UX? ED? UE? Starting in User Experience.

How do I get started on UX? What should I know? (Tips and Links)

Kadijna Ugiette

11, Oct 19

Hello, dear reader! If you are willing to know more about this subject… Welcome aboard! However, to initiate our journey I have a few questions:

How do you define UX? What is this? and UX, ED, UE?

The terms

According to Interaction Design Foundation User Experience(UX, UE) or Experience Design(ED) "is the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability and function."

Usability rules the Web. Simply stated, if the customer can’t find a product, then he or she will not buy it. Jakob Nielsen

Let’s do our kickstart

UX is not just about users, is about how to consider the goals of a business, which is to connect each other along with user needs.

UX design is a multidisciplinary field where you must have a deep knowledge of the area focusing on strategies and user/product/service needs.

This list is a few broad things of knowledge but your focus will be on the user.

Methods & Deliverables

To get started with UX work, we need to use many methods to help us do what our customers need and map the whole experience. To kickstart the process, we have a more tailored process around the UX work:

The image above shows a basic sequence of possibilities for using methods. Above we have a process that could define a high fidelity prototype. (It simulates the real system or website functionality and design details.)

Phase 1: Where ideas are generated, we analyze competitors, collect product information, and evaluate interfaces.
Phase 2: Here we talk to users to understand their needs, pains, behaviour and relationship to the product, create a picture that represents the user, collect product and user data and cross-reference information and mapping the user process step by step with the product.
Phase 3: Where we shape the product and what it should contain, we test with users to capture insights to create a user-focused product.
Delivery: The result of the whole process of methods for the product to be coded.

Below are some methods of some companies and how they divide each phase, they explain how to use each method. Be sure to check:

Tools

To Note and save ideas

Post-it.
Whiteboard markers, board clipart, boards, whatever you feel comfortable to put your ideas.
Notepad, Moleskines, Paper.

Schemas

Prototype

You may start with Figma cause it’s free ;)

Adobe XD: Supports Mac and Windows systems.
Figma: Desktop apps available for Mac and Windows.
Sketch: Available only for Mac (OS X) users.

Youtube channels

These channels have a lot of knowledge. Keep learning!

NN group: On their channel, you will find many tutorials on methods, processes and a lot of UX content.
Interaction Design.org: This channel you'll find videos on UX design and you can learn about all aspects of user experience.
IDEO U: IDEO U it's a part of a design global company with a human-centered design process and lots of contents about its projects and design methodologies.

Books

This list is my personal recommendation, I love these books hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Don't make me think - Steve Krug: If you need to understand the principles of intuitive navigation and information design this is the guide. (Before you started to making user interview you need to read this book)

Design Sprint - Jake Knapp: is a five-day process for solving problems and testing new ideas. Invented at Google by Jake Knapp. (You're gonna learn a new method, with real examples and easy language)

Value proposition design - Strategyzer: Value Proposition Design simplifies complex ideas into quickly readable illustrations with only the most practical, with a lot of models to apply. (You’ll learn more, in less time, and have fun along the way)

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People - Susan M. Weinschenk: This book combines real science and research with practical examples to deliver a guide every designer needs. (You’ll be able to design more intuitive and engaging work for print, websites, applications, and products that matches the way people think, work and play.)

The user experience team of one - Leah Buley: This book had a range of approaches that have big impact and take less time and fewer resources than the standard lineup of UX deliverables. (This book gives you the power to make the “user perspective” aware of the work you do and the people you work with.)

Instagram pages

In prone to put more design stuff into your day, all these pages had a lot of interesting things to learn.

I hope you find it helpful and share it with your UX friends.