The web design process is often focused on the aesthetics of a website.
A web designer is always creative and a graphics expert with a particular flair for the combination of shapes, colors and typography.
This combination of design focused on layout and appearance for the end user is part of what’s known as the user experience.
What is UX Design?
UX design is the acronym of User Experience Design (also abbreviated as UXD) and consists of the set of processes aimed at increasing user satisfaction by improving the usability of a web page, its ease of use, intuitiveness and interaction.
The term was coined in the late 90s by Don Norman, co-founder of the Norman Group Design Consultancy, who at the time said:
The “User experience” encompasses all aspects of the interaction between the end user and the company, its services and its products. Achieving good UX requires the application of some strategies that put users at the heart of the design process of your site or application.
This implies the fact that, beyond the means used, the UX design includes any type of interaction between a customer (potential or active) and the company that provides a service or product.
It is a real scientific process applicable to any field, not only to the design of websites, although over the years has become almost exclusively a feature of the digital world.
The ultimate goal is to improve the experience of a customer, giving them exactly what they want, with no frills or complications.
A good result is achieved not only through the right combination of shapes and colors, but also through engaging content, well positioned call to actions, fluidity in navigation, and ease of understanding of the processes.
The UX design is complex, and full of challenges.
It involves market analysis, the A/B testing of page design, and continuous production of stats to see how certain designs and pages perform.
A UX-focused web designer is a multi-tasker that moves from design, marketing, and project management and interjects basic knowledge of sociology, psychology and cognitive science into their work.
There is a lot of work behind the scenes to get to an elegant, effective and pleasant website design that customers respond positively to.
If any of this sounds complicated, it kinda is!
Ultimately, you want a website that delvers a positive experience for your customers, while helping nurture them from cold prospects to actual buyers and fans of your business.
If you want a closer look at your current website design to find out how ‘user-friendly’ it is, let us know and we’ll be happy to take a look and provide some suggestions for improvement!