A Basic Intro to User Experience
User experience definition
There is no official definition for UX, or user experience, but it is basically the interaction between the user and the product. Does the user find the product useful? Usable? Desirable? Is the product findable? Accessible? Credible? These are all questions that a user experience researcher and designer has to figure out and answer.
A brief history of user experience
Some trace the history of user experience back as far as the Renaissance, if not earlier. They pointed to Leonardo da Vinci’s (failed) attempt to design a kitchen with conveyor belts and the first sprinkler system. Although it was an unsuccessful attempt, it hints at user experience design practices from later on.
In 1995, Don Norman, an electrical engineer and cognitive scientist, first incorporated the term “user experience” into a job title when he joined Apple to help with the research and design of its upcoming line of human-centered products. He asked to be called “User Experience Architect.” He also wrote a book, “The Design of Everyday Things,” that hugely influenced designers today.
In 2007 Steve Job unveiled the iPhone, claiming it to be far easier to use than any other smartphone at the time. Led by Apple, many other businesses began to recognize the importance of user experience design. From there, the discipline grew and designers today are in high demand across various fields.
Fields UX draws from
User experience is mainly applied and associated with the tech field. The technology itself may be complicated, but through UX designers, the user-product interface is simplified so that users have no need to know the complex designs behind the interface. A UX designer does not have to be a computer scientist, but he or she needs to know the basics of CS, including some technical terms. They should also have some statistical skills, as UX research often involves A/B testing. Other fields the UX discipline draws from include arts, social science, and many other disciplines.
