User experience (UX) design can be a complicated and overwhelming field for newcomers, as it encompasses a wide range of topics (from accessibility to wireframing). Some of these topics overlap, while some of them complement one another. Therefore, it's important to come to a common and basic understanding of what the term “user experience” means in a design context.
Complexity and Perception
User experience design, as its name suggests, is about _designing _the ideal _experience _of _using _a service or product. As such, it can involve all types of products and services—think, for instance, about the design involved in a museum exhibition. However, in the main, the term _user experience design _is used in relation to websites, web applications and other software applications.
Since the second half of this century’s first decade, technologies have become increasingly complex, and the functionality of applications and websites has become far broader and far more intricate. Early websites were simple static pages that served up information to feed curious searchers; however, a few decades later, what we can find a wealth of online are sites that are interactive and offer a much richer feel for users.
You can add all the features and functionality that you like to a site or application, but the success of the project rides on a single factor: how the users feel about it.
User experience (UX) design can be a complicated and overwhelming field for newcomers, as it encompasses a wide range of topics (from accessibility to wireframing). Some of these topics overlap, while some of them complement one another. Therefore, it's important to come to a common and basic understanding of what the term “user experience” means in a design context.
Complexity and Perception
User experience design, as its name suggests, is about _designing _the ideal _experience _of _using _a service or product. As such, it can involve all types of products and services—think, for instance, about the design involved in a museum exhibition. However, in the main, the term _user experience design _is used in relation to websites, web applications and other software applications.
Since the second half of this century’s first decade, technologies have become increasingly complex, and the functionality of applications and websites has become far broader and far more intricate. Early websites were simple static pages that served up information to feed curious searchers; however, a few decades later, what we can find a wealth of online are sites that are interactive and offer a much richer feel for users.
You can add all the features and functionality that you like to a site or application, but the success of the project rides on a single factor: how the users feel about it.