What is UX design? Really?
Before you dive into anything. It's important to define what it REALLY is, what it means to you, and what it means to the world and the people around you. I dove into this question "What is UX design? Really?" about 10 years ago. I was trying to find a way to define what I was doing for my clients and the companies I worked with. What we were doing couldn't be summed up by the terms web or digital design. It was something else or more entirely. Around that time I began seeing the term UX or User Experience showing up in books, blogs, and elsewhere. I didn't pay much attention to the term at first until I realized what it truly meant. This was the definition and description I was looking for.
"What is UX design?" is a question I’ve been asked a lot of times in job interviews, from family members, and from prospective clients. If it is a field you wish to participate in as well. It will be essential for you to establish an answer in your own words that means something to you and translates easy enough to the listener. Not only for interviewing but also for yourself to define who you are and what you do, to clarify the purpose of your professional career and endeavors. I often use this question when I interview prospective designers. I don't ask it and expect a specific answer that unless the interviewee repeats the definition verbatim, it's a fail. I ask it to understand how she thinks about what she does and whether or not she'll be able to explain it and sell it to stakeholders and clients.
So what is UX design? Really? Well, Wikipedia explains it as: "User experience design (UXD, UED, or XD) is the process of supporting user behavior through usability, usefulness, and desirability provided in the interaction with a product. User experience design encompasses traditional human-computer interaction (HCI) design and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users."
A much simpler definition is offered by Don Norman who coined the term User Experience in 1993 while working at apple. His definition: "'User experience'" encompasses all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products." You can also hear him talk about it in this quick video.
In my humble opinion. I say User Experience design is Product Design. The same processes used to design a website can be used to design say, a bicycle or a toothbrush. Their origins come from Human Factors Design and Ergonomics. Professionals who call themselves User Experience designers today are predominantly focused on-screen design or HCI (Human-Computer Interaction). Whether they are working on apps, websites, web applications, software, operating systems, etc... but it also blends into the design of hardware, services, and brands.
UX design can be seen from two perspectives
From the perspective of the designer.UX design is the iterative refinement of a product or service to bring value to a user. It focuses on the desirability, feasibility, and usability of a product.
INTENT
From the perspective of the user.UX is the perception I have when using a product or service. Do I find it useful, desirable and can it be implemented easily into my life.
FEELING
UX design is the design of systems
It goes beyond the single screen. It’s the integration of wholistic experiences found while interacting with websites, apps, software, brands, services physical products, and sometimes all of the above.
Let's look at the example of somebody buying an Apple computer. They'll interact with a number of things that were carefully crafted by designers and technologists of different disciplines, but all those interactions form the experience a person has with Apple as a whole. They probably bought a Mac because of the power of their brand, stunning advertising, and of course the beautiful design. The store experience is choreographed like a ballet from the time you're greeted at the door until you leave the store with a very precious yet very expensive box inside a very well branded bag. When you unbox the purchase at home, an ecstatic experience if you haven't done so for yourself. Each layer is optimally crafted for ease of use while getting prettier, sleeker, and more exciting as you go. Everything has been thought through and refined.
Their products are typically charged and all set up to go so that your first experience is an easy one. Turn it on. That lovely boot-up sound. Phwoooooong. Glowing lights and you are off and away. The machines also come with most of the software you'll need in a professional or student setting already installed. This software is also fairly easy enough to use for even the most novice user. Yes, navigating the advanced features of keynote may take a little while to master, but knocking out a presentation on your first try should be simple with one of their pre-made templates. All these design features, tiny moments, and micro-interactions form an overall feeling and impression a person may have of a brand and its products. In other words. A User Experience. Now, one person did not orchestrate that entire scenario. It happened as a team of designers worked on their crafts together, refined, tested, and refined some more all reaching towards a single vision. A delighted user and the pinnacle marriage of design and technology.
What I just explained above, was the user perception of an experience. I'm not trying to be a cheerleader for Apple but they are a great example of what shared values, a common goal, and seamless integration of design, tech, and business can produce. That is the INTENT from the designer’s side. The iterative approach of bringing value to your customers by improving the experience they have while interacting with whatever it is you're producing. The shared vision, common goal, and collaborative environment of a highly productive design team are just as much DESIGNED as are the products and services they design.
UX designers need to consider the entire journey
A User Experience designer’s role may be focused solely on building a small aspect of an ecosystem, but they need to connect their work to the overall system to which their small piece connects to. Where is the user coming from? Where do they want to go? Do they find it valuable? Do they find it simple and understandable? Will they come back? These are some of the questions to consider when designing an experience.
The UX process can include
Many designers use lots of different processes and not every element is will be used in every project but the following are the basics that will be used in most projects. User research, information architecture, visual design, usability testing, market analysis, heuristic evaluation, prototyping, and generally connecting with other humans to bring them value by improving the products they use be it on screen or otherwise.
The tools can include.
“Design Thinking” and or “Human-Centered Design”. Two multi-step processes used by design professionals of all backgrounds to define problems and create innovative solutions. Other tools like behavioral psychology, human factors, iteration, and more… are used by both product designers and UX designers alike.
Notice I didn't mention any design software. Specific design software changes too rapidly, evolves too quickly, and is all too similar in function to really matter. In the end, it doesn't matter how you got to the final design on the screen. It only matters what's there when the user interacts with it. Some designers will spend their days toiling away heads down and hoodie up in Figma. Others will sketch on a sheet of paper and dive right into designing in the browser using HTML, CSS, and JS. The tools do not matter, just find the right tool that helps you think visually, faster.
The intended outcome of UX design
A UX design hero of mine, Jared Spool defines design as "The rendering of Intent".
Over the last year, we’ve started explaining design as “the rendering of intent.” The designer imagines an outcome and puts forth activities to make that outcome real.
Read Jared’s full article here. I love this explanation, and it got me thinking about what is the intent of my own design career.
When I boil it down, this is what I come up with.
Essentially to me, UX design is about improving the human experience. Even it means you're just making someone’s day that much easier. It balances organizational objectives with human nature and needs. If your intent is to improve someone’s experience and you can achieve that, your organization could be successful. If you don't improve someone’s experience, then it will probably fail.
Therefore I now define UX design as…
The iterative design of digital products and services to improve human interaction.
Thanks and let me know your thoughts.
