UX used to be the thing.

It was the differentiator. Teams were built around it. Everyone was talking about flows, friction, and optimization.

And then… it kind of stopped being special.

I saw this pretty clearly while working with Signet (Banter) — they basically nixed most of the UX team. Which sounds wild, because user experience design is more important than ever, right?

But I don’t think it’s because UX doesn’t matter.

I think it’s because baseline UX is now expected.

Users Already Know How to Use Your Product

People already know how to use digital products.

They know how to:

• navigate a website

• scroll

• add to cart

• fill out a form

We’ve trained users over the last decade. UX patterns are familiar. Interactions are predictable.

So if your site is “easy to use”… that’s good. But it’s also just the minimum.

No one is impressed by usability anymore.

When I was working on the Banter ecommerce experience, clean UX wasn’t the challenge — that part is almost table stakes now. The challenge was everything around it.

The Real Problem Isn’t UX — It’s Behavior

What I’ve noticed is the real challenge has shifted.

It’s not:

“can someone use this?”

It’s:

“will they actually do anything?”

Because most websites today are… fine.

They work. They’re usable. They check all the UX boxes.

And people still don’t convert.

What Actually Drives Conversion (Beyond UX Design)

This is where traditional UX thinking starts to fall short.

Because it focuses on:

• where the button goes

• reducing friction

• making things cleaner

All important — but not enough.

What actually drives action is something deeper:

• Does this feel relevant to me?

• Do I trust this brand?

• Do I understand what I’m getting immediately?

• Does this feel premium or cheap?

• Do I want this right now, or do I bounce?

None of that is solved by moving a button 20px to the left.

When I redesigned the USA Granite website, the biggest gains didn’t come from tweaking UX patterns — they came from clarifying the offer, simplifying decisions, and making the business feel trustworthy right away.

What Working With Real Customers Changed for Me

I’ve felt this a lot working on real businesses, not just design exercises.

With USA Granite, customers don’t come in talking about UX.

They’re reacting to things like:

• “this looks legit”

• “this feels expensive”

• “I don’t get what I’m supposed to do here”

• “I’ll just call instead”

Their decisions are fast, emotional, and honestly kind of irrational.

And that completely changes how you approach digital design.

UX vs Brand vs Product: It’s All Blended Now

At this point, I don’t really think about “UX design” as a separate thing anymore.

It’s not just:

• usability

• flows

• interaction patterns

It’s:

• positioning

• messaging

• visual tone

• how quickly something clicks in your brain

It’s brand, product, and user experience all working together.

This is the overlap I’ve been working in across projects like Banter, USA Granite, and Reikhart House — where the goal isn’t just to make something usable, but to make it resonate.

UX Is No Longer the Differentiator

UX isn’t dead.

It’s just… foundational now.

Like responsive design or accessibility:

• essential

• expected

• not differentiating on its own

The designers who stand out now are the ones who can:

• connect brand to behavior

• understand business goals

• design for decision-making, not just interaction

Designing for Action, Not Just Usability

The work that performs today goes beyond “good UX.”

It answers:

• Why should I care?

• Why should I trust this?

• Why should I act right now?

Because at the end of the day, users already know how to use your product.

The real question is:

why should they choose it?