Introduction to User Experience

WHO IS THIS DOCUMENT FOR?

Business Stakeholders, Product Owners, Designers, Developers, QA Testers

What is User Experience?
User Experience in Technology
The UX Honeycomb
User Experience for Touch-Based and Mobile Devices
Resources & additional information

What is User Experience?

User Experience (often abbreviated as “UX”) can, in the broadest sense, be defined as the overall experience you have when you are using or interacting with something. That “something” could literally be almost anything in the world.

The term “user experience” was originally conceived in the late 1980s by Donald Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things, while serving as Professor of Psychology at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Norman has pioneered the study of user-centered design (UCD) and has teamed up with Jakob Nielsen to form the Nielsen Norman Group, widely considered the world’s leading user experience consulting firm.

Think of a recent interaction you've had that would qualify as a “great user experience.” This could be in the form of outstanding customer service, a product that was incredibly easy to use, or a website that gave you the exact information you needed in just the right format at just the right time. If you’re running a business, your customer's overall experience with your product or service could very well make the difference when it comes to whether they will buy, or more importantly, whether they will come back to buy from you again or look elsewhere next time.

In today’s digital world, user experience comes to mind in the context of electronic devices & products like smartphones, computers, software, and websites. All of us have dozens, even hundreds, of user experiences every day when we drive our car, go through the checkout line at the grocery store, cook a meal in the microwave, etc. The list goes on and on.

A great user experience is so seamless that we typically don’t even think about it; we perform a task, get what we need, and move on. A poor user experience tends to make us frustrated, impatient, even angry, and we may inherently remember that negative experience for a long time. Think about the last time you had to wait a long time to eat at a restaurant because they messed up your order. Or the last time you called the toll-free customer service number and grew frustrated trying to navigate the automated system of menus to find the information you were looking for.

User Experience in Technology

When it comes to the technology industry, software developers and web designers will often talk about user experience using these terms:

User-Centered Design (UCD)
User Interface (UI) or Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Usability
Human Factors & Ergonomics
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

It is erroneous to think that user experience is just one of the above terms. In fact, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines user experience as “concerned with all aspects of the user’s experience when interacting with the product, service, environment or facility.” Therefore, user experience incorporates all of the above.

The first requirement for an exemplary user experience is to meet the exact needs of the end user without fuss or bother. Next comes simplicity and elegance that produce products that are a joy to own and use. True user experience goes far beyond giving end users what they say they want or providing a checklist of features. It requires a deep understanding of users and what they need, what they value, their abilities, and also their limitations. In order to achieve a high-quality user experience, there must be a seamless merging of services involving multiple disciplines including engineering, marketing, graphic & industrial design, and interface design.

The UX Honeycomb

In 2004, Peter Morville of Semantic Studios put together this concept of the UX Honeycomb. It represents the six aspects of a user experience that marketers, developers, and designers must try to maximize to the best of their ability. Each of the six outer cores express a facet of quality that, when combined, represent a certain amount of perceived value to the end user which is at the center of user experience.

Useful. A product must have something to offer in functionality versus solutions that already exist.
Usable. Ease of use remains vital; products need to work properly with no major glitches or inconveniences.
Desirable. Our quest for efficiency must be tempered by an appreciation for the power and value of image, identity, brand, and other elements of emotional design.
Findable. A product must present inherent instruction on its successful, intended use.
Accessible. Well-designed products balance the complexity of new, innovative solutions without alienating those experienced with old, standard models.
Credible. Users must sense that a level of professional thought and discipline were invested in a product’s design solution.

The kitchen tools designed by OXO were recently awarded a "Design of the Decade" award by the Industrial Designers Society of America. OXO founder Sam Farber sensed an opportunity in the housewares industry when his wife began suffering from arthritis in her hands. The opportunity was not just to design cooking utensils that were comfortable to hold in your hand; the products also had to set a new aesthetic trend that would not stigmatize the user as "handicapped."

The first product evaluated for redesign was the standard vegetable peeler. Since the product had already existed for decades, it met the requirements for useful and desirable. You can even say the traditional design was somewhat findable and credible due to the bare bones engineering of the original product. OXO realized there was much to be improved upon in terms of usability and desirability.

After extensive human factors tests, an ideal shape was developed for the handle that included fins carved perpendicular to the surface of the handle that allowed the index finger and thumb to fit comfortably around it while adding greater control. A suitable material was sought for the handle that would make a comfortable interface between the hand and the product, and would also provide sufficient friction that would prevent the handle from slipping in the hand when wet.

The overall effect is a very sophisticated product with a contemporary look that is superior in every way to its predecessor. The OXO peeler is also a good example of how one successful product becomes a brand strategy that can then be extended to other products. Combining insight, design, material choice, and manufacturing processes led to the creation of a new product line that has redefined kitchen utensils.

User Experience for Touch-Based and Mobile Devices

The science of user experience has matured over the last decade when applied to software design, including interacting with smaller, touch-based screens — be it through a browser or an app — using any form of mobile device. From low-end feature phones to tablets with high-resolution retina screens, mobile devices have the untethered freedom to be used any time, anywhere. Usability perceptions change constantly and rapidly, often focusing on multitasking, motion, low-light conditions, touch-enabled interactivity, the potential for distractions and poor connectivity.

The UX Honeycomb has been adapted specifically for assessing an optimal mobile user experience to include the following perceived value criteria:

Useful. An app must be “sticky” in that users not only perceive a value from a single instance, but the value of continued usage in the future.
Usable. An app shouldn’t surface any major bugs or crashes that keep users from accomplishing their goals within the app.
Desirable. An app must fill a void not filled in a traditional desktop environment. Many apps use extensive social mechanisms to drive adoption and continued use.
Findable. A well-designed app should provide a positive user experience without the need for extensive training or instruction. It should also be findable in the sense of being easily searched for & downloaded from the appropriate App Store(s).
Accessible. Because of the myriad of available devices, apps must strive for a consistent user experience across all mobile device types and for all users regardless of ability or disability.
Credible. Software designers need to show a deep understanding of an app’s goals and objectives and how they can be best realized through the native mobile experience.

Getting these steps right seems like a simple task, but history proves otherwise. A good mobile app must be comfortable to users in such a way that they have the desire to install, launch and use it all the time. They must feel the device is an extension of themselves. This can only happen if all the value criteria are met. Creating a good mobile user experience that resonates is not a hit-or-miss thing, it is the result of utilizing a set of practiced principles and methodologies that have existed for decades.

Apps that offer the best user experiences aren't just “mobile” experiences. While they may take advantage of mobile device features like the camera or built-in GPS, the best experiences resonate with traditional values such as quality, efficiency, association, and enjoyment.

Resources & additional information

Last Reviewed/Updated: March 2018