmographic Segmentation

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Geographic Segmentation

Geographic location is likely the first type of segmentation in history. Location is information that can be used to improve the product’s messages and has a significant impact on purchasing habits. It is an integral factor in determining market positioning and product sales. Moreover, it directly affects the way of your UX journey. Basically, you need to know which language your users use. Data consists of:

• Continent
• Country
• Region
• City
• Borough/District

What can you deduce from this data? You can know your user’s language and time zone, deduce the climate, and seasons they live in, population type and density (urban, suburban, suburban, or rural), and even their cultural preferences.

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Demographic Segmentation

As one of the most common types of segmentation, demographic segmentation is perhaps the most obvious and simplified type of segmentation. Demographic information allows you to better understand certain background characteristics of your users. Data consists of:

• Age
• Gender
• Occupation
• Income
• Family status
• Education

By having demographic data, you can have an idea about living standards, savings rates, consumption, and investment trends and demands. And this leads you to design your experience in a better way and on the right path.

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Behavioristic Segmentation

This model leads you to understand what motivates someone to use your products, and what are their goals and needs? It groups your users as regular/occasional/non-users. Questions like these should be answered at this point; How much knowledge do my users have about the product? do they want to try the product for the first time? Did they use similar products before? In which frequency do they use the product? Do they want information for a future purchase? 

The answers offer you a chance to create the best experience for them.

Data consists of:

• Purchase Occasion: What is the underlying factor for the purchase? Is the user using your product for business or personal reasons?
• Previous purchases: Are they purchased your product before? Have they used or considered alternatives?
• Purchase patterns: timing, quantity, and duration of purchase can be analyzed. Awareness of the business: How well do they know the industry and your company? how conscious they are in choosing your product to use.
• Product knowledge: How well do users know a product? Is there a feature they missed?

• Product/service rating:
• Benefits Sought (High quality, low price, speed, best price, excellent ratings, safety considerations, latest technology, safest product, or be the first to buy the newest product? or other criteria) However I will give the benefit segmentation as a different segmentation type as it consists huge data in it.
• User Status or User volume: User volume is defined by the frequency of your users using your product. Basically, groups users as:
• Light
• Medium
• Heavy 

Designers can decide on product features and strategies by finding common characteristics among heavy users.

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Psychographic Segmentation

Psychographics is an excellent complement to demographics because they identify the motivations behind why people make particular choices.

UX designers need to use psychographics to understand:

• To understand how users perceive their products and services

• To know what users want—and why they want it

• To define gaps or pain points with their current product or products

• To design how to better communicate with their targeted users

• To see opportunities for future engagement 

Examples of segments according to Psychographic Segmentation:

• Innovators and risk-takers: Some people are more eager to try and accept new ideas. This adventurous group does not avoid the risk of having a bad experience by trying a new product. They make decisions relatively quickly after considering the most important criteria. For example, an innovative interface or customizations are ideal for this group.

• Angel investors: They provide financial capital without relying solely on raising capital. They are proactive network activators and a great opportunity for your product brand. They are open to experiences that will feel new and valuable.

• Early Majority: This group is important for the success of a product, as it provides designers and other users with insights on how the product will function in the future. Rewards and promotions can be designed to influence this group.

• Late Majority: This group is cautious and adopts new ideas after innovation has received public confidence. They are likely to prefer a secure experience to an innovative one during UX design.

Slow starter: This group is suspicious of change and innovations. By the time they adopt a product, it may already have been replaced by a new one. Therefore, it seems inevitable that they want your experience design to be similar to the previous one.

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Benefit Segmentation 

This means grouping your users based on the advantage perceived that they receive from a product. Identifying users based on the values they looking to take out directly affect your product features and the way you design and present them. Value alignment might the keyword for this segmentation. It enables your product to be aligned with users’ values. 

Example of groups according to Benefit Segmentation:

The Status Seeker: This group of users is very much concerned with the prestige of the brand. They tend to select the brand rather than the product. For this group, a good company introduction will be much more important than a product experience.

The Conservative: This group prefers to know who is the product owner. Determine their decision based on their reputation. 

The Rationale: This group looks for benefits such as economy, value, durability, and other logical factors. For example, for this group, it is more important than the product is accessible at an affordable price rather than being very innovative.

The Inner Directed: This group is concerned with self-concept, e.g., sense of humor, independence, honesty, etc. This group will be pleased to encounter them during the user experience.,

The Hedonist: This group is concerned mainly with sensory benefits.

The Swinger: This group can be defined as contemporary and up-to-date in all of its activities. They are open to new and differentiated experiences.

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Need-based Segmentation

It asks a question based on the needs of users. The best UX requires an understanding of the concept of needs.

There are several types of needs:

• Problem-solving needs. Does your product solve a problem for a group of your users? 
• Functional needs. Are users looking for a way to make something easier, perform better, be more efficient, less risky? 
• Emotional needs.Do a group of your users share an emotional desire or frustration

Your UX design may serve each of them. Or it can invest more towards a need.

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Media Segmentation

Media segmentation defines through which sources, platforms, and devices users reach or will reach your product. Media segmentation is important for allowing UX experts to design according to the channel in those different channels that have different usage rules and flows, as well as showing in which channels marketers should spend more effort on product promotion.

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Firmographic segmentation

Firmographic segmentation allows you to understand the strengths of companies that may be interested in your product and their sustainability in target markets. Firmographic focus on the financial performance and growth trends of companies.

Firmographic data examples include:

• Industry classification 
• Ownership and Legal Status 
• Years in Business 
• Number of Employees 
• Location 
• Customers and Products 
• Market Size

If you have a B2B product, you should take advantage of this segmentation type. This segmentation is inclusive of B2B products.

Of course, this article is only an introduction to the benefits of segmentation to UX design.

More to come…