What is UX Design? A Beginner’s Guide for the IT Industry

UX design is the creative process of planning and refining a product, service, or system to deliver an enjoyable user experience for a specific target group.

Good UX design goes far beyond creating something aesthetically pleasing. It's more about intuitive, accessible, and seamless experiences that leave a positive impression, including sustainability and cultural relevance factors.

From a broader perspective, UX design (user experience planning) is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the quality of user-product interactions.

Company size determines the scope of what a good UX designer does. Understanding who will use the final product and the target group’s needs is crucial. Research, testing, and planning —these all are a part of a UX design process.

User experience design, as a form of product refinement, has many facets. It is composed of multiple, often overlapping, sections like IxD, IA, or UI (all explained below).

Here are the most prominent segments of UX design:

• Interaction Design (IxD) or User Interface (UI) – These involve designing intuitive and engaging user interfaces that are consistent with the rest of the product. User Interface design focuses on the visual and interactive elements of digital products, such as icons, buttons, and layouts. UI designers consider principles of visual hierarchy, consistency, and usability to ensure the interface is straightforward to understand.
• User Research – Detailed knowledge about the target groups helps UX designers create user-friendly products. This subset, also known as market research, iscrucial for the entire process and supports the designers in making progress in the right direction.
• Information Architecture (IA) – This is a critical aspect of UX design. It involves organizing and structuring content within digital products to enhance findability and navigation. Solid IA makes it easier for users to locate and access information efficiently. Techniques such as card sorting, tree testing, and content audits are often used to refine the information structure iteratively. Ultimately, IA plays a crucial role in shaping the usability and effectiveness of digital products.
• Usability Testing – This subsection of UX design involves observing how real users interactwith the product and collecting feedback. The results provide valuable insights into how users perceive and interact with the product, helping designers identify pain points and areas for improvement.
• Visual Design – This segment is the most recognizable part of the UX design process. Visual design plays a crucial role in guiding users' focus and contributing to brand identity. It involves collaboration with UX designers and developers to align visual elements with user needs and technical requirements. The focus is on layout, typography, color, and imagery.
• Content Strategy – This ensures that the final product is clear, relevant, and valuable to users across digital platforms. Content strategy is often created through the cooperation of the designer, writer, and stakeholder teams. They ensure a competitive advantage by aligning content with UX goals and business objectives.
• Accessibility Design – This segment has gained significant recognition lately. It aims to remove barriers to access and participation, promoting inclusivity and equal access to information and services. It also helps organizations comply with legal requirements and standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Accessibility Design means designing interfaces that are compatible with screen readers or keyboard navigation.

Depending on the project scope and requirements, UX designers may specialize in one or more of these areas to contribute to the overall success of a product or service.

Numerous factors make UX design a must-have today:

• Enhanced user satisfaction — Easy-to-use, intuitive, and enjoyable products lead to higher customer retention and company reputation growth. This results in higher conversion rates and better market positioning.
• Cost reduction — In the long term, great UX design saves businesses both time and money by avoiding ongoing redevelopment of the product, especially if applied in the early stages. Think of a UX design as another form of risk reduction.
• Wider audience access — By considering the diverse needs of users, UX designers create final products tailored to the customer’s needs, regardless of background or status. Accessibility and inclusivity are both key to a modern product's success.
• Better market positioning — Consistency in branding defines the best of the best. From websites to mobile apps or even physical products, consistent interactions and graphics contribute to a cohesive brand experience. Good UX design enhances company recognition and reinforces the overall brand message.
• Stronger influence — Through user research, prototyping, and iterative design processes, UX designers create new and exciting experiences that delight users. Good UX design focuses on pushing products or services to the frontiers of industry development.

While the term "UX design" itself is relatively modern, the concept has roots in various disciplines dating back decades.

In the late 1970s, German industrial designer Dieter Rams published his famous book called “10 Principles for Good Design”, laying foundations to what we consider today as the basics. In Rams publication mentions terms such as:

• inclusivity,
• stress-free usability,
• intuitive navigation,
• problem-solving capabilities,
• sustainability,
• sensory appeal,
• and even environmental integration, and thoughtfulness.

Moreover, in the 1970s and 1980s, cognitive psychology played an integral role in shaping UX design. Researchers like Donald Norman and Jakob Nielsen introduced concepts such as user experience design, mental models, and usability testing, emphasizing the importance of understanding human behavior in the design process.

The emergence of human-computer interaction (HCI) as a distinct field of study during the 1980s and 1990s laid the foundation for modern UX methodologies. This field focused on the interaction between humans and computers, exploring usability, and user interface design.

With the advent of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, UX design faced new challenges in creating user-friendly websites and interfaces. Design pioneers such as Jakob Nielsen and Steve Krug popularized usability principles and best practices, shaping the early landscape of digital user experience.

In the 21st century, UX design has evolved into a multidisciplinary field encompassing various specialties, including interaction design, information architecture, visual design, and user research.

The proliferation of mobile devices, social media, and immersive technologies has further expanded the scope of UX design, challenging designers to adapt to new platforms and user behaviors.

