A process that has the potential to make or break the success of an organization.The process, used by the design teams, for creating products that are meaningful and provide a relevant experience to the user is known as user experience design. In other words, it is a process that is performed to build customer satisfaction and loyalty by making products that are not only pleasurable to use, but also straightforward. The ‘user’ is the center of focus throughout the process and one of the major qualities of the UX designer is the ability to empathize with the user.
The design process usually involves two processes, i.e, User Experience(UX) and User Interface(UI) design and it is important to not get confused. User interface majorly deals with the visual aspect of the product, whereas, User Experience is the journey that the customer follows while interacting with the product.
What does a UX designer do?
The tasks that a user experience designer mostly include user research, building user personas, creating wireframes, interactive prototypes and conducting usability studies, etc. The three primary factors that the User Experience designer aims to improve are :
1. Look : The visual appeal of the product.
2. Feel : How pleasurable is the product to interact with.
3. Usability : How is the product performing the tasks that it has been designed for.
How has the field of UX design evolved over the years?
The term user experience has evolved over the times. It was formerly known as Human Computer Interaction and now it is evolving into terms like product design or product management. The core concepts behind all of these terms is as described above. UX design is a field with varied specializations that can take you in many directions. The following list sums up the major roles in the field of UX:
- Content Strategist.
- Product Designer.
- UX Researcher.
- Visual designer.
- UX Designer.
What is the Importance of a good UX design?
UX is a highly important aspect on which the success of a product lies. It is important as it aims to provide positive experiences by empathizing with the user. Not everyone understands the thought process of the designer, hence, it is very important that the designer empathizes with users from a variety of backgrounds, conduct meaningful interviews, create different personas and develop solutions that serve well to them all.
Signs of a poor UX design.
A poor UX is bad for business. It has the potential to sway away all the customers that visit your site. If the website does not have a good user journey or the navigation is confusing, or the layout of the website is bad, it can result in losing customers. Sometimes there are signs of a bad UX when the users do not find the relevant information, such as, about, address, contact, etc. on your website. This can lead the customers to lose trust with the organization and can result in a lost customer. There are also times when the users get frustrated when the website is not responsive or mobile friendly.