User Experience (UX) is the holistic journey users traverse as they use a product. Not only does it include their direct interactions with the product, but also how it fits in with their overall task completion process.
Regardless of whether different aspects of the experience are under the direct control of the product or are merely associated with the product, the total experience is considered part of the UX from the user’s perspective. Every touchpoint between the customer and the company is included in the total User Experience.
What is User Experience (UX) Design?
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.
Most importantly, UX design is concerned with delivering solutions that address pain points and needs. After all, no one will use a product that serves no purpose.
What is the difference between UI and UX?
UI and UX are often used interchangeably, but when the acronyms are actually spelled out User Interface and User Experience are quite different.
The User Interface is literally what the user sees and interacts within the product: the buttons, the layout, the navigation, the form fields, etc. Much like the cockpit of a plane or the buttons on remote control, it is what a user sees, touches and clicks. “UI” can also sometimes be shorthand for the “look and feel” of a product.
“UX Designers Consider the Why, What, and How of Product Use”
Purpose of user experience
Following are the main purposes of user experience (UX) to support the performance of the product-
a. Providing a good and pleasant experience to users.
b. Assist users in obtaining information and purposes in the application.
c. Increase business profits through products.
Types of user experience goals
While not a comprehensive list of user experience goals, you can use this list to help you consider different aspects of the user experience that you may want to have goals for.
a. Discoverability
b. Learnability
c. Error avoidance
d.Error recovery
e. Emotional response
f. Preference
g. Retention
h. Efficiency
i. Engagement
j. Responsiveness
What Makes a Good Goal?
1. Good goals are written down and shared.
When people on your team don’t have explicit goals, they will automatically work towards implicit ones—their own unstated assumptions.
2. Good goals have measurable or observable success criteria.
There is no point in having a goal that you can’t validate. You have no way of knowing if decisions you make are helping you achieve the goal or making the situation worse.
3. Good goals are specific.
Specific goals have numbers, limits, context, and conditions. Notice the difference between “Feature X will be findable and usable,” and “Within one minute of being given task Y, novice test participants will be able to locate Feature X and recognize that it is the feature they need to complete the task. They will be able to complete the task within three additional minutes using their own data without having to consult the online help.”
4. Good goals do not depend on any particular UI design .
Goals are about users achieving things they need to achieve and having the experience you want them to have. You should be able to completely change your UI design approach and still have the same goals.
5. Good goals support the business.
You should have goals at many levels: business goals, product goals, release goals, and feature goals. Each level of goals should flow from and support the goals above it. For example, we’d all like our designs to be easy to learn, easy to use, and efficient, but if your users will all receive days of intense training before using the software, then ease-of-learning is much less important than efficiency.