Today, UX design has gained new opportunities in fields like artificial intelligence, voice technology, and virtual reality. Interaction design concepts that were once brand new are now widely recognized mental models.

Therefore, forward-thinking UX designers will most likely learn to design for inclusion and enhanced personalization while specializing in fields such as voice design and UX writing.

In the realm of user experience (UX) design, the difference between a seamless, intuitive interface and a frustrating, confusing one can make or break a product's success. Here are a few examples of good and bad design.

Web design

While both sites serve the same purpose, Columbia Pictures’ anniversary site has a much more readable and well-thought-out layout. There is a clear visual hierarchy with a well-crafted text layer that underlines the main message of the whole project. WarnerBros’ anniversary site is much more chaotic and tends to repelusers instead of engaging. Remember: less is more!

Mobile app design

In mobile app design, all the principles and modern best practices should align with the project’s purpose — in this case: easy-to-use flight booking.

Purrweb’s app project is a good example of that. It presents features like swipeable elements, a clean layout, and a user-centric information hierarchy. Iber App, on the other hand, is overloaded with text, lacks fresh and modern features, and uses non-intuitive solutions, like the calendar bar at the top.

Branding

Brand logos have one main objective — to contain the essence of the represented establishment in an intuitive and self-explanatory way. The examples above are the total opposite.

In Tebio.com rebranding project, Vadim Carazan managed to extract components like biology and technology, and merge them into a fresh, intuitive logo.

Children entertainment, on the other hand, is the essence of a bad design. The typography is off, the quality is low, and message is lost between a reborn phoenix, a shady nightclub and a kindergarten events organization. The only thing that adds up in this project are opposing colors — but even this could be chosen more precisely.

Product design

The examples above clearly show that a great product design needs to be well-crafted and presented in the best way possible.

The AI Gym App project shows multiple and rather generic-looking screenshots at once. Some people find it often confusing – especially for the potential user. It is also easy to notice that Mehmet Özsoy focused here on finance and monetization features instead of this project’s essence.

In our opinion, Shakuro did a much better job by providing a minimalistic and user-centric layout that contains the most needed features. He also presented his sports app in an intriguing and dynamic way.

The user experience design process encompasses several steps to create effective and user-centered designs. Here's a simplified breakdown of the UX design process in five key steps:

1. Research and Discovery:

When designing a new product or solution, it's important to follow a structured approach that begins with understanding the problem or needs that the design aims to address. This may involve conducting user research to gather insights into user needs, behaviors, and pain points.

Through interviews, surveys, or even simple observations, data can be collected about the target users. Additionally, analyzing competitors and existing solutions also helps to understand industry trends, best practices, and areas for differentiation.

2. Define:

During the early stages of a project, it is crucial to establish a clear understanding of the goals and objectives. It is important to develop detailed profiles of the target users, which will help in understanding their characteristics, goals, and needs. This is where user personas come in handy.

Defining user stories is one of the steps in the design process, where user tasks and interactions are broken down into specific scenarios. This tactic also guides designers’ processes and helps create a user-centered product.

Once user personas, user flows, and hero stories are defined, engineers can then research existing solutions, gather relevant information, and brainstorm potential ideas and concepts. This stage often involves creativity and collaboration to generate a wide range of possible solutions that can be used to create a successful product.

3.    Graphic Design:

Designing often involves several sub-steps such as information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design. During this stage, designers select promising concepts and evaluate their feasibility, functionality, and potential impact through sketches, diagrams, or prototypes. This part is typically perceived as a major part of the whole design process.

4. Testing and Iteration:

At this stage, engineers and designers join forces. They create prototypes or models to test functionality and performance. For example, usability testing involves gathering feedback from real users to identify usability issues and refine the design. This iterative process is repeated until the design is optimized and meets the desired goals and requirements set in the previous stages.

5. Launch and post-launch:

This stage is dynamic and iterative. Engineers often cycle back through the steps as they refine and improve their designs based on new information and feedback.

Before finalizing the design, engineers conduct verification and validation processes to ensure that the solution meets all requirements and specifications. This may involve rigorous testing, analysis, and quality assurance measures.

It involves several critical steps, including development handoff, launch, and post-launch evaluation. Collaboration with developers is essential to ensure a smooth transition from design to development.

After the design is implemented and deployed, engineers may continue to monitor its performance, gather feedback from users, and adjust or update as necessary to maintain optimal functionality and address any issues that arise.

What is the most important step in the UX design process?

Most designers will probably say: “Understanding the problem and solving it.”

It is hard to disagree. Awareness and problem-solving are by far the most important elements in the design process, widely advocated in design literature and taught in design education. However, opinions on the most important step often vary.

Designers have different opinions on what the most important steps in the design process are. Some believe that building and testing prototypes early and often is crucial for gathering feedback, validating assumptions, and iterating ideas effectively. Others argue that continuously improving and iterating designs based on user feedback is key to successful design outcomes.

Lastly, some designers believe that creative ideation and problem-solving skills are the foundation of the design process. After all, generating a wide range of innovative ideas and concepts is essential for finding novel solutions to complex problems.

