There are many misconceptions circulating in the world of user experience design that distort and diminish the importance of the field. From the assumption that UX is a purely aesthetic discipline to the belief that it is impossible to measure UX - there are many myths that we would like to shed light on and share our views on in this series.
Among other things, you will learn why UX design goes far beyond websites and apps, why aesthetics should never "trump" functionality and why everyone on the team should contribute to creating a positive customer or user experience.
We start with the myth that UX design is only relevant for apps and websites. Have fun!
It is a fairly widespread myth that UX design is only relevant for websites or apps. In fact, UX design affects digital and physical products and services. This can affect mobile apps and software, but also physical products such as household appliances.
To do this, we need to expand a little and explain our understanding of UX:
What is "UX" anyway and why is UX relevant?
In everyday use, the term "UX" describes both a professional discipline (the "UX people") and, above all, the resulting outcome (the user experience)
As UX designers, we use various methods in our professional discipline to find out what users and customers want and need in order to design a product or service for them that results in the most positive user experience (UX) possible.
This positive UX is generally expected to reduce "friction points" (friction) or obstacles between a task someone wants to complete and the tool they are using to complete that task.
This results in the user experience - in other words, something that users *experience*. This is determined by a variety of factors that are quite extensive. We believe that no one person or team can claim to be fully responsible for this, because much of it is in our hands and some of it is certainly not. But what we do have control over, we believe we should do well.
UX as a cross-product result of interactions and perceptions
We distinguish - like some others - not strictly between CX, i.e. the customer experience, and UX. This may also have something to do with *how* you look at "UX": Do you see it as more product-orientated or more process-orientated? We see it more process-orientated and therefore *every* interaction with a company, product or service contributes to the user experience. And both CX and UX pursue a common goal: design that is orientated towards people and their context.
In this sense, UX encompasses all aspects of a user's interaction with a product or service. From initial contact to use and aftercare, UX has a significant influence on how a user perceives a company and what experience they have with its offerings. At a time when customers and users have high expectations of the user-friendliness and effectiveness of products and services, a positive UX is also becoming an indispensable competitive advantage.
For example, UX design is relevant for a physical product such as the Thermomix in order to make the actual operation simple and easy to understand. But also the "before" and "after" - the Process from the purchase decision to the first use are important because all of this ultimately shapes the experience: What expectations do I have of the appliance? How is the Thermomix packaged? Will I cut my fingers because the appliance is very difficult to unpack? Are the operating instructions simple and clear or do I have to work my way through a whole jumble of irrelevant information? Is it easy for me to get in touch if I have any questions or do I have a lot of work to do?
Other examples concern e.g. newsletter communication, how is the approach here, how is the tone of voice, do I feel comfortable when I read this or do I rather feel pressurised into constantly buying more products?
So wherever customers and users interact with a product or service, UX design also plays a role.
Not communicating is also communicating
Conversely, this also means that it can also play a role if something is missing or not presented: e.g. a lack of contact options also shapes the experiences of customers and users. This may communicate that you do not want to be contacted, which in turn leaves an impression on customers or users.
As Paul Watzlawick said so beautifully: You can't not communicate. With this in mind - happy UX Mythbusting!
Do you have any questions?
Write to us or give us a call! We support you in the development of ideas and concepts and advise you on tricky UX challenges or frustrated users. We are happy to offer a non-binding initial meeting to get to know each other and look forward to hearing from you and your concerns!
