The user experience, often referred to as UX, refers to both the feelings or emotional experience, and the thoughts a user has when using a product, application, system, or service. It is a broad term that encompasses things like how easy the product is to use, how well the user feels they can navigate around, how the content is displayed, and so on. It is predicated on the notion that humans are both rational and emotional creatures, and both those things play a significant role in the user experience.
It can be described as the journey the user takes as they use the product and includes not only the direct interactions with the product but also how it contributes to the overall achievement of the task or goal.
UX and usability are sometimes used interchangeably. They’re both used to describe the ease with which a visitor uses your product. However, UX is often considered to be broader than usability. For example, if a website is very usable – or user-friendly – visitors will be able to find or do what they want to do easily. However, a great user experience involves more. such as aesthetics. A website can be straightforward to use, but boring at the same time. This means the usability is excellent, but the user experience could be improved.
Another term that UX is often used interchangeably is ‘user interface’ (UI). However, when the acronyms are spelled out — User Interface and User Experience — it becomes clear they are quite different. The User Interface is literally what the user sees and interacts with within the product: the buttons, the layout, the navigation, the form fields, and so on. It is like the cockpit of a plane or the buttons on a remote control device—it is what a user would click, drag, swipe, etc. to perform functions. UI is essentially the “look and feel” of a product, whereas UX encompasses a wider range of elements than just the User Interface. It should become clear now that the interface is contained within the overall user experience. The User Experience includes everything an end-user does related to the product, including how it fits into their overall workflow and the steps before and after the product is actually in use. Additionally, User Experience should include continual improvement — how those interactions will change over time as the customer’s usage evolves and the product and company change.
When designing the user experience, it can be helpful to remember the following points:1
- The user experience is dynamic - The way a user interacts with your product or service may shift over time. When individuals begin using a new service, they may experience conflicting emotions, primarily due to the learning curve. They can, however, alter their opinions over time as they get more familiar and comfortable with the navigation. This is tolerable for software, but less so with a website. Users may not revisit a site they couldn't navigate the first time.
- The user experience is concerned with what users think AND feel - Humans are both logical and emotive, and both sides influence how users perceive a product or service.
- The user experience is context-dependent – To create an outstanding product, you must first have a firm grasp of this context. Likewise, it is critical to understand the function that a product plays in the lives of its users.
Peter Morville is regarded as one the pioneers in the fields of information architecture and user experience. He believed that at core of UX is the need to ensure that users find value in what you are providing to them. He believed that in order for the user experience to be meaningful and valuable there are a number of factors that influence it. He represented those factors in the User Experience Honeycomb (2010)1 shown here.
The influential factors espoused by Morville and presented in the UX Honeycomb are described below:
Your content should fulfil a need and be original. Morville(2004) noted that “as practitioners, we can’t be content to paint within the lines drawn by managers. We must have the courage and creativity to ask whether our products and systems are useful, and to apply our knowledge of craft + medium to define innovative solutions that are more useful.”
The developed website, or application should be useable. According to Morville, whilst “usability is important, interface-centric techniques and perspectives on human-computer interaction do not cover all aspects of web design. In a nutshell, usability is critical yet insufficient.”
It is accepted that image, identity, brand, and other design elements are used to evoke emotion and appreciation Morville states that “our pursuit of efficiency must be balanced with an understanding of the power and significance of image, identity, brand, and other aspects of emotional design.”
Content must be navigable and locatable both on- and off-site. Users must be able to find what they need easily.
Websites should be accessible to users with a disability. Today, it is considered to be both prudent business and ethical behaviour. In Aotearoa New Zealand, all public services must meet the NZ Government Web Accessibility Standard (Accessibility | NZ Digital government).
It is understood that aspects of design affect whether people trust and believe what we say. The Web Credibility Project (The Web Credibility Project - Stanford University) conducts research on web credibility and contributes greatly to our understanding too how contextual and design factors influence a person’s assessment of credibility.
The developed product, website, or app must deliver value to the client as well as provide a positive user experience. It must advance the mission of clients, improve customer satisfaction, and provide a viable return on investment.
These features will be considered again when we start our exploration of the aims, principles, and elements of UX design later in this module.