Different UX designers use various approaches and methodologies based on the requirements and context of a project. As a result, there isn't a single universally accepted “model” for the UX design process. Some commonly used UX design models and frameworks include:

1. Double Diamond Model:
   This model, developed by the British Design Council in 2005, consists of four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. It emphasizes divergent and convergent thinking to explore a wide range of solutions before refining and implementing the best ones.
2. User-Centered Design (UCD):
   UCD focuses on understanding the needs and behaviors of users throughout the design process. It typically involves phases such as research, design, prototyping, user testing, and implementation, all with a focus on user feedback and iteration.
3. Design Thinking:
   One of Milo Solutions’ strengths.
   Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that involves empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing. It emphasizes understanding user needs, challenging assumptions, and iterating rapidly to arrive at innovative solutions.
4. Stanford d.school model:
   The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, also known as the d.school, has developed a widely recognized model of design thinking. It consists of five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. This model emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and iteration as keys to successful innovation.
5. IDEO model:
   IDEO, a global design company, has its design thinking process that closely aligns with the Stanford d.school model. Their process includes three overlapping spaces: Inspiration (gathering insights and understanding the problem), Ideation (generating ideas and exploring possibilities), and Implementation (prototyping and testing solutions).
6. Google’s Design Sprint model:
   Developed by Google Ventures, the Design Sprint model is a five-day process aimed at rapidly prototyping and testing ideas. The process includes five stages: Understand (mapping the problem and defining the challenge), Sketch (exploring solutions), Decide (choosing the best solution), Prototype (creating a testable prototype), and Validate (testing the prototype with users).
7. LUMA System model:
   The LUMA System encourages users to mix and match methods depending on the specific needs of their projects. This framework for practicing design thinking includes 36 human-centered design methods organized into three key areas:

• Looking (gathering insights),
• Understanding (analyzing and synthesizing information),
• Making (envisioning and creating solutions).

Each of these design thinking models has its unique approach, but they all share the common goal of fostering user-centered innovation, collaboration, and experimentation. Structured frameworks provide a foundation for prioritizing and meeting user needs throughout the design process, ensuring successful project outcomes.

Let’s face the facts: delightful experiences come from the combination of surprise, emotions, and engagement.

The exceptional UX design process should be agile and iterative, allowing for rapid prototyping, testing, and refinement based on user feedback and market trends. Such processes should employ cutting-edge technologies that guarantee consistency and usability across multiple platforms and devices while prioritizing the user’s needs, behaviors, and pain points.

Best UX designers create projects with data-driven decisions, ensuring that each iteration is an improvement over the previous one. Collaboration across multidisciplinary teams ensures a smooth and effective design process, fostering effective communication and alignment.

To produce exceptional UX design in the IT industry a project, system or service should combine:

·       user-centricity,

·       technological innovation,

·       accessibility,

·       data-driven decision-making,

·       collaboration,

·       emphasis on delight,

·       and agility.

1.     Ignoring User Needs:

Cause: Focusing on the business POV and failing to prioritize user needs and preferences leads to poor conversion rates and reviews.

Solution: Conduct thorough user research to understand user behaviors, pain points, and goals. Use these insights to inform design decisions and prioritize features and functionalities that align with user needs.

2.     Designing in Isolation:

Cause: Designing products in isolation from other team members or stakeholders leads to misalignment with business goals and technical constraints.

Solution: Foster collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams, including designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders. Involve relevant team members in the design process from the beginning and encourage feedback and input from all stakeholders.

3.     Overcomplicating Design:

Cause: Unnecessary features, elements, or interactions lead to confusion and frustration of end-users.

Solution: Prioritize simplicity and clarity in design by eliminating unnecessary elements and complexities. Focus on core functionality and user goals and strive for a clean and intuitive user experience. Conduct usability testing to identify areas of confusion and streamline the design accordingly

4.     Failure to Iterate and Learn:

Cause: Failing to iterate on designs based on user feedback and insights leads to missed opportunities for improvement.

Solution: Embrace an iterative, responsive design process that involves gathering user feedback, testing designs, and iterating based on insights. Prioritize learning and improvement and be open to making changes to the design based on user needs and evolving requirements.

5.     Ignoring Accessibility:

Cause: Neglecting accessibility factors in UX design leads to the exclusion of users with disabilities, missed business opportunities, and a negative brand image.

Solution: Incorporate accessibility considerations into the design process from the beginning. Follow accessibility guidelines and best practices to ensure that the product is usable by users of all abilities. Conduct accessibility audits and testing to identify and address accessibility barriers.

In the IT industry, UX design often encompasses multiple aspects. It can be understood as user-centricity, accessibility, data-driven decision-making, emphasis on delight, or even workflow agility. Each designer will have a slightly different take on it.

Modern UX design, however, requires a balance between user-focused features and pixel-focused aesthetics. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies and a collaborative approach helps to deliver delightful and accessible experiences.

In short, exceptional UX design doesn’t necessarily mean a breakthrough each time.

The best projects allow for rapid prototyping, testing, and refinement—all based on user feedback and market trends. That is why it is crucial to cooperate with experienced creators who are aware of how much impact they have on the entire project.