In a world where innovation is often equated with dramatic overhauls and breakthrough products, many companies feel pressured to constantly pursue the next big thing. Yet, innovation doesn’t always have to mean starting from scratch. In fact, some of the most impactful changes a business can make come from small, thoughtful improvements to what already exists. These incremental changes—adjustments to products, websites, or services—can lead to significant benefits for both businesses and the environment, without the risks and costs associated with total reinvention.
Rather than trying to revolutionise an entire product or service, companies can often achieve more by making smaller, strategic tweaks, that are research and insight led.
The beauty of incremental change is its simplicity.
An incremental change approach and mindset allows businesses to improve what already works, rather than overhauling everything at once. These kinds of improvements are not only safer and more manageable, but also sustainable, often leading to lower costs, better user experiences, and reduced environmental impact.
Take, for example, the very subtle change you may have become aware of lately when pouring milk into your cereal or cup of coffee in the morning. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and its rules around bottle cap retention. On the surface, this may seem like a minor regulatory change: plastic bottles are now required to have their caps attached. But this small shift carries enormous implications. By tethering caps to bottles, billions of loose plastic caps will be prevented from becoming litter in our oceans and landfills. It’s a simple design change with far-reaching environmental benefits. What’s more, the user experience is, on the whole, enhanced—consumers no longer have to worry about losing a cap early in the morning before the caffeine kicks in, right through to the process of disposing of the bottle, making it more seamless.
Now, we do know that tethered bottle caps still have a considerable way to go before we can confidently say the solution is settled. It’s not perfect, and you may struggle to drink directly from a bottle of water. We are a few iterations off the perfect solution. But the journey to that destination is well underway.
This is the power of incremental change illustrated perfectly. A small adjustment—keeping the cap attached—leads to a more sustainable product without fundamentally altering the way people use it. Businesses can meet regulatory requirements, reduce their environmental footprint, and enhance customer satisfaction all in one go, without the risks and costs that come with launching an entirely new product.
The beauty of this approach is that it doesn’t just apply to physical products.
Digital products and services often benefit from small, iterative improvements rather than complete redesigns. Enhancing the way a product or website functions—making it easier to navigate, improving load times, or refining checkout processes—can boost user satisfaction and increase conversion rates without confusing or alienating long-time customers. Instead of an all-or-nothing overhaul, companies can make continuous adjustments, building on what’s already working and gradually improving the experience for users.
Major tech companies like Amazon, eBay, Google, and Microsoft showcase the power of incremental change through their strategies of thorough QA, user-centric design, and phased rollouts. Rather than opting for risky "big bang” launches, they focus on small, iterative improvements to enhance user experiences. For instance, Amazon’s ‘one-click checkout’, referred sometimes to as the $300 million button (due to legal and patenting fees that solely secured this innovative feature) was tested incrementally with select users to refine it before a full release.
eBay gradually introduced its ‘managed payments’ system, while Google launched its 2018 Gmail redesign as an opt-in beta to gather feedback on new features like ‘smart compose’.
Microsoft also uses its Windows Insider programme for testing updates with early adopters. In contrast, Marks & Spencer (M&S) learned a harsh lesson during its 2014 ‘replatform failure’, where a rushed launch led to usability issues and an 8% drop in online sales. These examples highlight the effectiveness of small, deliberate changes over radical overhauls, proving that a focus on continuous, evidence-driven optimisation can lead to greater long-term success and customer satisfaction.
At Logic+Magic, our approach is always rooted in evidence-driven, incremental optimisation, prioritising continuous improvements over revolutionary root and branch change. We’ve been fortunate to be able to support and facilitate a range of companies to implement strategies and do exactly this, such as Permanent TSB and Power NI.
Our Permanent TSB project focused on enhancing the bank’s consumer website to improve product communication, streamline mobile accessibility, and lay the incremental groundwork for future digital services. We led the UX research, wireframing, and usability testing, working closely with stakeholders to ensure the site met both business objectives and user needs.
Some of our key results gathered as part of our benchmarking included a significant uplift in commercial metrics: current account leads (+101%), credit card leads (+133%), and mortgage leads (+2134%). Then, from a technical standpoint, the site saw a 34% drop in bounce rate, a 10% rise in returning visitors, and a 76% increase in primary interactions. This incremental, user-focused approach delivered measurable improvements without a disruptive overhaul.
Our Power NI project focused on improving accessibility for customers with visual and cognitive impairments, addressing a critical gap in their website's usability. Through detailed audits, expert reviews, and usability testing with impaired users, incremental changes were made to enhance user experience. The results included a 33% increase in online completions for supplier changes, demonstrating the effectiveness of these focused, evidence-driven improvements.
What are the benefits for businesses?
Beyond the obvious benefits to the user, incremental change also allows businesses to address another critical concern: sustainability.
Today, companies are under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, but this doesn’t always mean they need to introduce an entirely new line of eco-friendly products. Often, the most practical and impactful way forward is to improve existing products and processes. Reducing the amount of plastic in packaging, switching to more recyclable materials, or even something less commonly considered, optimising your websites search or functional efficiency to aid in reducing or offsetting your carbon footprint.
These are just a few examples of how small, incremental changes can contribute to larger sustainability goals. It can also offer several strategic benefits worthy of noting:
· It’s more manageable and cost-effective than large-scale transformations.
· Small, thoughtful adjustments can lead to significant improvements with less risk.
· Businesses can test, iterate, and refine before larger-scale rollout, ensuring sustainability and success.
· It allows for better alignment with customer needs and market conditions without disrupting operations.
· Continuous improvement fosters a culture of innovation, keeping businesses agile and competitive over time.
The EU’s bottle cap regulation is a perfect example of how one small change can ripple out to create positive environmental impacts and improve user experience, all while minimising risk. But this kind of thinking isn’t just limited to regulatory compliance—it’s a tactic that any business can adopt to drive meaningful, sustainable progress. By embracing incremental change, companies can deliver innovations that are both practical and powerful, helping them reduce their environmental footprint and improve customer satisfaction without taking on unnecessary risk.
As businesses look to the future, they would be wise to remember that innovation doesn’t always have to be radical or disruptive – sometimes that is required. But, sometimes, the most effective way to drive change is to take small, purposeful steps—accessing, adjusting, refining, and improving what already works. Over time, these incremental changes can add up to something far greater, with lasting benefits for both the business and the world around us.
So, what small incremental change can you make?
Innovation doesn’t always demand a complete redesign or overhaul. By focusing on small, thoughtful improvements, businesses can enhance the user experience and journey while driving sustainability and minimising risk. Incremental changes—like the simple act of attaching a bottle cap or streamlining a checkout process with a single click—can significantly improve usability and environmental impact. By continuously iterating on existing designs and optimising user flows, businesses can deliver meaningful, lasting improvements without resorting to disruptive overhauls.
Start making impactful changes today—optimise, iterate, and refine your digital or physical experiences for both users and the environment. Reach out to our team to get started.
Senior UX Designer
