The 6 levels of the UX maturity model

Improving the user experience (UX) of your product can feel like running a race without a finish line – endless, exhausting, and, well, hard to measure!

You’re gathering feedback and running tests, but without a clear framework, it’s hard to see how your efforts add up – or what’s holding you back from improving your process.

That’s where UX maturity models come in.

They give you a clear snapshot of where you are in your UX journey – and a map to where you need to go.

In this guide, you’ll uncover six levels of UX maturity, why they matter, and how to use them to sharpen your UX strategy. Whether you’re fighting to make user research a priority or aiming to fine-tune a mature UX practice, you’ll get practical steps to move forward with clarity and confidence.

Key takeaways

• UX maturity models help you assess and improve your organization’s UX practices, guiding you from no UX involvement to a fully user-driven strategy.

• Advancing through six UX maturity levels leads to better user experiences and more effective business decisions, as user insights become central to your processes.

• Key factors like leadership support, UX expertise, and integrating user research influence your UX maturity, shaping how quickly and successfully you can grow.

• Assessing your current UX maturity through audits, feedback, and benchmarking helps you identify gaps and create a clear action plan for improvement.

What is a UX maturity model?

A UX maturity model helps you assess how well your organization integrates UX practices. It’s like running a diagnostic check – spotting gaps, strengths, and areas for improvement. At the lowest level, UX is barely on the radar; at the highest, it drives every decision.

By using a UX maturity model, you can identify gaps in your UX efforts, build a stronger user-centered approach, and prioritize a more inclusive UX design. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining your existing UX processes, a UX maturity model can offer clear steps to help you grow.

Gather feedback to grow your UX maturity

Ready to advance on the UX maturity scale? Start collecting valuable user feedback today with Lyssna's free user research tools and build a more user-centered approach.

Sign up for free

Sign up for free

Sign up for free

The history and evolution of the UX maturity model

The UX maturity model we’ll focus on in this article was introduced by Jakob Nielsen in 2006 to help organizations evaluate and improve their UX practices. Since then, it has evolved beyond design, reflecting the growing importance of integrating user insights into every level of decision-making.

What started as a tool for assessing design processes now highlights how UX has shifted from a “nice-to-have” to a business-critical driver of products that meet real user needs.

The importance of the UX maturity model

Improving your UX maturity isn’t just about making things look good – it’s about creating better experiences that drive real results. As you move up the UX maturity ladder, you’ll notice improvements in product quality, user satisfaction, and even team collaboration.

A clear understanding of your UX maturity helps you prioritize where to focus your efforts.

Is your user experience research ad-hoc – happening only occasionally rather than as a regular part of your process? Or maybe UX is valued but not fully integrated into your processes? 

Knowing where you stand helps you take the right steps to grow.

Most importantly, a mature UX approach ensures your decisions are guided by user insights and user experience design best practices – leading to products that resonate with your audience and meet their needs effectively.

6 stages of the UX maturity model

The UX maturity model outlines six stages that reflect how deeply user experience is embedded in your organization’s processes. Not every organization will move through all six stages in a straight line – and that’s okay. What matters is recognizing where you are and taking intentional steps forward.

Stage 1: Absent – No UX practices in place

At this stage, UX isn’t considered during product development. Decisions are based on assumptions, internal opinions, or stakeholder preferences rather than user feedback. This often leads to products that miss the mark for users.

• Use case: A startup launches a new app based solely on the founder’s vision without testing it with real users. Early adopters complain about confusing navigation, leading to low retention.

• Next step to grow: Conduct simple usability tests or user interviews to identify pain points and validate core assumptions.

Stage 2: Limited – UX efforts are inconsistent and unstructured

UX activities happen occasionally but without a clear process. Research may be limited to quick usability tests or sporadic feedback from sales teams. UX is often tacked on at the end of projects, making it hard to influence outcomes.

• Use case: A software company runs usability tests only after launch, leading to expensive redesigns when users struggle with key features.

• Next step to grow: Start integrating UX earlier in the development process, such as by using wireframes and prototypes to test ideas before building.

Stage 3: Emergent – UX processes begin to take shape

At this stage, your organization recognizes the value of UX and has started building basic processes. Teams may conduct user interviews, usability testing, and create wireframes – but these efforts are inconsistent and siloed.

• Use case: A marketing team begins using heatmaps to understand user behavior on a landing page, but they don't share any information with the product team, so insights don’t influence future updates.

• Next step to grow: Establish shared UX practices across teams, such as maintaining a centralized repository of research findings so all learnings are accessible.

Stage 4: Structured – UX is formalized and integrated into workflows

UX is now a core part of your development process. You have regular user research, design systems, and usability testing, so user needs are considered at every stage. Following UX design principles helps ensure consistency across products.

• Use case: A SaaS company implements a design system and conducts regular usability tests during sprints. As a result, users experience a more intuitive experience across their marketing website and platform.

• Next step to grow: Expand research methods (e.g. regular customer interviews, A/B testing) to gather deeper insights and support cross-functional collaboration.

Stage 5: Integrated – UX is a key part of decision-making

UX is embedded in your company’s culture and isn’t limited to the design team. Cross-functional teams – such as product, marketing, and engineering – collaborate using user insights to guide decisions. Continuous product discovery and iteration based on feedback becomes standard practice.

• Use case: A travel app uses feedback loops from customer support, usability tests, and in-app surveys to continuously improve features like trip planning and booking.

