Why integrate user experience into a digital project?
The first day of Next Step OutSystems Amsterdam was all about the importance of the user experience on the digital project development. Starting by Paulo Rosado OutSystems CEO presentation in which he pointed out two key sentences concerning user experience importance on a digital project development: “Designed UX-first.” and “It’s hard to design good UX”. Then followed by José Ferrari Careto from EDP that took a thinking of “how important is user experience in our days” and after César Marto from Delloite that remark “Usability it is like jokes, if you need explain, it is bad”.
Based on our experience on UX and taking into account what was said at the event first-day presentations we, at Hi Interactive, decided to write this article covering up all the main reasons why your digital company needs to integrate user experience into your digital projects.
What is the user experience?
User experience, UX for short, is how a person feels when interacting with a digital product. It can encompass many variables, such as usability, accessibility, performance, aesthetics, structure, utility, copywriting and creative. Some of those variables can be controlled by designers and/or by developers, but others are just environmental or concerning user preferences.
At the end user experience is all about user emotion, intuition, feeling and connection when using a digital product, like an app, a website, an e-commerce shop, or a software.
So UX is more than how a digital product looks like, is how a user interacts with it and how enjoyable and easy that interaction is.
Why user experience matters?
Normally, for many of you, the user experience is a part of the design process that you don’t hear or care unless something goes wrong with the user. Wrong! UX should be a central part of the design process from early concepts to the final product.
1. UX is straightforwardly navigation
The more complex a digital product is, simpler a user navigation through it must be, so the user can easily understand how to use it. Neglecting UX can result in a sloppy digital product that will get the user quickly frustrated and less interest in using it again. On the other hand, developing an interaction-rich experience will stimulate the user to repeat it again and again.
2. UX is organization made clear-cut
If the user experience is integrated into the design process, the features on the digital product will be well-organized, understandable and coherent across it. Using clear signals, CTA copy, buttons, and icons will make paths sharp and easy to go through.
3. UX is love at first impression
This is very important when it comes to bounce rate because a user can decide in just a few seconds whether the digital product is worth of his time. User experience gives you the opportunity to get to reel someone in and creates the momentum that propels the digital product forward.
4. UX is user satisfaction increased
The success of a digital product depends on how the design and functionalities are portrayed to the end user. Achieving the right combination of UX with creative and eye catching elements will is not always an easy balance to meet the demanding needs of users.
How can user experience be incorporated in the digital product design process?
Start with collaboration! Bringing together designers, front-end developers and UX/UI experts with the common goal of solving an issue. First, to outline a set of aesthetics, functionalities and patterns, coherent with brand visual communication. Secondly, to specify the connection and the experience the user should have when interacting with the digital product. And then test, see if it works as expected with the outcomes, analyze the user feelings about the overall experience with the digital product, re-build the pain points and re-test it.
Last but not least, regardless all the user experience key points identified above, you need to take into account that you’ll never be able to totally predict for certain how your digital product will be perceived by the user. Like Paulo Rosado said “We can’t all wear the same clothes”, but you can arm yourself with the tools to take informed decision about UX the design process of your digital product project.
Watch our video and see what the experts have to say about the importance of UX in the overall experience of a user on a digital product. And, in the end, know how to revolutionize your front-end OutSystems integrating our UX experience to have more than just a great look of your digital product.
