UX is a popular buzzword in the tech industry but only a few truly understand its meaning. In this entry, we’ll look into the fundamentals of UX and what a UX designer does.

Picture this; you’re browsing through the website of your favorite school supply brand. You look through the navigation bar, and you click on the shop. The shop page opens and boom⁠—you get a directory of all their products listed in random order, stylized in one monotonous font. And as if the information overload isn’t enough, each word you click redirects you to another page filling up your browser.

A supposedly convenient shopping experience turns into a nightmare because of a poor system. How does a user respond? They go to the next website that has a tidier process. This is how the User Experience (UX) design impacts your business. It’s a decisive factor for your customers. When a website is easy to navigate, it leads to higher conversion rates and sales figures.

The Fault in our Design

When it comes to website features, “user-friendly” is a somewhat subjective term. What counts as a great user experience? Is it the no-nonsense transaction process? The clean and elegant website aesthetic? Or just a generally error-free app performance? UX design covers all these and more. Businesses maximize their online presence by leveraging UX.

Here are the benefits of UX for startups:

Guaranteed customer loyalty

First impressions last. When the experience is great, your customers will choose to purchase from your brand over other competitors because of its convenience. Think of it this way, would you still go all the way to a grocery store to buy one item when 7-Eleven has it next door?

Higher ROI

Each dollar invested in a software solution is expected to triple in profit. When you spend on an excellent UX design, your customers will enjoy browsing your store. In turn, your sales will skyrocket with a steady stream of sales.

Higher conversion rate

Imagine having each click on your website turn into real-life life customers. The conversion rate is measured on the number of users converting into regular buyers.

Branding benefits

Make your brand synonymous with the word “easy.” The most successful businesses employed the best UX designs. You can create your unique application and get recognized by your target market.

The takeaway? Better user experience means better business. When your customers are happy, your sales are higher. Make an effort to learn more about UI and UX to reap their full benefits. That way, you can maximize your application and get a better return for your startup.

What is User Experience

We define user experience as the overall interaction of the user with a product or service. This term is commonly used in evaluating how a software application is performing. Depending on how it’s designed, the application could either be very straightforward or too complicated for the non-techy layman.

The whole idea of UX was inspired by Donald Norman, a cognitive scientist who worked for Apple. He was interested in the user perspective of a product. Hence, he coined the term to capture all aspects involved in the user’s interaction with the technology. This evolved into the modern Design Thinking process.

Today, UX is widely used by companies to convert and retain their following. A seamless user experience ensures good business. There’s nothing like a happy customer to establish a brand’s credibility. And with that, the demand for UX designers have significantly increased through the years.

The Roles of a UX Designer

Now that we know the fundamentals of UX, it’s time to discuss who makes the magic happen. A UX designer plays a significant role in the creation and performance of your website. He or she creates an interactive layout that is not only visually impressive but also fully functional. This is why choosing the right designer is crucial.

Job Description

So, what does a UX designer do? The UX designer is considered to be one of the most versatile positions in the team. Most people have the misconception that a UX designer’s job is the same as a graphic designer. Although they have similarities, UX designers do more than just creating the “artsy” elements of a website. They are involved from ideation down to quality testing.

These are the items the UX designer is in charge of:

• Product strategy
• Visual design
• Interaction design
• User Research/Data Analytics
• Content Strategy

UX designers work on these areas in the Design Thinking Process.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a problem-solving process for creative brainstorming. Although widely used by the creative community, it’s also helpful in various industries. Large corporations have made use of the approach to improve their products. IBM is one of the biggest names that make use of Design Thinking.

When done right, Design Thinking streamlines product design development, ensuring a more user-driven output.

So, how does Design Thinking work?

At a high level, the goal of Design Thinking is to create a human-centered product or service. This means that the user’s point of view is taken into account in every stage of the development. Although these steps can change depending on the company itself, this is generally how the development phases occur:

1. Empathize – this involves gathering insights from users, knowing their problem, and what they need for it.
2. Define – using the gathered insights, you can then define the problem statement and specify what and who the product is for.
3. Ideate – once the problem is defined, it’s time to create the solution. At this stage, you can now brainstorm ideas that should be evaluated with the user’s perspective in mind.
4. Prototype – the prototype is the early version of the product that undergoes an iterative cycle of testing.
5. Test – the prototype is then presented to the users for feedback.

The UX designer goes through this cycle until he or she comes up with the final output.

Where to find UX Designers

Now that we’ve learned the roles of a UX designer, it’s time to find you can hire one for your company. There are all kinds of recruitment platforms you can tap into. You have to meticulously evaluate if the skills and experience of your candidates fit your project requirements.

You can look for UX designers on these platforms:

Recruitment websites

Everything and everyone can be found online now. You can browse through a wide talent pool through LinkedIn, Upwork, Indeed, Craigslist, and more. These websites let you find candidates based on location, skills and pay range.

Local agencies

If you don’t have time to search, you can enlist the help of a recruitment agency. Recruitment firms are highly efficient in finding the most skilled candidates. However, the talent pool may be limited.

Outsourcing

If you want to build a software team for an affordable price, the best option is to offshore them. Offshoring is a convenient way to find the best candidates at an affordable rate.

Scaling your Startup

When it comes to acquiring and retaining customers, your products play a key role. This is why they have to be created with the best minds on your team. Consult and enlist the help of experts on how to maximize your website and improve your products and services.

Full Scale can help scale your startup by providing you the resources you need. We have a team of senior developers, graphic designers, project managers, content writers, QA specialists, and more. They can help you at any stage of development.

Want to learn more? Talk to us!