UX Design for outstanding user experiences

Have you recently been on a website or ecommerce and really enjoyed using it? Then we are talking about a good UX, which stands for user experience. 

When designing a user experience, we look not only at the moment when the product is actually used but also at the moment before, e.g., how do you find out about the website? How do you get there? And the moment after, e.g., if you have ordered a product from an online shop, what is the payment process like? How is the product delivered, and if something is wrong with the product, what is the experience with customer service?

UX designers try to build a good user experience, because a positive user experience makes the user keep your product or site in mind, speak well of it, and continue to use it. 

In this article, we take a good look at the following topics:

1. What is UX design?
2. What is the difference between UX and UI design?
3. The importance of UX for IT development
4. UX key principles
5. The design-thinking process

 

What is user experience (UX design)?

In order to explain user experience we simply cannot avoid mentioning the Nielsen Normann Group (NNG). It is an authority in this sector, known for having developed best practices and guidelines widely used, besides solid methodologies and studies on usability and man-computer interaction. The founders are Jakob Nielsen, a usability pioneer with relevant contributions also in interaction design and Don Norman, considered as one of the interaction design and user experience founders; If you come from the field of design and graphics, you cannot be unfamiliar with his book "The design of everyday things".

What do they say when it comes to providing a respected definition of user experience?

""User experience" encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products. The first requirement for an exemplary user experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer, without fuss or bother.".

Another equally important definition is given to us by the Interaction Design Foundation:

"User experience (UX) design is the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. UX design involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability and function.".

As we can see from the definitions, UX design is a crucial means for improving the overall user experience with a product or service. The user's central role and the integration of functional, visual, and branding aspects provide a fundamental guide for anyone wanting to design successful digital products.

 

What is the difference between UX and UI Design?

Besides the user experience, there is also the user interface (UI). These two terms are often (and mistakenly) used interchangeably, yet they are two distinct disciplines, though complementary. If we resume NNG and Interaction Design Foundation, they define UI respectively, as:

"[...] the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks or style. Designers aim to create interfaces which users find easy to use and pleasurable. UI design refers to graphical user interfaces and other forms—e.g., voice-controlled interfaces." (Interaction Design Foundation).

Therefore, considering the various definitions we've seen up until now, we can say that a user interface is the surface on which users interact with a technology. UI design is therefore the actual design of an interface, guaranteeing a pleasant and continuous interaction between a product and the user. 

Ux, instead, refers to the user experience of a specific product and therefore reflects all the sensations, experiences and emotions a user feels during its usage. 

These two terms go hand-in-hand. For a good UI, a good UX is essential. Not only do we need to know what users visually like, but also what they want to do and where. Ideally, we aim for an optimal user experience and an intuitive user interface so that we don't have to explain almost anything. However, it is unfortunately very common for many product and service owners to have an attractive user interface with a terrible user experience.

 

The importance of user experience in IT development

Good usability is extremely important in IT development. Whether one develops according to the waterfall or Scrum model, a project always starts with a requirements analysis. Requirements are obtained by process owners and, if necessary, by key users, and should cover all the most important technical points. However, even an in-depth stakeholder analysis does not mean that all points of view regarding the future product were collected. This is where the UX designer comes into play. 

UX designers are essential in filling gaps that can arise during the initial requirements analysis. Here is how:

1. Deep understanding of users

While stakeholder requirements can cover technical and business aspects, UX designers concentrate on the final users' experiences and needs. Through methods like user interviews, usability testing, and behaviour analysis, they gather detailed insights on how users will interact with a product.

2. User-centred design

UX designers translate technical requirements into intuitive user experiences. By creating personas, user journeys, and use cases, they ensure the product is designed to take into account users' needs and expectations. This helps them to prevent usability problems that could arise if the focus is only on technical requirements. 

3. Continuous iteration and feedback

Through prototypes and wireframes, it is possible to visualise and test design concepts before the development phase begins, allowing for continuous feedback and rapid changes based on the users' reactions. This agile method reduces the risks of implementing complex and expensive changes in the subsequent phases of the project.

