What is user experience (UX)?
User experience, UX (User Experience), usability, etc. are words that often overlap, and the meaning is in the name. How does it feel to use the website, app, software or that fancy air purifier that you wonder if it is actually possible to turn on without pressing the button 313 times. You're probably not wondering what user experience is, but why it's important and what you can do to ensure that the project you're about to embark on has the best possible user experience.
A good user experience in practice
This section could have been: "A good user experience is about making it easy for the user." But what are you going to do with that information? Maybe pointing out the obvious won't get you very far?
- The user has a goal in using the website, app or similar. Make it easy to achieve this goal. If you also make it possible to overlap with your company's goals, you'll have an almost perfect user experience.
- The user may have had experiences with similar systems/websites etc. in the past. Based on whether the user is satisfied or dissatisfied, it may be a good idea to either follow or break the patterns they are already familiar with in other user journeys.
- Provide the information the user is looking for and break it up in a way that makes it easy to read. This applies to structure, size, design and contrasts.
- Present the information in the format the user wants to consume it. This can be text, video, animation, infographics, presentations, webinars, etc. Adapt the content to the needs and goals of the user.
User experience is important, but often quite boring
As a design agency, we often have early conversations with clients that they want to create something that surprises the customer or is extremely unique. When it comes to great user experiences, surprise is usually, but not always, a bad idea.
For example, think about how you're used to the logo being on the top left of most websites, while the menu is on the right-hand side. There are always exceptions, but a good user experience is not always the most exciting.
Let's continue our example with a website, and let's say we place the logo in the bottom right corner and the menu is hidden behind a menu icon in the bottom left corner. We might achieve a really cool and exciting design, but ultimately it will result in a poor user experience for most people.
Focus on the user + Keep it simple = A great user experience
Think about what the user wants to achieve, keep it simple, follow the "boring rules" of what the user is already used to and likes and you're at least 80% of the way to a good user experience.