How do we keep this project on budget?
How do we avoid delays that might push launch back by months?
How do we know which features are worth investing in now, and which can wait?
These are the types of questions product managers grapple with throughout any major digital project. They’re also some of the most common questions we get from CMOs on website builds.
The most effective way to answer them is by beginning a project with a UX (user experience) design phase. UX is often seen as a discipline for improving usability or polishing visual design, but it also provides significant value in helping organisations manage scope, anticipate risks, and control costs without compromising on quality.
In fact, as we’ve found at Kooba, investing in UX early on can actually reduce total project costs.
A good start is half the battle
A project’s direction is often set in its earliest scoping sessions, which is precisely where UX brings discipline to the table. Instead of letting stakeholder wishlists grow unchecked, research ensures the project begins with a clear understanding of what users actually need. This evidence reduces scope creep, prevents inflated timelines, and makes estimates more accurate from the start. Importantly, it also gives teams a shared reference point. With user priorities clearly mapped, conversations about what to build (and what to postpone) become far easier to resolve.
Proactive risk management
Clarity at the scoping stage naturally leads to stronger risk management. By prototyping journeys and testing navigation before development begins, teams uncover potential problems at a stage where changes are still inexpensive and fast. A navigation issue identified during user testing can be fixed in hours. Left until post-launch, that same issue could mean months of redesign and redevelopment (we sometimes refer to this as design debt). And UX risk analysis is not just about usability: mapping dependencies often reveals hidden technical complexities or content bottlenecks that would otherwise have derailed timelines later.
Testing and insights
Once a project has been scoped with confidence and risks have been surfaced, UX provides the final piece of control: validation through minimum viable products (MVPs). An MVP, designed and tested with users, allows teams to prove value before committing significant investment. This prevents budget from being spread thinly across a bloated feature set and ensures resources are directed at the areas that genuinely matter. The data gathered through MVP testing often challenges assumptions, showing where engagement is strongest and where it is weaker than expected. Those insights guide smarter decisions on what to scale, cutting waste and accelerating delivery.
Measure twice, cut once
When UX is applied across scoping, risk management, and MVP development in this integrated way, projects run with greater efficiency and less uncertainty. Clearer priorities keep budgets under control, and risks are handled before they cause disruption. Investment and resources flow into the right features at the right time. For decision-makers, the outcome is not only a smoother project but also a product that launches on schedule, within budget, and aligned with both user needs and business goals.
If you’d like to discuss your project with our expert UX team, get in touch today.
