User experience isn’t new, but since the proliferation of technology it’s becoming the focus of many businesses.
So, what is user experience and why are businesses focusing on it? User experience is the overall experience a person has while using a product. In any business, you want to attract and retain customers. If your customers aren’t enjoying their experience with your product, they’ll stop giving you business.
Because the world is becoming more digital, there is now a huge emphasis on online user experience. In fact, there is a large influx of job opportunities for people trained in creating a better online user experience. This job is also referred to as user experience design.
The Importance of User Experience Design
There is an endless amount of products on the internet. If a company want to stay in business, they need to make sure their website is designed with the user in mind. If it’s not designed with the user in mind, the customer will leave to find a website that performs according to their needs and wants.
With that being said, user experience design is crucial for any business to succeed.
What is User Experience? (Defining User Experience More Clearly)
User experience is much more than how a person interacts with a product, or interface. It’s also how a person feels while interacting with a product, or interface.
To make a user’s experience positive, it’s important to consider the user’s journey as they interact with a website. User experience designers (UX designers) have to consider what a user’s goals are, and then map our how they might interact with a website in order to accomplish these goals. Considering there might be different types of users, or different user will have different goals, UX design can be complicated.
Some things UX designers have to think about when designing an app, website, or program is how usable the product is, how easy it is to use, how comfortable it is for the user, etc. And, at the risk of making things more complicated, UX designers also have to be concerned about the user interface (UI) design.
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UX vs UI Design
UX design is more focused on how a user feels when using a website. With that being said, UX design has more to do with the flow of a design.
UI design is more focused on how the interactions occurs for the user. With that being said, UI design has more to do with the visual aspects of a website.
The flow and visual parts of a website are important to an overall good user experience. Most user experience designers are trained in both UX and UI design, although some focus on one or the other in their career.
Why UX Design is a Good Career Choice
There is a huge demand for UX designers in the tech industry. According to the Bureau or Labor Statistics, developer jobs are expected to grow significantly in the next few years. And for every developer job, there is a team of UX designers designing the user interfaces.
Because there is such a big demand for UX designers, the pay is very competitive. According to Glassdoor at the time of this post, the average national income for UX designers is $97,460 a year.
Most UX designers will tell you their job is fun and challenging. Every day they have to come up with creative ways to improve the user experience, which means that every day comes with new exciting challenges.
What it Takes to Become a UX Designer
UX designers have a process that they learn through formal or alternative methods of education. Some UX designers begin their education at bootcamps, where they learn about the UX design process through real-world, guided practice.
The UX design community is growing and offers many opportunities for mentorship and networking. It’s typical to find a mentor as you learn more about UX design and get involved in the UX community. You can find mentors and UX meetup groups through LinkedIn, Facebook, and coding bootcamps.
Another effective way to becoming a UX designer is through creating. Constantly work on your own UX design projects, and reach out to other UX designers for advice on your work. Make sure to add these projects to your portfolio, describing your process. Then, when you’re ready to apply to jobs, you will have something to show employers.
Consider a Career in User Experience Design
When asking what is user experience, know that it’s a necessary for any business to succeed and that there is a high demand for user experience designers. If you like the idea of helping customers connect with brand through better user experience, you should consider a career in UX design. As a UX designer, you’ll be helping people by shaping the future of technology, and you’ll be getting paid well in the process!
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