User Experience (UX) Explained for Best Practice Website Creation

 User Experience (UX) in definition is the emotions and feelings a user conveys with a company and its various websites, apps and product over a period of time, UX is not only designing to make something easy to use but also designing other experiences related to the product such as marketing, packaging and after sales support. UX design is the process of coming up with solutions to problems in usage, without this nobody would use the product as it would serve no purpose. 

 

“No product is an island. A product is more than the product. It is a cohesive, integrated set of experiences. Think through all of the stages of a product or service – from initial intentions through final reflections, from the first usage to help, service, and maintenance. Make them all work together seamlessly.”

- Don Norman, inventor of the term “User Experience.”

There is no single definition of a good user experience, with a well-designed product that has a great user experience such as apple, these products are designed with the users consumption in mind, with the entire process of acquiring, owning and trouble-shooting it. The design team focuses on aspects such as pleasure, efficiency and fun. 

So why is User Experience so important? UX is important because it fulfils the user’s needs by providing a positive experience whilst using the product that in turn creates customer loyalty with the brand. This also allows the creator to define a customer’s journey which will lead to business success. 

Research for user experience is important as it will reduce uncertainty in the decision-making process. To create the optimal product for users we must understand their wants and needs. In UX research we can prioritise ideas and features to inform decisions on how the product will work and look. It is important to understand the users to make sure they are happy whilst using the product and to do this we must do research prior. 

 

There are five steps in conducting UX research to follow, firstly we need to outline our objectives to know about our users and their needs, this will inform our decision making. Secondly comes our hypotheses, what do you already know or think you know about your user? This is an assumption about the user’s behaviours and the solutions to meet the user’s needs. Thirdly we must decide what research methods should be used, this is based on the deadline, product type and the size of the research team. Fourth we will conduct and begin collecting data about the user based on the selected research method. The last step in conducting UX research is to synthesise, in this step you must analyse the data collected to fill the gaps, proving or disproving each hypothesis and in turn create a plan to improve the product based on user feedback. 

 

 

As a UX designer you must consider the why, what and how of product use, the why will involve the motivations for adopting a product, whether it’s for a task the user wishes to perform, or the values and views associated with a product. The what should address the things that the user is able to do with a product and its functionality. Lastly, the how will relate with the design of functionality in an accessible and aesthetically pleasing way. 

 

As a UX designer you will start with the why before the what and finally the how, so that you can create a meaningful experience with the user and the product, aiming to create a seamless, fluid experience. 

 

Creating user personas is one of the most crucial steps in creating and researching for UX design. Personas are fictional characters based on your research or assumptions to represent different users that may use your product. According to the Nielsen Norman group, there are three different types of personas: 

 

1.     Proto Persona (based on assumptions)

2.     Qualitative Persona (based on qualitative research)

3.     Statistical Persona (based on statistical analysis)

 

The main information needed for personas include personal details such as name, short bio and an image. Demographic details such as location, culture, age, gender and income. Behavioural details such as how a person will act whilst using the product. Pain points and feelings and finally a user’s goals and motivations for using the product. 

 

 

In conclusion User Experience is the user’s feelings and emotions it experiences whilst using a product and its services. This creates a seamless, fluid and easy to use experience with the product and its user and in turn creates customer loyalty and satisfaction. It is important to conduct UX research prior to UX design to make sure it is done correctly and to reduce uncertainty in the decision-making process to create the best user experience possible. This is done through five steps the objective, hypotheses, methods, conduct and synthesis. 

 

 

Sites Used:

What is user experience (UX) design? (no date) The Interaction Design Foundation. Interaction Design Foundation. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design (Accessed: October 27, 2022). 

Devashvili, N. (2022) 7 unbelievable ways to conduct UX Research, Without These 7 steps, Your UX Research Will Fail. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@nikadevashvili/7-unbelievable-ways-to-conduct-ux-research-183a75a65a2a (Accessed: October 27, 2022). 

Khindri, D. (2022) What is UX Research and why is it important?,  Net Solutions. Available at: https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/what-is-ux-research/#why-is-ux-research-important (Accessed: October 27, 2022). 

The importance of UX Design (2019). Rocket55. Available at: https://www.rocket55.com/lab-note/the-importance-of-user-experience/#:~:text=To%20put%20it%20simply%2C%20UX,most%20conducive%20to%20business%20success (Accessed: October 27, 2022).