Set up in 2016 by Saurabh Gupta and Hemal Gathani, ZEUX Innovation was built with a vision to design exceptional digital experiences and to deliver real business outcomes. Mumbai headquartered ZEUX Innovation today caters to an esteemed clientele across sectors and is focused on delivering business empowering UI/UX ecosystems.
What sets ZEUX apart amidst the cluttered UI/UX Design space?
Saurabh Gupta: Our core expertise lies in helping companies (with large and complex digital landscapes) leverage UX as a strategic differentiator. We have always believed in pushing the boundaries of user experience towards the ultimate goal of completely humanising technology. With the advent of big data, AI and IOT, digital solutions are becoming more personalised. Digital interfaces are evolving from content containers to conversations. Users are now craving a new, seamless, on-demand, digital experience: one clad in a conversational interface, ready to serve, and capable of complex actions. ZEUX has always taken the lead in defining UX Design standards and putting frameworks in place for new technological paradigms. Most importantly, we understand that creating exceptional user experiences often requires cutting through the hype of the latest technological trend and distilling down to relevant use cases that will ultimately make life better for the user.
Hemal Gathani: We have grown over 100% year-on-year (y-o-y) basis in last three years, with a strong belief and focus on building, innovating and designing great UX ecosystems for our clients that drive real business outcomes.
What is UX design?
Saurabh: UX is the feeling a user is left with after using a product or service.
UX is officially a buzzword. The increasing interest in UX has also created many misconceptions. You will get a different definition of UX depending on who you ask. So it’s equally important to clarify what UX is not…
1) It is not UI design. Often people use UI and UX interchangeable. UI design is a part of the overall UX Design process.
2) It is not UX design if it doesn’t involve users in the design process. There are many so called UX designers and companies who claim to do UX design but simply do not involve users in the design process.
3) It is not UX design, if the design is not a confluence between business goals, user needs and what technology can enable.
Is it gaining ground in India?
Saurabh: YES! Early 2000s, most companies and executives did not care much about UX. They didn’t know that it existed. It gained ground earlier this decade with the advent of smartphones and the app ecosystem. It is now a must have for companies whose future depends on the digital ecosystem. In fact, most companies have made it their mission to make UX a strategic differentiator. Also, with the government push on digital India and with newer technology such as AI, IOT, Blockchain, AR, VR and Machine Learning gaining ground, the opportunities for creating best in class user experiences are endless.
What are the key challenges in building a UX/UI company in India?
Hemal: Most UX design companies face primarily three ground challenges – lack of understanding amongst clients on what it takes to create and sustain exceptional user experiences; difficulty in identifying and recruiting the right UX talent with the right skill-set; and scaling up.
Saurabh: The secret ingredient for building and retaining high quality UX talent at ZEUX, is our robust UX induction and continuous learning program. This in-house program serves as our engine for constantly creating Rockstar UX professionals and has played a key role in helping ZEUX emerge as one of the top full service UX firms in India in a short span of 3 years.
Which sectors are placing UX/UI mandates as a strategic priority and which ones are laggards?
Saurabh: BFSI, telecom, retail, travel, media and software product companies are placing UX as a strategic priority. The biggest sector that is lagging is government. While there is enough push for digital India, the importance given to UX for digital channels in the government sector is severely lacking. Other sectors that are lagging behind are manufacturing, and agriculture.
What are the key trends that you are observing in the key sectors that will shape the UX/UI future in the country?
Hemal: The key technological trends that are starting to shape the digital and UX landscape are IOT, blockchain and AI. We recently partnered with a global Fortune 500 company to design an IOT based solution for solar water pumps aimed at providing Indian farmers a reliable, affordable, abundant and sustainable source of electricity. We are also working with a top bank in India to innovate on a blockchain based trade finance platform that will help eliminate fraud from complex financial transactions and bring in much required efficiency and transparency in that sector.
