What is UX?
Strike Heredia, a designer specializing in user experience and digital products, clarifies what UX is.
UX has a never-ending list of definitions and they are becoming more extensive day by day. There's a good reason for it. Although UX started as a collection of techniques used in websites and apps, they are being increasingly applied to all kinds of places.
Peruvian designer Strike Heredia has spent years helping all kinds of consumer brands overcome their design, creativity and strategy problems. He also designs the UX layer upon which digital products are built. He will help us land on a definition of UX that promises to dispel some of the most common misconceptions.
What is UX?
The first thing to keep in mind when defining UX is exactly what the acronym means. UX means User Experience. This refers to the user experience we have when interacting with a digital product and it can be negative or positive. This perception is influenced by several factors.
Strike Heredia simplifies this by splitting the definition of UX into 3 basic concepts:
- UX is the way the user perceives, feels or interacts with a system or service. It is the feeling the user has when in contact with a website, an app, or a system. All that he or she perceives when buying a product online, browse a web page or move through the options of a digital interface are examples of user experience. But UX is not only usability. A screen may be usable, but not generate a good user experience.
- UX is a group of techniques. It does not focus exclusively on the visual appearance of a website or an app but encompasses many other trades that are necessary for a successful UX experience: interaction, information architecture, animation design, communication style... This set of expertise results in a much stronger product, one which the user will interact more smoothly. UX must-have look (be visually appealing), feel (the user must feel comfortable when interacting) and usability (a purpose for it must exist).
- UX is a process. It is not something static; good UX development involves a series of steps to ensure the quality of a product. You need to know the needs of the client or brand, you should do user research to investigate the audiences targeted by the product - and meet their needs and behaviors. Wireframes should be planned and designed and the visual appearance modeled in accordance.
This last part is perhaps the most important. A UX focused product is a living product and it is essential to measure the effectiveness and gather feedback (across platforms, using analytics and usability tests). This phase is also constant. Improvements should be made periodically throughout the life of the product. UX cannot be done without research.
Strike Heredia teaches 'UX Fundamental Principles’' in Domestika, a course that teaches how to analyze digital products to optimize the user experience.
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