What Should You Know About User Experience(UX)?

User Experience design is how design teams build products that provide consumers with meaningful and relevant experiences. User Experience Design includes features of branding, design, usability, function, and the entire process of obtaining and integrating the product.

UX refers to everything that influences a user’s interaction with a digital product in the field of digital design. When individuals utilise a physical product or software, they base their preferences on value, function, usability, and overall impression.

UX Designer’s scope of work has a wide range of applications

“User Experience Design” is sometimes used interchangeably with phrases like “User Interface Design” and “Usability,” in addition to UI Design. Usability and user interface (UI) design are critical parts of UX design. Still, they are merely a tiny part of the whole equation. UX design encompasses many other topics. The duties of a UX designer are to acquire and integrate the product in all aspects of development, including branding, design, usability, and function. It’s a tale that starts before users get their hands on the gadget.

Don Norman, who co-founded the Nielsen Norman Group and coined the phrase “User Experience,” has said that there is no such thing as an island product. A physical product or software is often more than the sum of its parts. It’s a whole, integrated series of events. Consider all stages of a product or service, from initial goals to final reflections and from first use through assistance, service, and maintenance. Ensure the stakeholders are in consensus and are on the same page.

Take a look at the following video where Normon shares insights about the different facets of UX.

Products that deliver a fantastic user experience follow the entire process of obtaining, owning, and troubleshooting. UX designers, meanwhile, don’t simply focus on making usable goods; we also consider other aspects of the user experience, such as enjoyment, efficiency, and fun. As a result, there is no universally accepted definition of a good user experience. A good user experience, on the other hand, fits a specific user’s needs in the environment in which they utilise the product.

UX designers focus on why, what, and how people use products: A UX designer should think about the Why, What, and How to use the product. The Why refers to a user’s motives for adopting a product, whether related to a task they want to accomplish or to the values and perspectives that consumers identify with product ownership and its usage. The functionality of a product refers to what people can achieve with it. 

Finally, the How is concerned with creating a practical design that is accessible and pleasing to the eye. To develop products that consumers can form meaningful experiences with, UX designers start with the Why, the What, and How. 

Take a look at Peter Morville’s UX honeycomb that further explains the desired traits of UX design.

UX design is different from UI design: UX (user experience) design is frequently confused with UI (user interface) design. Because many people link the word “design” with graphics, this is the case. Although the user interface is a crucial aspect of the user experience, it is only the product’s surface layer. As they develop the aesthetics’ function, UX designers think beyond the surface layer, bridging the gap between how something seems and operates.

Take a look at this visualization from SCORCH which explains in detail about all the differents aspects of product design.

UX Design is user-centric: UX design is a multidisciplinary profession that spans the entire user journey. UX designers come from various backgrounds, including web and graphic design, computer programming, engineering, psychology, and interaction design. When designing for humans, consider a broad range of accessibility issues and accommodate possible users’ physical constraints, such as difficulty seeing small print.  

Designers must advocate for users and keep their demands at the forefront of all design and development activities. User research, generating personas, drawing wireframes and interactive prototypes, and testing ideas are everyday tasks for a UX designer. These can vary from one workplace to the next. 

Most UX designers adopt user-centred design and continue directing their best-informed efforts until they’ve addressed all of the relevant challenges and user needs to their fullest potential. 

UX design must include business objectives:  To have a product that fails to achieve or contribute to a company’s business objective is of no use at all. Since UX eventually is transforming business all around, hence it’s important for the product makers to consider both user and company goals. It’s critical to balance these two perspectives.

Conclusion

UX designers are an essential component of the process since good UX is critical to the success of your product and business. You will acquire loyal customers who support your business and evangelise your product. If you place your customers’ requirements at the centre of your design, learn about their expectations, and surpass them.

Talk to our team for effortless, exponential business outcomes for world-class UX design services.

Source: What You Should Know About User Experience Design by Nick Babich