User experience design is a vast, multidisciplinary, and enthralling field. It influences the products and services we use every day and can make or break the success of a company or brand.UX design is a fast-paced and demanding career that necessitates a diverse set of skills. There's a lot to learn if you want to break into this field! In this guide, we'll give you the ultimate UX design primer and tell you everything you need to know to get started in this exciting industry.
What is UX design?
First, we'll define UX, which stands for "user experience." The term "user experience" refers to how people interact with a product. For example, we interact with a light switch when we want to turn on a light in our room. The switch's design, including its color, material, and physical appearance, may influence how we perceive the interaction. Similarly, user experience design refers to everything that affects a user's interaction with a digital product in digital design.
When people use a product, they typically rate their experiences using the following criteria:
• Value: Is this product worth my money?
• Function: Is this product effective?
• Usability: Is it simple to use?
• Overall impression: Is it easy to use?
UI Vs UX Design
The distinction between User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) is that UI refers to the aesthetic elements people interact with a product. In contrast, UX is concerned with the user's experience with a product or service. UI concentrates on typography, colors, and menu, whereas UX focuses on the user’s journey through the product.
Jonathan's simple analogy is an excellent way to explain the difference between UI and UX:
- The foundation: determining how each room connects and relates to the next, choosing functional door locations, determining the most practical location for the stairs, and so on.
- Once the foundation is in place, you can start thinking about interior design: appealingly hanging pictures, selecting furniture styles that complement the color of the wallpaper, and organizing kitchen utensils so they're easy to reach without making the room look cluttered.
This example illustrates how the design responsibilities are divided between UX designers and UI designers working on a product. First, the logical flow of actions and fundamental parts are established, followed by the visual details. It also demonstrates how the collaboration works, with UX designers submitting their work and recommendations to the UI team once the core concepts have been tried and tested.
The Importance of UX Design
Here are five things to keep in mind when discussing and defining user experience design:
1. UX Design Entails More than Just Usability
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
The design of a product's usability enables us to determine whether users can complete tasks effectively and efficiently. It is impossible to have good UX without also having good usability. However, usability is only one aspect of good UX. Usability aids in developing well-functioning products, but the fact that a product is simple to use does not guarantee that it will be used.
2. UX Design Differs from UI Design
User experience design (UX Design) is frequently confused with UI (user interface) design. This is because many people associate the term "design" with visuals. Even though the user interface is an integral part of the user experience design, it is only the surface layer. When designing the function behind the visuals, UX designers think beyond the surface layer, bridging the gap between how something looks and how it works. The illustration below, created by marketing agency SCORCH, demonstrates how UX includes many different aspects of product design, including UI design.
3. User Experience Design is all About People
Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer, once said, "You can't understand good design unless you understand people." Simply put, UX necessitates a thorough understanding of the user's needs, desires, behaviors, as well as the setting in which they will use a product. UX designers must empathize with and understand the needs of their users.
4. UX Design is a Continuous Process
The UX design will also evolve as new user feedback is received. Furthermore, as product and industry requirements change, you may need to refresh your design to meet new demands. One notable example in the mobile device market is the competition between Nokia and Apple. For a long time, Nokia was the undisputed leader, but user expectations about mobile interactions shifted with the introduction of the first iPhone. Nokia could not meet the new demands, and Apple quickly took the lead.
5. UX Design Should Take into Account Business Requirements
It's pointless to have a popular product if it doesn't also contribute to achieving a business goal. As a result, product designers must consider both the users’ goals and the business’s goals. It is critical to strike a balance between these two perspectives to develop useful and practical solutions.
UX Design Principles
UX design applies to the creation of any type of product, but it is most commonly used in the creation of computer-based products such as websites, apps, software, and so on. Every UX designer should adhere to a number of fundamental principles. Let's go over these key UX design principles to get you ready to create designs that will stand the test of time.
1. Place the User in the Center of the Screen
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
This is frequently mentioned as the most important UX design fundamental. It is about learning to use empathy rather than our own opinions when making design decisions for any product. True good UX design is tailored to the user, which means leaving our own preferences at the door. The product will not be used by the designer. The user's perspective, pain points, desires, preferences, and needs are all critical.
It's no surprise that design teams devote so much time and energy to getting to know users during the early stages of a project.
2. Context is Essential for Both Designers and Users
Context is important in the world of UX design in more ways than one. No designer can be effective without context, according to the UX design principle. People's lives are fast-paced and complex today, as are their habits and problems. Because UX design is a people's industry, having context around everything is essential. Designers will spend time getting to know the user, laying the groundwork for success. This entails more than just adopting the mindset of putting the user at the center of the design. In fact, the first steps of a project usually include learning about the problem that the user is facing as well as the context that surrounds it.
3. Recognize the Significance of Consistency
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
Maintaining consistency is frequently cited as a key UX design principle. This has to do with making things easier for new users and developing a product that does not necessitate constant effort on the user's part. The learnability of a product is greatly influenced by consistency in UX design. That is to say, products with a consistent design can be picked up by new users much faster. Specifically, users will not need to learn the same things over and over again; instead, they will recall the first time and use that memory as guidance. In practice, design consistency entails using the right UI components and repeating them when necessary, and maintaining consistent behavior across the entire product.
4. Provide Users with the Appropriate Level of Control
Nielsen didn't include user control in his list of ten web design heuristics for nothing. According to this UX design principle, users want control over digital products, both in terms of completing tasks and customizing them to their specific needs. Design teams strive to provide users with as much control as possible. This is reflected in designs that enable users to undo actions, change settings, customize the appearance of the UI, create shortcuts, and so on. Users prefer the ability to shape the product to truly fit their needs, resulting in a completely unique experience. That singularity holds great power.
5. Prioritize Usability
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
This is a well-known UX design principle. Designers are concerned about the usability of their designs for various reasons, including the fact that it is literally a matter of life and death. If a product's IA is a pillar, its usability. In the grand scheme of things, the best thing you can do for your users is establish a high usability standard. This involves ensuring that users can complete tasks comfortably, that the product behaves correctly, and perform its function. Usability ensures that users can use the product in broad strokes.
Introducing Strikingly
The speed with which page loads can impact the user experience of a visitor. A reputable website designer can guarantee uptime and adequate bandwidth for your site to load quickly. Website hosting platforms, such as Strikingly, offer some of the best features, allowing your website to compete with any top eCommerce website. Staff at Strikingly work around the clock to ensure that service levels are maintained at all times.
This webpage maker relieves users of the stress of worrying about whether or not their site will load when traffic increases.
You can also create any type of website and get all the necessary features and functionality at the lowest possible cost. Sign up for Strikingly and start creating your free website right away. Strikingly is the best website hosting platform for personal and portfolio websites. You can sign up for free and browse their collection of design templates. You can also read Strikingly's blog for more information on the best website designs, templates, and site features to help you create the best UX portfolio website and set you on the path to becoming a highly sought-after UX designer.
Conclusion
By giving your users a great UX design experience, you can not only increase the likelihood of them completing conversion tasks across your product, but you can also change lives. Consider it for a moment. You can make your end users' lives easier by making your interactions as intuitive and straightforward as possible. And if your product or service can assist your users in completing their tasks or solving their problems as quickly as possible, it will leave an impression on them that they will be delighted to share with their friends and family.
