How does User Experience Design differ from what we traditionally call Web Design? Why is each important?
In a broad sense, UX (User Experience) design takes a methodical approach to web design including researching, assessing, prototyping and testing. The best design does not operate in a vacuum but uses multiple approaches. Even UX design itself can be approached from varying perspectives and it’s helpful to experience what others are experiencing to describe the complete experience. In her article “The Psychologist’s View of UX Design”, Dr. Susan Weinschenk suggests “a visual designer approaches UX design from one point of view, the interaction designer from another, and the programmer from yet another.” [i] As a psychologist, she lists 10 points from a psychological perspective:
- People Don’t Want to Work or Think More Than They Have To
- People Have Limitations
- People Make Mistakes
- Human Memory Is Complicated
- People are Social
- Attention
- People Crave Information
- Unconscious Processing
- People Create Mental Models
- Visual System
In her article “Why User Experience Cannot Be Designed”, Helge Fredheim explains why a designer designs for UX. UX depends not only on the product itself, but on the user and the situation in which they use the product. Since you cannot design the user or the situation, focusing on understanding the user and exceeding expectations leads to designing for UX[ii]
In addition to UX design, Cennydd Bowles in his article “Looking Beyond User-Centered Design”, describes three other possible design approaches which can be more convenient and quick including Self design, where the designer represents the audience; Genius design, where the designer draws upon stockpiled experience, imaginative analogy, and psychological fundamentals; and Activity-focused design, where the designer addresses users’ primary tasks rather than any underlying needs.
The designers who will stand out in future will be those who are familiar with many modes of design. These designers may have a favorite, of course—and UCD is an excellent candidate—but they also have the versatility to draw on other processes when suitable. [iii]
[i] Weinschenk, Ph.D., Susan (2013) The Psychologist’s View of UX Design. Retrieved from http://uxmag.com/articles/the-psychologists-view-of-ux-design
[ii] Fredheim, Helge (2011) Why User Experience Cannot Be Designed. Retrieved from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/03/15/why-user-experience-cannot-be-designed/
[iii] Bowles, Cennydd(2013) Looking Beyond User-Centered Design. Retrieved from http://alistapart.com/column/looking-beyond-user-centered-design