Websites and applications have become more complex with the development of new technologies and methodologies. But no matter how many changes occur, success still revolves around one thing: how to make the user experience the best.
- Does this website/app provide value to me?
- Is it easy to use?
- Does it feel comfortable to use?
These are the questions that arise in the customer’s mind when they interact with our products, and it is the basis for deciding whether a person becomes a regular user or leaves in the blink of an eye. User experience (UX) design tries to make the user answer “Yes” to all of those questions.
What is User Experience (UX) Design?
The concept of user experience (UX) was first introduced by Donald Norman – an electrical engineer, cognitive scientist, and user experience engineer at Apple. He defined user experience as a person’s entire experience with a system, product or device. Specifically, it is their interaction with the material, shape, color, and features of that product. Therefore, user experience is the key factor determining the success or failure of a product in the market, and design must be based on the needs and goals of the end user.
The user is always at the center of the product, and the main goal that the product is created for is to meet their needs and desires. That’s why user experience design is not just graphics or art, but also includes science, biology, psychology, and technology. An intuitive, easy-to-use product that can meet the user’s desires and goals easily and quickly is a product with a good experience.
In addition to design, UX designers will participate in many other product development stages to understand and meet user needs, such as user research and product strategy. This is also aimed at creating a product that meets market needs. Therefore, a UX designer will be the one creating solutions for users but must also meet business goals, through many “why”, “what” and “how” questions:
- Why do users choose to use the product?
- What are their goals when using it? Does our product meet them?
- Can they easily achieve those goals with the product?
Read more: An Overview of Digital Design – Introduction to UX & UI
Main Jobs of User Experience (UX) Design
There are 4 main jobs in building user experience: interaction design, information architecture, user research, and experience strategy:
- Interaction Design: Creating a usable product with good navigation. Things like buttons, page transitions, animations are part of interaction design.
- Information Architecture: Organizing information in a systematic, clear way so that users can understand and navigate easily.
- User Research: To identify problems, understand users, and then design optimal solutions.
- Experience Strategy: Plays a key role in connecting users and business goals.
User Experience (UX) Design Process
The user experience design process is an iterative method that helps you continuously improve and refine your designs. In this process, you go through different stages repeatedly while evaluating your design at each stage.
Each stage involves stakeholders who will participate in the process to make the product more effective and optimized. The design process includes the following 6 stages:
1. Understanding
Design is about solving a problem. But to come up with solutions, you first need to understand the problem clearly. Before starting the design, let the design team understand the requirements thoroughly.
To analyze the requirements, follow the industry standard user research methods including contextual and individual interviews, as well as observing users in real-world environments.
Conduct brainstorming sessions with the clients, show them existing products to get their feedback. The Business Manager directly works with and receives requirements from the clients. The design team can work closely with the Business Manager to understand the users and client needs. This knowledge about the users and their environment will help you get a clear direction for your design.
2. Research
Research is a critical foundational step to design the user experience.
The design team does their research work to explore how the outside world is functioning through the features of a product.
Sherif Amin, a product designer, calls it UX competitive analysis. He lists three purposes of this analysis:
- Understand market competition
- Understand your own strengths
- Find inspiration and ideas from competitors
Keep track of new design trends, design principles, and user experience principles you have. While doing research, start thinking about potential layouts and options that could deliver the desired experience.
3. Wireframing
This stage gets into specifics about the interface and what features need to be in the interface. The design team carries out this activity based on the last two stages of this process.
Sketch flows and wireframes on paper or whiteboard that you want to discuss with stakeholders. This stage itself is an iterative process. Design is not something you just create and start using it. Wireframe, wireframe, and wireframe – it needs to be done repeatedly to create the optimal experience.
User testing of the wireframes is part of this stage. The design team builds initial models and shares them with stakeholders for feedback. Throughout the process, it’s important to remember that your goal is to create a usable design to achieve end-user satisfaction.
4. Design
Now that you’ve finalized the layout and necessary interface flows, the next step is to work on the graphics. Convert the initial mockups and wireframes into visually appealing images with a specific theme.
Preparing and sharing design specifications (principles, guidelines, colors, typefaces, icon sets) with the development team is also part of this stage.
5. Implementation
Since technical personnel are involved from the early stages of the process, they can start implementation during the ongoing design stage. The product development team will build the backend functionality first and connect it to the user interface (UI) when they receive the final designs.
For optimization, the design team should participate in these steps to support this development phase. While implementing, there may be some minor design change requirements that come up.
6. Evaluation
Once the product features are deployed, the final product is evaluated based on factors like:
- Is the system usable?
- Is it easy to use for the end user?
- Is it flexible and easy to change?
- Does it provide the desired solution to the users’ problems?
- Does the product make people want to use it because of the experience it delivers?
Frequently Asked Questions about User Experience Design (UX)
- Why is User Experience (UX) Design Necessary
Just as every person’s life needs real experiences, web design also needs the same. According to a survey by website experts, “Out of 100 people visiting a website, only 25 go directly to the homepage. The majority access the specific page they need, a small portion access from search engines.” - Ms. Tuyet Minh, a 45-year-old accountant, said, “Although not proficient with other websites, I am very proficient in accessing the Finance – Accounting forum for discussion.” But: “It’s really hard to use. They force everyone to go through a homepage full of features and articles before getting into the detailed reading. I just need a simple forum with many quality posts like before.”
2. Is Redesigning a Website Always Good?
According to usability expert Jakob Nielsen: “Internet users are becoming increasingly discerning and self-centered. Only 25% access the homepage, most access the page they need or from search results, they accomplish their purpose and quickly leave that website.”
For many people, the hassle of learning how to use a new interface makes them discouraged. As a result, they demand to use familiar interfaces again. Others accept the new interface but want to carry over what they are familiar with so they can use it easily and achieve their goals faster.
Read more: Brand Repositioning – Change or Die?
- What is the Ice Berg Model and Solution for Interfaces?
The “iceberg” model describes the elements in the user experience with products in general. The ship approaching the iceberg is described as your website development project. The model highlights the key elements of the modern website user experience development process. Secondary elements like technology and content are not included. Therefore, the model does not describe the development process or define the roles within the user experience development team of a Vietnamese enterprise.
When it comes to web design in Vietnam, most people think this is not a very difficult job, and the first thing they care about is whether the website looks beautiful or not?
For a long time, most users thought they needed a beautiful website, and website design companies also gradually fell into this vortex. Until the project took a bad turn, the designer suddenly realized that in reality, users need a solution, but they only care about the final result that satisfies them.
Read more: How to choose the right user research method
- Should UX Attract More Customers or Keep Them?
During the recession, the trendy choice of online marketing in Vietnam through services such as SEO, SEM, banner advertising on news sites, social networks… seems to be gradually overshadowing the importance of websites in businesses, while the website itself is a powerful tool in pushing marketing campaigns and is often the final stop for all online marketing campaigns. Depending on your needs, but the cost of online marketing is not cheap for large foreign companies.
You can spend a lot of money to attract users to your website or app, but if the product itself lacks the ability to build trust and loyalty, then you’re pouring money down the drain. Managing traffic flow to each specific content page as you desire will only be effective in the short term, and the backlash is predictable.
Design companies often focus on how to manage and present information, while Vietnamese users only care about Ease of Use – Easy to Find – Easy to Access – Appealing and Valuable. One of the criteria of the user experience design method is to help users complete their desired goals and tasks on the page easily and as quickly as possible.
So, do you want to improve your user experience design capabilities, or are you looking for a way to deliver the best possible experience for your customers? Stay tuned for Beau’s upcoming blog posts to learn more.
