Maybe you’ve heard people talking about UX design, but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus about what this means.
Several UX design agencies in London are offering their services to help your business, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at what UX design is.
According to an Oxford Journal:
“The goal of user experience design in industry is to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through the utility, ease of use, and pleasure provided in the interaction with a product.”
So let’s break that down into more detail to see what it entails.
What is UX design?
UX design is short for ‘user experience’ design. Don Norman first mentioned this term early 90s while he worked for Apple as a cognitive scientist.
He was very interested in the user’s experience with products which included design, graphics, platform interface, and interaction. Thus, to combine all those factors he used the term ‘user experience’.
Since the first use of that term, it has developed further.
30 years later, UX design looks at interactions between users and products or services including internet pages, apps, and home appliances like coffee machines or thermometers.
Additionally, UX now encompasses psychology, business, research, technology, and design, so a UX designer has a vast skill set that is adaptable anywhere.
What do UX design agencies do?
As per the Oxford definition, UX design agencies work to ensure that the products and technology are enjoyable and accessible to your customers.
In that role, you’d be working as part of a team and be a liaison between the users, developers, and business owners.
Your priority will always be to make sure that everything is optimized for the end-user – whatever development or changes are made it should always be for the benefit of the user. However, that should always include consideration of whether that is also in line with the business goals.
The general list of responsibilities put forward by a UX design agency includes:
- Customer analysis
- Competitor analysis
- Content development
- Product structure
- Prototyping and wireframing
- Testing and iteration
- Coordinating with UI designers
- Coordinating with developers
These will of course vary depending on what you specialize in and what company you work for.
There are a lot of products you can be involved with including designing websites, apps, or software. You might even be involved in things you wouldn’t normally consider such as people’s experience with public transport or restaurants.
Do remember that UX design agencies don’t usually carry the responsibility of designing the visual aspect of the product – their key focus is on the user’s journey.
A good UX journey would end in a commitment from the customer: signing up to a newsletter, making a purchase, downloading an app. And so, as a UX designer, it is up to you to make that journey happen so that in the end…
The user and the business is happy!
Conclusion
So you see, UX design can give you an interesting, challenging, and very satisfying career which you can take into other directions and adapt the skills to different roles.
If you’d like to be part of a UX design agency, check out listings from various UX design agencies in London to find your next step.
The future is full of possibilities.
