UX Design is everywhere. Look around you - consider the device you're reading this from, the roof currently over your head, the lid on your Starbucks coffee cup, the shoes on your feet and even the ground beneath it - these all include some aspect of User Experience Design. Every product you use and every interaction you make involves UX Design. But beyond this incredibly broad definition, what exactly is UX Design, and why is it so important?
UX Design has one focus - you.
Think about the products you use every day, the brands you prefer, and the purchasing decisions you make when there are thousands of alternative options available. Do you choose to use a mechanical pencil over a wooden one because it's more convenient and never needs to be sharpened? What about buying a water bottle that has a pop-top instead of a twist-off lid because it's more convenient to use?
The products you use every single day are designed specifically for the user to interact with. In a world that is becoming more focused on technological advances, UX Design is at the center of it all. The most popular apps, social media platforms, websites, and video games all owe a large portion of their success to good UX Design.
Now, consider if you have ever made a purchase based off of promising photos, only to be disappointed once your package arrived in the mail? Maybe you booked a hotel that looked great online, but didn't fit your expectations when you actually got there?
You may not be able to determine what it is you don't like, only that something feels off. Based on the photos, the product matches perfectly, so why are you suddenly having buyers remorse? The short, but not so simple answer is poor UX Design. A product or service can look beautiful or promising on the surface, but if it is difficult or frustrating to use, it is often deemed virtually worthless.
Three Bases Good UX Design Must Cover
Aesthetics, durability, and usefulness.
Aesthetic is the look of a product, the physical design that you can see, and in some cases, touch. Durability ensures that the design can stand the test of time, and will last across multiple circumstances and situations. Usefulness entails how easy a product is to use and how essential it is to a user, and is the base of all UX design. A product can be useful and durable, but if the aesthetic is poorly designed, it will be overlooked before users even consider its capabilities. At the same time, if a product looks good but is difficult to use or breaks easily, it will be quickly discarded for an alternative. A key takeaway, is this: “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit out needs so well that the design is invisible.” - Don Norman
UX Design Must be Intuitive
In order to be successful, good design is meant to solve problems rather than create them. Quality UX Design sets out to predict any interaction a user may have with a product, and is prepared to handle common and uncommon circumstances. The goal is to design products, interfaces, and experiences for all users. Therefore, the design must be universal. As technology advances, so does the emphasis on how usable these products become for everyone.
How Arctic Leaf Works
At Arctic Leaf, we design with the end user in mind. Our team of designers are trained on User Experience Design through the Baymard Institute, a resource that has created modules and benchmarks for the best practices of said topic. These benchmarks are based on over 49,000+ hours of research across the top e-commerce sites worldwide. Our team performs extensive UX Design reviews based on over 700 guidelines to ensure that your site is designed specifically for the customers in mind. To view this resource in depth, please visit Baymard.
Check out our other blogs for some additional resources that offer advice, training, conferences, and articles that discuss UX Design in depth. Consider expanding your knowledge with these resources to educate yourself on the trends and advancements that are shaping the world we live in, and how we interact with it. If you have any questions about any of the information we have provide, please feel free to reach out to us directly at info@arcticleaf.io.