4. Integration with the development team

UX designers work closely with developers and other team members to ensure that design requirements are feasible and well integrated into the final product. This interdisciplinary collaboration facilitates the translation of user experience requirements into practical and implementable technical solutions.

5. Continuous improvement

Even after a product's launch, the user experience continues to be monitored by collecting data and feedback to identify areas for improvement. This cycle of continuous refinement ensures that the product evolves in line with the user's changing demands and market trends. 

 

Key user experience principles

1. The end user in the first place

The number one rule in the UX field is simple (but not obvious): the user always comes first. This approach is known as User Centered Design (UCD) and requires a continous focus on users's needs in every phase of the design process. It consists of an interative process that includes a series of research and design techniques to understand the user and their contextualisation, taking into account the overall user experience. 

2. Useful, usable and used 

There is much talk about usability, but there are other words starting with U that are often overshadowed. According to the 3Us principle, "Useful, usable and used", a product or service has to be not only useful for users but also easily usable and be actively used in their context of use. In the '90s, Liz Sanders, a pioneer in the field of UX and participatory research, coined the term "useful, usable and desirable". The third word, "desirable,"  refers to the fact that a product must be interesting, desirable, and pleasant.

3. Accessibility

Embracing the accessibility principle means guaranteeing that a product, service, or concept is accessible for as many people as possible, including the necessity of satisfying the preferences and needs of people with disabilities. We are not only talking about cognitive deficits or reduced mobility. If you take accessibility into account in the design process, it is necessary to also comprehend situational and environmental factors that can influence the user experience. Here you can find the accessibility design standards: WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

4. Designing for relevance

If the usage concept is fundamental for a significant user experience, relevance is equally important. Take on the role of a UX designer for a moment: what would you do if a new functionality were created, yet it turned out to be irrelevant for existing users? This is why, regardless of whether you are creating a new project or adding new functionalities to an existing project, you need to verify its relevance. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the adequacy of the product in the market, determining, in particular, whether users are actually interested in the idea or concept.

5. Consistency and familiarity

Coherence and familiarity are principles that apply to both the UX and UI design fields. Maintaining coherence in systems, concepts, and products implies, on one hand, a continuous consistency related to the appearance and functioning of any product, platform, or screen. On the other side, it implies a coherent satisfaction with users' expectations of a product or service based on their previous interactions with it. You can deepen this point by reading "Maintain Consistency and Adhere to Standards" by NNG.

6. Hierarchy

Hierarchy is an important principle since organising clearly and logically information and functionalities while using a visual hierarchy allows users to be guided through the navigation flux without confusion. In short, hierarchy allows users to quickly find what they are searching for. Hierarchy can refer to two fields: information architecture and visual hierarchy.

7. Respect users' mental models

First of all, a menta model is "what the user believes about the system (web, application, or other kind of product) at hand" (Jakob Nielsen, NNG).Why should thus respecting user mental models improve user experience? Users have different levels of perception on how things should be. As a consequence, knowing what they think about your idea, concept of product will help create an experience that makes sense for them. This obviously does not mean abandoning innovative solutions. However, it allows doining it more thrifty and adapted to users.

8. Designing for context

When talking about context, we imply a set of circumstances or interrelated conditions applied to something that happens. In the UX field, a project cannot exist in vacuum. Therefore, as we shall see in the next design thinking section, context is a primary consideration to understand user behaviours, intentions and drives. It grounds ideas in reality and provides an idea of what users think is most important to them. Above all, context can help a brand gain a competitive advantage.

9. Minimising cognitive load

Cognitive psycology defines cognitive load as a the effort the working memory can handle at any given time. Tasks with high cognitive load are complex and difficult to learn, often leading to frustration and abandonment. Reduced cognitive load, on the other hand, favours concentration on the task. Clear instructions, such as those for onboarding, help users to complete tasks.

