If you asked 100 User Experience (UX) designers the question, “what is UX?”, you would likely get 100 unique answers. The fact that even the UX community has a hard time putting a precise definition on UX says a lot about this area in marketing. Simply put: what we do is complex because people are complex.
UX design is a process where the user is at the center of the product development cycle. It takes into consideration a person’s thought pattern and decision-making process to create effective and functional website designs, advertisements, marketing materials and an endless variety of other applications.
In UX, we use what is called the Human Centered Design Process. This process starts with understanding the target audience we’re designing for, ending with discovering solutions and recommendations to meet their needs. This process consists of three phases, discovery, design and user-testing.
The discovery phase is where we find out what the business needs are. UX designers figure out who we are designing for, and research all we can about those users. In the design phase, we use what we learned in the discovery phase to identify design opportunities, and develop wireframes and prototypes around those ideas. In the user-testing phase, we test out prototypes to make sure we have satisfied the needs of the users and make changes or updates accordingly.
So now you have an idea of what UX is, you might think, “Why should I care about UX?”
Think of UX as an extension of customer service. UX is a form of customer service brought into the digital sphere. With the ubiquity of the internet and users having more choice now than ever, people have no tolerance for poor customer service or an online experience. Time News recently published an article showing that 55% of users spend fewer than 15 seconds. This means that for more than half of your users, you have 15 seconds to grab their attention and convince them to choose your company. This is not much time at all.
Developing a website, app or e-commerce site can be a major investment for many small to midsize businesses. In our current digital marketing landscape, successful UX is key to help generate leads, conversions and online purchases. Without understanding how online users navigate your website, view your advertising or marketing materials, you run the risk of losing potential business.
So what now? If you’re considering building a new business platform, choose a Tacoma marketing firm that implements UX design as the foundation for the design process. If you have an existing web site, e-commerce site or app, contact M Agency for more information on our UX services. We’re available to answer any questions you may have on UX.