One of the biggest challenges we face as UX designers is explaining what we do. We understand it, but non-designers constantly wonder what our part in a project might be.
The term “design” makes people think we design graphics and interfaces, but that’s not it. So, then we face the question “what is a UX design.”
Now the hard part – explaining UX design in a way that everyone can understand. It’s a crucial part of developing anything new, but for more effective design, everyone involved needs to understand what we do.
The Purpose Of UX Design
Despite the common misconception that UX design is graphical, it’s actually more of a process than an actual design. UX Design provides a rather lengthy definition to answer the question of what is a UX design. To summarize, it’s a concept that takes into account all aspects of a project (product, app, website and even service) and fine tunes it to best meet the needs of the end user.
Sound vague? This is why we all struggle to define what we do. The Nielson Norman Group provides a slightly more concise definition that also points out that UX design is more than just usability. It also encompasses the look and feel of a product too. Basically, we study the end user and work with everyone involved to create the best possible experience for the user.
Difference Between UX And UI
We’re often confused with user interface designers, which is understandable. After all, part of what we do is to create wireframes to demonstrate how users would interact with a product. However, we don’t actually design the interface.
It’s easy to sit down and look at a UI design. However, it may not be quite as easy to look at a UX design. So what is a UX design exactly? It’s a series of wireframes, storyboards, user personas, user research, mockups and more. Think of this website for instance. The UX design included user research into how people would use a site like this. It would also have a wireframe to explore the best possible navigational paths for a more pleasurable experience.
The UI design would be the actual layout, such as where the buttons and menus go. However, the UX designer would make suggestions based on user preferences. In short, it’s a team effort.
Experts Weigh In On UX Design
Want to know how UX design experts answer the question of “what is a UX design”? User Testing Blog asked 15 experts to explain UX design and the answers are more varied than the viewpoints on a daytime talk show. One fun answer actually said that there isn’t any such thing as UX design. Dan Makoski, the VP of Design at CapitalOne, said that you can’t create an experience, but you can design for it.
Sounds complicated, right? The general gist from reading all those expert opinions is that a UX design is the experience created by designing all elements with the end user in mind.
Process Of UX Design
As we all know as UX designers, there isn’t one set process for how UX design works. In fact, as we work with different clients or companies, we may change the process to better fit the project. The process is actually a series of steps that usually overlap back and forth throughout a project. Some of the essential steps include:
- Strategy
- Research
- Analysis
- Design
- Production
Though most of the time, it looks more like this game board example of UX design processes. UX design happens at every stage of a project. From start to launch, we work to keep the project focused on the best experience for the user. It’s not an easy job, but it’s a highly satisfying one when users love the final product.
What is a UX design? Take a look at this website, the device you’re using to read this post, even the clothes you’re wearing right now. All of those are examples of UX design. Each creates a different type of experience that was carefully thought out by a UX designer.
Images: Emily Morter, rawpixel.com, Jeff Sheldon