Related Webinar Recording and Summary: Transforming Experiences in the Age of AI by Left-Shifting UX: A Fireside Chat.
Traditionally, critical activities, such as quality assurance (QA) and security checks, were performed toward the end of development, often resulting in costly changes, rework, or unforeseen issues. Left-shifting represents a proactive approach emphasizing early detection and resolution by moving the important checkpoints earlier in a project’s lifecycle. This strategy aims to reduce costs, improve quality, and streamline delivery timelines.
Historically, left-shifting has applied primarily to engineering, but today, it’s increasingly relevant to User Experience (UX). When experience strategy, journey mapping, ecosystem mapping, and research occur earlier, teams can create products more aligned with user needs and market demands. This article explores what left-shifting means for UX, how it benefits organizations, and how UX professionals can address common challenges.
What Left-Shift Means for UX
If 100% of a UX team’s time is spent on wireframes, visual design, copywriting, and validation usability testing research, then even a small shift toward early involvement can have a significant impact. Left-shifting UX means not waiting for an invitation but proactively participating in product development’s discovery and definition phases. UX professionals—especially senior leaders—can bring invaluable insights to foundational stages, helping shape the product direction and strategy with the user in mind.
When UX professionals are actively involved in the discovery phase, they help define user journeys, clarify “jobs to be done,” and align with product strategy in ways that pay dividends later. Even short bursts of involvement early in the process lead to fewer design revisions, a better alignment with user needs, and ultimately, a smoother path through development.
Lessons Learned: Left-Shift in Action at UXReactor
Over the past year, UXReactor has actively helped organizations integrate left-shift practices into their UX strategies. A significant portion of our effort has gone into activities such as:
- Customer Journey Mapping: Mapping out end-to-end customer journeys helps teams understand the broader context of user needs and pain points.
- Jobs-to-be-Done Interviews: Identifying what users are trying to achieve allows us to align product features with genuine user needs.
- Alignment Workshops: Bringing stakeholders together to agree on goals, priorities, and product vision ensures initial alignment.
- Product Strategy and Roadmap Sequencing Workshops: Helping teams prioritize and sequence their roadmap based on user insights for a more efficient development flow.
Of course, execution—“design doing” and “research doing”—remains central to our work, but time spent early on discovery prevents “busy work” later. If there are lingering questions about product-market fit or unclear customer problems, pushing forward solely to meet an arbitrary deadline creates wasted effort. To resolve this, UX professionals need to advocate for left-shifting within the product development process, actively pushing UX earlier in the cycle.
Talk to us about strategies that work and sometimes don’t as you advocate for ‘left-shift’ approaches in your own organization.
5-D of Product Development:
Below are the activities we at UXReactor execute when partnering with clients. As outlined in our approach, several critical activities occur during the Discover and Define phases, all aimed at answering the fundamental question: Are we solving the right problems?
This approach goes beyond wireframes, usability testing, and visual design. While UI-level design is the core strength of most User Experience teams, the landscape is rapidly evolving with advancements in AI and the accelerated pace of product development. In this context, we encourage all UX teams to “shift left” by driving more engagement and impact through critical activities during the discovery and definition phases.
Overcoming Pushback from Stakeholders
While left-shifting UX is beneficial, it can encounter legitimate pushback from stakeholders. Time and budget constraints, go-to-market deadlines, and launch pressures are very real considerations.
Scrappy but intentional UX involvement early on is a cost-effective compromise. At the very least, some discovery research is conducted, even if it’s scrappy. For example, using the “show, don’t tell” technique or introducing usability testing to validate design direction ensures that the team isn’t entirely dependent on assumptions. By sizing it appropriately, UX professionals can ensure that discovery and definition phases incorporate user perspectives without significantly increasing project timelines.
Who Does the Design-Doing?
Left-shifting UX doesn’t mean that all aspects of UX work move left. Execution still requires the majority of a UX team’s time and energy. To implement a left-shift strategy effectively, organizations should involve senior UX leaders—those with the experience and strategic mindset to engage in discovery and definition. These leaders are best positioned to shape the product direction with user insights and strategic foresight.
A practical approach is to apply the 70-20-10 Rule:
- 70% of UX effort: Detailed design and research delivery.
- 20% of UX effort: Discovery and definition work, such as journey mapping, ecosystem mapping, and defining “jobs to be done.”
- 10% of UX effort: Coordination and alignment activities with cross-functional teams.
The effort allocation could be very different for senior UX leaders. For them, 70% of their time could be spent defining the problem and 30% designing solutions. Your organization may need to adjust these percentages to find the right balance, but the goal remains the same: leverage senior UX talent where it can have the greatest impact.
The Role of AI in Left-Shifting UX
Generative AI is poised to make left-shifting UX easier & essential by increasing. UX designers and researchers can use AI to increase efficiency with wireframes, visual design, copy, prototypes, and conducting iterative research. By automating some of the more labor-intensive tasks, UX teams can shift capacity toward strategic activities earlier in the process, making left-shifting even more practical and beneficial.
For example, AI-powered tools will allow UX professionals to test initial concepts more rapidly and gather feedback faster. This efficiency supports left-shifting by freeing senior UX researchers to focus on strategic insights that inform discovery and definition.
Skills Needed for Left-Shifting UX Successfully
Left-shifting UX requires more than just technical UX skills. To make a successful impact, UX professionals need to develop additional capabilities:
- Influence: Ability to advocate for the value of early UX involvement and persuade stakeholders of its benefits.
- Strategic Perspective: The unique ability to see both the big picture and the details—to view the forest at a 30,000-foot level and zoom into individual trees when needed.
- Deep Business Understanding: Familiarity with business KPIs, competitive landscape, and product strategy allows UX professionals to contribute meaningfully to early discussions.
- Communication and Storytelling: Strong communication skills to convey user insights effectively and tell the story of why user-centered strategies are essential from the start.
I wrote a book, Strengthen Your User Research Superpowers, highlighting 52 superpowers that UX professionals can strengthen to make an impact, influence stakeholders, and be leaders.
Conclusion
Left-shifting UX is more than just a trend; it’s a strategic shift that can drive long-term success for organizations. By involving UX professionals—particularly senior leaders—early in the product development lifecycle, companies can achieve higher quality products, reduce rework, and shorten time-to-market. This approach challenges the traditional assumption that UX is only relevant in the design and development phases. Instead, left-shifting shows how UX can play a vital role in shaping discovery, definition, and product strategy.
While the shift may require a cultural change and encounter some resistance, the results—higher-quality products, greater user satisfaction, and a smoother, faster development process—make it a worthwhile investment. Embracing the left-shift movement is a step toward building user-centered products that succeed in the market and resonate with users. For UX professionals, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate the full potential of user experience and deliver greater impact from concept to completion.
Schedule a call to learn more about left-shift strategies. We are happy to talk.
