UX Design From A-Z: Learn the Language of Designers
The Purpose of This Glossary
We created this glossary to help you. Our goal is simple: give you the knowledge you need to navigate the design process. Every definition here is meant to arm you with the understanding you need to create a better user experience for your customers.
Why Is UX Design So Important?
Customer experience matters—especially in e-commerce. Unlike a physical store, online shopping comes with its own set of challenges.
Think about walking into a clothing store. The first thing that grabs your attention is a mannequin dressed in an outfit. The price tag is front and center, telling you if it’s a deal. You see the items you want, the fitting room is nearby, and assistants are there to help. The smoother the shopping experience, the more likely you are to make a purchase—and return in the future.
UX design does the same thing for your online customers. A clean, easy-to-navigate website means they can find exactly what they need without hassle. If your website is hard to use, they’ll leave—fast.
In short, a good UX design is invisible. When it’s done right, your users don't even notice it. They just get what they need, quickly and without frustration. That's when you know you've nailed it.
The Core of UX Design
Good UX design is about understanding your users’ needs, whether they’re navigating a site on a desktop or mobile, or using assistive technologies. It’s about taking them from point A to point B in the smoothest way possible. The goal is to make every interaction with your site easy, intuitive, and, if done right, enjoyable.
UX Design: It’s a Language of Its Own
UX design has its own jargon. If you're new to it, the terms can feel like a foreign language. But understanding these terms is essential to working with designers.
At Arctic Leaf, our UX designers are certified by the Baymard Institute—one of only 483 certified designers worldwide. (Yep, we’re that good.) We’ve built this glossary to help you speak the same language and understand the design decisions that shape your site.
What’s Inside This Glossary?
Think of this glossary as a roadmap. Each term you learn here will give you insight into how design choices affect your user experience. From layout to accessibility, you’ll be able to discuss UX principles with confidence.
The glossary is visual, clear, and easy to navigate, making it simple to understand even for beginners. By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of UX and how it applies to your business.
Ready to Take It Further?
Once you're comfortable with the basics of UX design, it's time to level up. Reach out to us for a full UX audit of your site. We’ll tell you how it stands and what needs to be fixed.
We offer a range of UX services, including:
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Courtesy Navigation
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Category Taxonomy
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Sticky Table of Contents (ToC)
Our certified team is ready to help. You’ll be in good hands.
Want to get even more UX savvy? Check out the latest and greatest ways that AI can enhance UX or reach out to us directly at [email protected].
Arctic Leaf is a digital agency with over 10 years of e-commerce experience serving clients of all industries. Our entire team is Baymard UX certified and our amazing developers can build everything from simple Shopify themes to fully custom headless experiences.
