UI/UX Design
PCI DSS's '6' Fundamental Principles Explained
25 March 2025
1. Introduction: Why UX is a Business Priority Today
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs
When Steve Jobs said this, he wasn’t just addressing designers; he was speaking directly to CEOs, business owners, and anyone responsible for the overall success of a product or service. What Jobs highlighted was that design, particularly User Experience (UX) design, is not just an aesthetic choice—it’s a business imperative. In today’s fast-paced digital world, a website or app that looks good is no longer enough. What truly matters is how easy, intuitive, and helpful your users find your platform. This directly ties into the impact of UX design on business, which goes beyond visuals and into the realm of strategic growth.
Statistics show that 94% of users will abandon a website if they have a bad user experience, according to a study by Forrester. This demonstrates that when users struggle to navigate your website or app, they’re not just frustrated—they’re leaving, which could be costing you sales and credibility.
To maximize business impact, UX needs to be treated as an investment in customer retention, conversion, and brand loyalty. When UX design is done right, it becomes an asset that drives not just engagement, but also long-term business growth.
2. UX as the Silent Salesperson
One of the most underrated roles in business today is that of the silent salesperson—and that’s exactly what UX design does. While most sales teams focus on conversions, it’s UX that lays the foundation for a frictionless user journey that encourages conversions. The impact of UX design on business here is immense: it influences purchasing behavior long before any human interaction happens.
Consider the customer journey: It begins with a user landing on your website, which leads to exploring your offerings. Each step—from navigation to checkout—has the potential to make or break their decision to buy. UX design minimizes friction at every stage.
According to McKinsey, a well-designed customer journey can reduce customer churn by 50% and increase customer satisfaction by 20%. This proves that investing in intuitive design isn’t just a cosmetic upgrade—it’s a strategic business move. By streamlining user flows and eliminating unnecessary obstacles, UX ensures that visitors move through your website or app smoothly, making it more likely that they’ll complete a transaction or return for another visit.
3. First Impressions: Where Businesses Win or Lose in Seconds
It’s well-established that first impressions matter. Research from Stanford University shows that users form an opinion about a website in 0.05 seconds—that’s right, only half a second. This highlights the immediate impact of UX design on business perception.
Now, imagine you land on a website that’s cluttered, outdated, or slow to load. Within that tiny window of time, your users will make a snap judgment about your site’s credibility and trustworthiness. If the first impression is poor, they will leave—and they won’t come back.
Take Airbnb, for example. The platform is designed for simplicity and clarity. Every feature is intentionally placed for the smoothest possible user experience. Airbnb’s consistent user interface (UI) and easy navigation have contributed significantly to its growth, allowing it to expand into one of the world’s most successful hospitality platforms.
This goes beyond just looks—it’s about ensuring every single detail of your website or app aligns to guide users effortlessly from their first visit to action (like signing up or purchasing). Getting these first few seconds right ensures users don’t turn away and give up on finding what they need.
4. UX and Customer Retention: The Forgotten Growth Lever
It’s often said that retention is cheaper than acquisition, but how do you improve customer retention in the digital age? It starts with UX design. This is another major impact of UX design on business—its ability to turn one-time users into loyal advocates.
When a user feels at home on your platform, they’re more likely to stay and engage with your services. Netflix has mastered this concept through personalized recommendations, seamless navigation, and a smooth content discovery process. By keeping the user experience intuitive, Netflix ensures that its customers stay connected, watch more, and—crucially—keep paying.
Here’s a data point from Harvard Business Review: Increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. A seamless UX plays a crucial role in this process. It ensures customers can find what they’re looking for quickly, navigate the platform without frustration, and enjoy a personalized experience every time they log in.