The history of UX term
User experience design: a term that we instantly associate with apps and websites. Especially when considering the typical job description of a UX designer, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a purely modern concept.
The UX term was coined by cognitive psychologist and designer Don Norman in the 1990s — but UX predates its name by quite some decades
So what is UX design?
User experience (UX) design is the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function.
Your mission
As a UX designer, you’re there to make products and technology usable, enjoyable, and accessible to humans. UX designers tend to work as part of a wider product team, and will often find themselves bridging the gap between the user, the development team, and key business stakeholders.
Your job as a UX designer
it’s your job first and foremost to advocate for the end-user or customer. Whether you’re designing a brand new product, coming up with a new feature, or making changes to an existing product or service — the UX designer must consider what’s best for the user and the overall user experience. At the same time, you are also responsible for making sure that the product or service meets the needs of the business. Does it align with the CEO’s vision? Will it help to increase revenue or retain loyal customers?
UX designer job descriptions: Tasks and responsibilities
- Plan and conduct user research and competitor analysis
- Interpret data and qualitative feedback
- Create user stories, personas, and storyboards
- Determine information architecture and create sitemaps
- Create prototypes and wireframes
- Conduct usability testing
What is the difference between UX & UI?
UX
Is the interaction and experience users have with a company’s products and services.
While UI
Is the specific asset users interact with. For example, UI can deal with traditional concepts like visual design elements such as buttons, forms, fields, menus, links, icons…