Principles that jump-started my journey in UX?Design

Right when I started learning about UX I encountered many challenges and difficulties with so many different methods, names and jargon. But if there was something that helped me understand the basics of UX was researching guiding principles and tips for beginners.

So to give a help to those who are starting out I decided to write about the principles and tips that helped me get started in UX. Without a doubt what you need to know first is….

1- Understand once and for all what UX is:

User Experience is an increasingly popular concept in companies. In a nutshell, it is a set of elements and factors related to the interaction and how someone feels when using a product or service. UX has to do with broad, digital or analog aspects. They can be related to items such as hardware, software, usability, experience, design and the interface.

So if you look back and connect the dots, user experience is anything that involves a person through some kind of interaction or experience.

“User Experience is everything! It’s the way you feel the world, it’s the way you experience your life, it’s the way you experience a service, an application, a computer system. But it’s a system. That’s all!”

— Don Norman, creator of the term “UX (User Experience)”

So write this down:?UX goes beyond screens or interactions, it’s the experience as a whole.?In a way it is wrong to declare yourself as UX Designer, but this is the most used “label” and the one in “fashion” and everything is fine. What matters is that you have real intention of wanting to create things that solve problems and help people.

It is worth noting that this is a multidisciplinary area that encompasses knowledge from various areas such as psychology and even engineering. Sometimes it may seem confusing and a little complicated for beginners because it encompasses a large portion of topics, labels and jargon that change and evolve all the time.

And of course, this definition is just the way I came to understand what UX is after reading a wide variety of books and articles on the subject. Surely at some point you will come across many other views and understandings on the subject, ideally you should draw your own conclusions and never forget the most important aspects.

But anyway, Like you, I was also very confused at first and that’s why I wrote this article, so I can help solve all your doubts and confusions.

2- Understand the nomenclatures of the different UX positions

When I started researching UX I had many doubts about the different types of positions and names, there is so much as: UI/UX Designer, UX Strategist, Interaction Designer, Information Architect and several others.

To simplify things and help you, I recommend that you read articles about the difference in each nomenclature.

3- UI and UX are two completely different things

One of the main confusions that occur in the UX world is to think that UI (User Interface) is the same thing as UX (User experience). It’s different, UI is inserted inside UX, but it’s?not the same thing.?UI is just an interface/screen, a means for the person to interact with something.

It is super common for you to find job descriptions that will ask you to have research and design knowledge of interfaces and other related (The famous UI/UX description). This is a role for more than one professional, but unfortunately the market has been miseducated, but rest assured that things are getting better and better.

But in a way it is interesting that the UX professional knows and understands a little about the principles of visual design and software such as Photoshop, Figma, and Sketch.

So remember, when talking about UX Design this is not limited only to designing application screens, the professional who is responsible for designing application screens is the UI Designer or Visual Designer.

4- Understand what usability is

Usability is a crucial part of molding UX. Many people think that a usable product is how easy it is to use, but it is much more than that. It’s about how something can be used effectively to complete the user’s goal efficiently and satisfactorily.

5- Iterate and Reiterate?… rince and repeat

The best way to find out if an idea will work is through prototyping which is something super simple and easy to do in most cases, but is often ignored or forgotten.

When the user has something concrete to interact with and not only speculation everything becomes easier to decide whether or not it solves a problem.

6- The importance of intuitive UX and Empathy

Without a doubt empathy is the word that most appears in the UX universe. I believe that?there is no UX without empathy, which is nothing less than the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, feel what they feel and deeply understand their situation.

This is an area that will always take into account people’s point of view, so developing an ability to empathize is something indispensable for those who want to be a good UX professional.

When you really understand why people do what they do you will find it much easier to design something that works and does people good. If you’re not trying to improve people’s lives, what are you doing then?

7- Present strong information

Human beings are terrible guessers, regardless of what you are creating the information must be tangible and easy to understand.

Design works through mental models each person reacts according to what they have already experienced. Not always something that works for you will work for other people, because mental models are different.

Give few options, the more choices the user has the more difficult it will be to make a choice. The ideal is to remove the items that are cool to have and leave only the necessary alternatives.

Oh yes! A mental model is the way we think, act and understand how something works. Each person has a different mental model. This is one of the biggest reasons why you should?deeply understand who you are creating for.

8- Discover the root of the problem before creating a solution

We often receive “canned” problems to solve, things like: Designing a new interface that is easier to use, improving the flow of use of a website, etc. But is this the real problem you need to solve?

According to Don Norman author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, one of the best ways to discover the real problem you want to solve is through the “5 Whys” methods that consists of repeatedly questioning why of something, example:

Why do we need a new interface? A: The current one is too difficult to use.

Why do you think it’s hard to use? A: It is very time-consuming to do basic operations, register… Etc, etc etc…

Anyway, the story goes far. Not necessarily you need to question five times, but I assure you that the more you question, the closer you will be to discovering the real problem that needs to be solved.

Design is about people, and UX is about designing elements that will compose a person’s experience. Failure to conduct research or take into account your user’s point of view is completely against all UX principles.

9- Design for a meaningful UX

Your job is to create positive experiences, at least you should worry and take care not to cause any pain to the user. There is no point in designing a wonderful interface full of effects and motion whether it is difficult to use or does not solve anyone’s problem.?

10- Don’t make me think

Everything you create should be simple to learn and easy to use, find and adapt. People’s intuition occurs automatically, so by using it you will be providing a better user experience.

11- You are not your user

What is obvious to you is not for someone else. Our thoughts, actions and judgments are influenced by our culture and lifestyle in such a way that it leads us to create a unique mental model. How many people do you think can understand how you think?

12- Provide clues and signs

Never let the user get lost. Signaling is one of the most important usability elements, especially when it comes to the web where the user has numerous options and paths. Your design should always make the person aware of where they are, either through a title, subtitle or breadcrumb showing in detail where they came from, where they are and where they can go.

13- Do not use jargon

Be clear, do not use technical terms or slang. Remember that the experience is about the user and not about you.

14- Learn to observe

After the ability to empathize, observation is one of the most important things that a UX professional should worry about developing. Often people can’t describe very well what they are feeling or thinking and it is through observation that you can understand what is happening. So keep an eye out?:)

Conclusion

These are the basic principles that helped me get started in UX, but in the end everything is related to how to improve people’s experience. So never forget to always look for ways to present better and better solutions that solve people’s problems.