Navigating the “What is UX” Labyrinth

Defining to someone exactly what a user experience designer does is a convoluted labyrinth with hundreds of dead ends and conversational minotaurs. The title is so multifaceted that it’s hard to explain without going on tangents, and we usually give up and say something like, “I’m a web designer,” or “I make the internet happen.”

These simple descriptions are usually enough to satisfy inquisitive family members or ward off pesky elevator patrons. But what do you tell someone who’s interested in becoming a UX designer? Even more, what do you tell a design student looking for their first job, or a business analyst with a passion for user experience? This is where a good explanation becomes crucial to the success of the industry.

A good explanation of what a UX Designer is becomes crucial to the success of the industry.

In fact, this is so important that we here at Leadpages teamed up with the Minnesota chapter of AIGA to hold a forum on the topic. In the Leadpages office, a panel of Minneapolis UX leaders met for a discussion on Defining the Field.

Highlights from the forum

With great humor and tongue-in-cheek banter about the day-to-day workings of their departments, Maya Page (Target), Shawn Kardell (Mirum), and Greg Howell (Leadpages) fielded questions from the audience and shed light on the field. Here’s some of the highlights:

1. User experience design is problem solving. It’s relieving pain points of an application by taking what you think you know about your users, testing those assumptions, and constantly reevaluating the environment in which the problem exists.
2. A UX designer uses all the tools at their disposal — wireframing, rapid prototyping, user testing and observation, iteration, and research — to plan and adapt to the jungle of human psychology.
3. UX is a fusion of business and design thinking. It’s knowing your user through and through, and how your business strategy works with them.
4. A designer works with directly with product, marketing, and engineering, and keeps a constant feedback loop going throughout the entirety of a project.

Breaking into the maze

Lastly, a consistent theme of the discussion was that people can come from any field and find a home in UX. Graphic designers, developers, business analysts, and more can succeed with a solid portfolio of critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility, communication, and, most importantly, empathy.

I feel a little more equipped to help others navigate the labyrinth, but it’ll take a few more events before I can kill the minotaur. Watch for upcoming AIGA events in Minneapolis!