What is UX?

DEFinitions

What do user experience people do… exactly?  

If you’ve been involved in any type of online project recently, “User Experience” (UX) is likely a term you’re hearing more of. UX people help clients design usable, workable interfaces across web, mobile and social platforms. A good UX consultant can help you with everything from researching your target audience, to defining a creative vision, to testing and implementing that vision. UX people are often the ‘go-betweens’ on a digital project, working up front with researchers and designers, and later with testers and engineers. Other important UX tasks can include SEO / analytics, usability analysis, and accessibility. While most seasoned UX people will have broad exposure across functions, they often specialize in one or two; my focus is Content Strategy and Information Architecture.

Places Ux people TEND TO work

  • Large digital agencies
  • Boutique design studios
  • Consulting firms
  • Government agencies
  • Associations and Non-profits
  • In-house at businesses
  • Education and higher-ed
  • Independant contractors

Places LESS LIKELY TO FIND UX PEOPLE

  • Barns
  • Industrial chemical plants 
  • The tundra
  • Welding shops
  • Coal ash disposal facilities
  • Assembly lines
  • Plumbing supply warehouses
  • Pretty much anyplace requiring physical prowess   

Things UX People Do

  • Wireframes
  • Prototypes
  • Content Inventories and Audits
  • Navigation Design
  • Usability Testing
  • User Research

Skills UX People Have

  • Wireframe and prototype software (Axure, Sketch, Adobe XD)
  • Working knowledge of HTML / CSS
  • User research methodology
  • Interface design principles
  • Information design knowledge
  • Being generally pleasant

"Minimal design, deep content."

Edward Tufte – Grandfather of information design

"Metadata is the new art direction."

Eathan Resnik – Art Director

"An artist is a designer without a job."

Mike Montero – Mule Studios