What is This User Experience Thing?

User Experience, aka 'UX', is talked about a lot within the web development world, yet I speak to many people who are still unsure of what it actually is.

I tasked my colleague Bonny with coming up with a simple explanation of what UX is and why it's important.  Her response came in the form of a comic.  It's pretty good!  I wanted to share it here to see if anyone else would find it useful too.

Who Does UX? 

User Experience professionals are a hybrid of web developers, psychologists, designers and business analysts all rolled into one.

Their core responsibility is to ensure designs are easy to use and fit for purpose, for everyone.

UX fits neatly between the disciplines of business, design and technology.

What is UX?

Like the name suggests, UX is focussed on the needs and requirements of real users.

These requirements are gathered through various research methods - it's not just guesswork!

Research may be face-to-face, or remote.

Why do UX?

Gathering a real understanding of what people want allows UX professionals to make informed recommendations:

• how the system can be improved now
• what it needs to do in the future
• how it should work on different devices

Existing content can be reviewed and refined to better meet user needs.

The interface can be prototyped based on real user needs.

Doing this work upfront saves time and money in the long run. 

By creating a site based on target audience requirements, site owners are best placed to engage and retain users - plus it takes away the guesswork!

UX helps to maximise sales, improve customer satisfaction, and encourages a more positive perception of brands.

Want to know more about UX?

There are some great sites that go into more detail about the UX process and theory:

• A List Apart
• Smashing Magazine
• UX Magazine
• UX Matters

View the full comic here.