USER EXPERIENCE

WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE?

User Experience is a term originally developed to reference human-computer interactions. However, in more recent years, it has been adapted to all types of experiences, including: point of purchase, digital interfaces, and product design. “User Experience” is the widely accepted term for explaining the all-encompassing approach a designer should have on a product. The term’s popularity is often credited to Don Norman, a human-computer interaction expert who gave himself the title “User Experience Architect” while working at Apple Computer, Inc. in the 1990s. Norman is quoted as explaining, “No product is an island. A product is more than the product. It is a cohesive, integrated set of experiences. Think through all of the stages of a product or service – from initial intentions through final reflections, from first usage to help, service, and maintenance. Make them all work together seamlessly.” (1) Today, the concept of User Experience is greater than one factor. The User Experience umbrella encapsulates human-computer interaction, product form and function, user interface, purchase experience, maintenance, and every other part of a product’s lifecycle from cradle to grave (and beyond). The idea is that a truly successful design will consideration of all of these details and their consequences.

Within the business and marketing paradigm, a more common term is “Lifestyle.” I define Lifestyle as “a worthwhile interaction with a customer as a shared moment between people, an exchanged value, and an identification for both the company and the person.” It is becoming understood that a customer doesn’t just want to interact easily and intuitively with a company, they want to identify and “live” the life (or experience) that the company promises. This can include a person on the other end of the telephone when the customer calls with a question. It can be the feeling a new purchase gives a client. IT can go a far as applying the company logo to a vehicle, getting the logo as a tattoo, or leaving the product as an inheritance. The goal is to create a relationship between the company and the customer where the customer will return for more experiences and openly share those experiences with others. In business, Lifestyle is the heading under which brand awareness, brand loyalty, return on investment (ROI), and other terms are best understood. The User Experience/Lifestyle of a company and product is every touchpoint and every reaction or consequence of a touchpoint.

A company’s goal is to make every experience with a customer positive. This can be accomplished with technology, training, product design, or imagery. It can be defined by price points, which trade shows a company attends, marketing choices, ad campaigns, and even the availability of a product. So often, the experience for the customer is defined by the story the business is trying to tell. The success is the customer’s willingness to adopt that story as their own.

The designer is responsible for the user’s experience with form, materials, ergonomic considerations, cost considerations, packaging, and fit and finish (to name a few). Each detail affects how a consumer will choose to interact with a mass-produced product. Giving sufficient attention to each of these details is a challenge for every designer – myself included. Understanding how both the business world and the design world define their goals helps us do this.

1. “What is User Experience (UX) Design,” Interaction Design Foundation, 19 January, 2022, https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design