10. Constantly seek feedback from users

We mention this principle of UX design last to emphasise the pivotal importance of user feedback. Feedback is essential for UX design and must be actively sought. Gathering feedback is crucial for three reasons: it provides valuable data to improve the product, it makes users feel heard by creating trust, and it promotes innovation. An effective way to obtain meaningful feedback is to show users that their suggestions are actually taken into account.

 

The design thinking process

Design thinking is an intuitive process based on observation and a high degree of user centrality. It has been found as a method by Standfor University Professor Larry Leifer, developer Terry Winograd (educator of Larry Page), and David Kelley (founder of IDEO). With its open, creative, and systematic approach, design thinking offers a structured process framework for many questions and problematic areas, lending itself as a highly suitable method for the development of products, services, and digital business models.

1. Emphatize

This first phase focuses on an in-depth understanding of end-users' needs and emotions. There are many research methods available to 'empathise' with the end-user and gain a detailed understanding of them: qualitative, quantitative, attitudinal and behavioural. Typically, the most popular methods used at this stage are ethnographic research, interviews, observations and surveys. 

2. Define

After having understood the end user in this second phase, we sort through the previously collected data in order to 'define' the problem to be solved and also outline possible solutions. In these first stages, one is mainly an observer and a listener. This means trying to understand which of the hypotheses and thoughts can be asserted but, above all, which cannot be supported. Useful here is the implementation of user personas, journey maps, and empathy maps.

3. Ideate

Now we move on to 'ideate' options on how we would like to solve the problem for the identified personas and target groups. Several ways are available to do this: we start by gathering as many ideas as possible, perhaps by having a brainstorming session. Once the ideas have been collected, we go on to evaluate them by organising, discussing and prioritising them. Finally, we go on to precisely define priorities. Instead of 'merging' all ideas into one big idea, it is important to focus on just a few aspects of the solution. Keep in mind that it is easier to prototype and test a solution with only a few aspects than an overly complex solution.

4. Prototype

Creativity and practical skills are mainly required in this phase because we are going to transform ideas into tangible solutions that can later be tested. The focus here is on translating the ideas and priorities of the previous phase into a prototype. At this point, we will already have in mind who the end user is, what his problem is, and what the ideas are to solve it and meet his needs. The time has now come to model that solution in order to receive real feedback. In fact, always remember that prototypes have the simple task of making abstract concepts tangible.

5. Test

This is where things get serious. If we previously confronted the end user in an observational, verbal, or even intellectual manner, we now present them with our prototype. Obtaining feedback is now the most important objective, and here too, there are many options. Usually, we evaluate the way the user interacts with the prototype by observing it closely during user testing sessions. Other possible options (among many) can be A/B testing, card sorting, and heuristic evaluations.

6. Implement

Based on the results of the testing phase, we can move in different directions. We may need to go back to the first stages, because only in the last one did we gain important insights. Or we may have to vary the prototype to obtain new feedback. Only once we are sure that the prototype will resonate with a sufficiently large number of users will we start to implement the solution using methods such as Scrum or Lean Startup. During implementation as well, the design thinking approach will continue to be an invaluable companion, especially when embarking on the implementation of new features before we even understand the problem.

 

Conclusion

In this in-depth exploration of the user experience world, we began by looking at what UX design means and how it differs from UI design. These terminologies are in fact used interchangeably, yet they are separate though interconnected spheres. Next, we focused on the role that user experience plays in IT development and identified 10 key principles of UX design. Finally, we analysed the design thinking process, an ideal method for designing products and services. 

The UX design process brings companies and customers together. It is the foundation for user experience design decisions and influences the entire development process. Clients who come to us for development and UX design projects know that we work closely with them to ensure that the UX strategy results in an excellent experience and design. Do you have the development of a digital product or service in mind but don't know how to build a solid user experience? Or maybe you just want to make sure that your user experience is actually well designed and free of friction points that negatively affect usability. Contact us for a free, no-obligation first call, and we will find the winning solution together.