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Tackling the UX Backlog

Tackling the UX Backlog/Debt​

We tackled a massive UX backlog by focusing on high-impact, low-effort issues. Through systematic prioritization, we improved the user experience significantly and reduced complaints efficiently.

The client faced an overwhelming backlog of UX issues and accumulated UX debt. With a long list of unresolved problems, it was difficult to determine which issues to tackle first. Without a clear prioritization strategy, the team risked spending valuable resources on low-impact fixes, leaving critical pain points unaddressed. To overcome this challenge, I proposed a systematic approach to prioritize the most pressing UX issues and ensure the team focused on changes that would deliver the highest user value with the least effort.

Drawing inspiration from industry best practices, including those outlined by Nielsen Norman Group on UX prioritization, I collaborated with product management to create a method for identifying, categorizing, and prioritizing UX tickets. I started by developing a Confluence document that captured key factors to assess each issue:

  • Description of the issue from the user’s perspective, focusing on how it affects their experience.
  • Where in the user journey the issue occurs (awareness, consideration, conversion).
  • Frequency of occurrence to gauge how often the problem happens.
  • Who reported the issue (e.g., users, internal teams, or stakeholders).
  • Level of UX and development effort needed to fix the issue (low, medium, high).

Following this, I called a meeting with the product designer to score each issue based on these factors. We then employed a prioritization matrix (similar to the approach advocated by Nielsen Norman Group) to plot each issue on two axes: user value and effort to fix. This scatter plot allowed us to visualize which issues would provide the most value with the least effort, helping to rank and prioritize them.

With the prioritization matrix in hand, we devised a structured approach to tackle the UX backlog:

  1. Dedicated UX Cleanup Days: Every two weeks, the UX designer and UI engineer were allocated one full day to close as many tickets as possible, focusing on quick wins.
  2. Story Points Allocation: We reserved story points for UX backlog tickets in every sprint or every other sprint, ensuring continuous improvements to the user experience.
  3. Quarterly UX Cleanup Sprints: A full sprint each quarter was dedicated to cleaning up the UX backlog, allowing us to resolve more complex issues.
 
By following this method, we ensured that high-impact issues were addressed first, significantly improving the user experience over time. The prioritization matrix also served as a useful tool to communicate progress and the rationale behind decisions to stakeholders and leadership. As a result, there was a noticeable reduction in UX complaints, and product teams could focus on delivering user-centered enhancements efficiently.