• Next step to grow: Empower teams to run their own research studies using shared tools and resources, fostering a company-wide UX mindset.

Stage 6: User-driven – UX drives business strategy and innovation

UX insights shape not only design decisions but also business strategy. The organization continuously gathers feedback, tests new ideas, and iterates based on user needs. UX is a competitive differentiator, driving innovation and customer loyalty.

• Use case: A fitness app uses behavior analytics and user interviews to identify new workout features users want. This research directly informs the product roadmap, leading to a new feature set that boosts engagement.

• Next step to grow: Use predictive analytics and emerging UX research trends to anticipate user needs and guide long-term product strategy.

Factors influencing UX maturity

Several key factors influence how quickly and effectively your organization can improve its UX maturity.

Executive buy-in and leadership support

Leaders who champion UX help it get the attention it deserves, from budgeting for user research to integrating UX into project timelines. Without this support, even the most talented UX teams can struggle to make an impact.

Team expertise and UX skill development

A skilled UX team brings the right mix of research, design, and analytical capabilities to drive improvements. Investing in ongoing training helps your team stay current with the latest UX design principles, research methods, and tools. 

Read more: Grow your team’s skills with these five key UX workshops.

User research adoption and integration

Consistent user research grounds your decisions in real feedback, not guesswork. When you conduct usability tests, interviews, and surveys regularly, you gain a clearer understanding of user needs and pain points. Weaving these insights into every stage of development helps you create products that truly connect with your audience.

Cross-functional collaboration and communication

When teams work in silos, UX efforts can become disjointed. Encouraging open communication and shared goals makes sure that UX is considered from initial concept to final delivery.

Pro tip: Want to elevate your user research? Check out our guide on effective cross-functional collaboration techniques.

Investment in UX tools, processes, and infrastructure

The right tools and processes make it easier to conduct research, test designs, and gather feedback efficiently. Tools like user research platforms, prototyping software, and analytics dashboards streamline your workflow, allowing teams to focus on improving the user experience rather than managing logistics.

Company culture and openness to UX-driven change

Fostering a culture where user feedback is welcomed – and acted upon – ensures UX remains a priority as your organization grows. Teams that embrace change and innovation are better positioned to deliver outstanding user experiences consistently.

How to assess your organization’s UX maturity

Assessing your UX maturity helps you understand where you are and where to focus next. Here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Define your UX maturity goals

Clarify what success looks like. Are you aiming to formalize UX processes, enhance design consistency, or integrate user research more deeply? Clear goals keep everyone aligned and help you measure progress.

Step 2: Conduct a UX audit

Evaluate your current UX practices – from design processes to research methods. Look at every stage of your product life cycle, from ideation to post-launch, to identify where UX is thriving and where it’s lacking.

Step 3: Assess leadership and team buy-in

Gauge how well leadership and teams support UX. Do executives allocate resources for UX research and tools? Are teams open to UX feedback and cross-functional collaboration? Strong buy-in ensures efforts are supported and sustained.

Step 4: Evaluate user research adoption

Review how often you conduct research and how well insights inform decisions. Is research a regular part of your product life cycle, or is it ad-hoc and reactive? Consistent research keeps user needs front and center.

Step 5: Analyze design consistency

Check for consistent design systems and usability standards. Do your products share a cohesive look, feel, and experience? Inconsistent design frustrates users and erodes trust.

Step 6: Collect stakeholder and user feedback

Gather insights from both internal teams and real users. Internal stakeholders provide feedback on processes, while users highlight pain points and usability issues. Use surveys, interviews, and usability tests to collect valuable input.

Step 7: Benchmark against industry standards

Compare your UX practices with industry leaders and competitors. Are competitors more consistent in research or design systems? Benchmarking helps you spot gaps and opportunities to differentiate.

Step 8: Develop an action plan

Outline clear next steps based on your findings. Prioritize improvements by impact and feasibility, assign responsibilities, and set timelines. An actionable plan turns insights into measurable progress.

Team UX maturity vs organization-wide UX maturity

Your UX maturity can vary depending on whether you’re looking at individual teams or the entire organization.

A single product team might have well-defined UX processes, regularly conduct user research, and prioritize user feedback in their designs. However, organization-wide UX maturity means that every department – from product to marketing to leadership – values and integrates UX into their decision-making.

A team can be highly mature while the broader organization lags behind. In this case, your challenge is scaling those practices across the company. Encouraging cross-team collaboration, securing leadership support, and sharing success stories can help bridge the gap and raise the overall UX maturity level.

Moving forward with UX maturity

Improving your UX maturity doesn’t happen overnight, but every step you take brings you closer to delivering better user experiences and driving business success.

Start by understanding where your organization stands, then zero in on areas with the greatest potential for impact – whether that means building a stronger UX team, embedding user research into every stage of development, or fostering a UX culture that values user-centered decisions.

Even small improvements create momentum. Stay on top of research trends to keep your approach evolving with changing user needs and industry standards. With the right tools and mindset, you’ll craft products that don’t just meet user needs – they set you apart through innovation and growth.

Accelerate your UX journey

Take the next step in your UX maturity journey. Use Lyssna's free user testing platform to gather real feedback, identify gaps, and create experiences that truly resonate with your users.

Sign up for free

Sign up for free

Sign up for free

Pete Martin is a content writer for a host of B2B SaaS companies, as well as being a contributing writer for Scalerrs, a SaaS SEO agency. Away from the keyboard, he’s an avid reader (history, psychology, biography, and fiction), and a long-suffering Newcastle United fan.