CRyder Design

An Introduction

As a writer, I’m guessing when you read this title you belong to one of three groups. The group of people that have a good understanding of what UX design is, the group of people that have heard of UX design but still aren’t sure what it is, and the group of people that have no idea what UX design is. Good news! In this piece, I will accommodate each group and explain what UX design is, and how psychology plays a role in it.

What is UX Design?

Explaining UX design to someone who has never heard of it before can be challenging. UX is just a shortened term used to refer to user experience and user experience design. But what exactly is user experience? There is no one universal definition that you can use to explain it in layman’s terms, UX is a conglomerate of multiple different disciplines. “…UX design is the process of designing (digital or physical) products that are useful, easy to use, and delightful to interact with. It’s about enhancing the experience that people have while interacting with your product, and making sure they find value in what you’re providing” (“What is UX Design? 15 User Experience Design Experts Weigh In”). If you’ve never heard of UX before, this may have just cleared things up a bit. UX designers center their process around the user. Everything that is designed, is designed with the user and the user’s experience in mind. They want to ensure that the user’s interaction with a product is as simple and enjoyable as possible.

What Do UX Designers Do?

The main task for UX designers is to advocate for the user of a product. Their job is to make their experience with the said product as simple, smooth, and enjoyable as possible. Everyday tasks and projects will vary depending on the type of company a UX designer is working at, but the principles seem to remain the same across the board. “Despite the variety the role offers, there are some general functions that a UX designer can be expected to perform, including conducting user research, creating user personas, determining the information architecture of a digital product, designing user flows and wireframes, creating prototypes, and conducting user testing” (“What Does a UX Designer Actually Do?”). These terms may be unfamiliar to someone who has no idea about what UX is and what it entails, but in simple terms, they are just methods of defining and understanding the intended audience of the product users and creating the skeleton of a product to fit the needs of that audience.

How Does Psychology Play a Role?

I know what you may be thinking. Okay, so this is all about the user right? So how does psychology come into play in all of this? Well, because understanding users and their journey through interacting with a product is a large portion of what UX designers do, an understanding of psychology and its principles is important. “Psychology is an integral part of the User Experience (UX) design process. Understanding how the people interact with the product and how their decisions can be influenced or can be manipulated are the topics covered by UX designers” (“The Psychology in UX Design”). Understanding the reasoning behind a user’s decision-making process and their thought process can provide insight on how to improve the product to create a better user experience. Knowledge of psychology can help to provide a better explanation as to why a user makes certain decisions that they do, and how to design an improved product based on those decisions. It is common for individuals with a background in psychology to get a job in UX, as they bring a different perspective of understanding the user to the conversation. “As a person who has a better understanding of people, the way in which you can bring your knowledge to the table could potentially come in many different ways. Depending on your expertise and your interest, you may find research more interesting. Or you may find designing more interesting” (“Having a Psychology Background is Already a Huge Step Towards User Experience (UX)”). A background in psychology has the potential to take an individual a great distance in the world of UX.

In Conclusion

Having a refined understanding of psychology can advance UX design to the next level. Understanding the audience is the central idea that all UX designers are focused on, and having the ability to deeply tune in to the reasoning behind the user’s decisions and their needs can help to create the ideal product.