Terms such as User Experience Design are used every day in our web design agency, including in conversations with clients. It is often forgotten that not everyone knows what this term actually means. That is why the following article aims to provide some clarity.
User Experience Design – or UX Design for short – is essentially exactly what the name suggests. It is about providing the user with the most positive and pleasant, perhaps even unforgettable experience possible when using a product. The focus is therefore on the user experience rather than the product itself. A successful overall concept that enables a positive experience when using a product is therefore the top priority of a UX designer.
But what exactly does this mean, and what kinds of products are we talking about? The best way to answer this question is to look at a scenario. So, let’s imagine that we are going on vacation today.
After having to get up so early, we first make a coffee to go and take it with us for the drive to the airport. Once we arrive, we immediately drop off our luggage, as we successfully checked in online the evening before. We then use our airline’s app to check whether there is any new information about our flight. After following the signs to our gate, we wait until we can finally board the plane and fly off on vacation.
In this scenario, we encountered User Experience Design several times. First, when using the coffee machine, which quickly made us a coffee (without requiring much maintenance today), which we then poured into our coffee cup. The cup not only looks attractive, but also keeps the coffee warm for a long time and does not spill despite the movement of the car. During the drive, we may also have used the navigation system and, thanks to real-time traffic updates, were able to avoid a traffic jam. At the airport, we were able to drop off our luggage ourselves using the self-drop-off service and the instructions displayed on the associated screen. The airline’s app then told us which gate to go to and whether our flight was on time, so we did not have to look for a departure board. The way to the gate was also easy to find thanks to the numerous signs and arrows on the floor. Waiting for the flight was also pleasant thanks to the available seating, the entertainment playing on the screens, and the free Wi-Fi.
When we take a closer look at the individual steps, it becomes clear that not only tangible products such as the coffee machine, cup, car, website with online check-in, airline app, … are designed to fulfill the user’s needs as efficiently as possible, but that the entire experience at the airport has also been carefully planned and designed.
Good or bad UX Design can therefore be found in all kinds of situations and areas of life. A UX designer is consequently not necessarily someone who designs and develops a physical product. Since the user experience is the focus, UX Design can also simply involve a process or an event.
Since UX Design is such a multifaceted topic, further blog articles on this subject will be published weekly. I will also provide more specific examples relating to web design and website development, as we encounter UX Design in this area every day as an internet agency.
If you would like to learn more about UX Design, feel free to take a look at the other blog articles from our web design agency: "What Makes Good Design?" and "How Does a UX Designer Work?"
For more information on design, visit our Design page, read our agency presentation, or contact us directly.
