UX Design Basics
User Experience (UX) design is about making products that are useful, usable, and enjoyable.
What Is UX?
UX encompasses everything about a user's interaction with a product:
- Can they accomplish their goals?
- Is it easy to learn?
- Is it pleasant to use?
- Does it meet their needs?
Core UX Principles
#### 1. User-Centered Design
Design for users, not at them:
- Research what users actually need
- Test with real users, not assumptions
- Iterate based on feedback
#### 2. Simplicity
- Remove unnecessary elements
- Clear visual hierarchy
- Obvious navigation
- Minimize cognitive load
Steve Jobs: "Simple can be harder than complex."
#### 3. Consistency
- Same patterns throughout the product
- Match user expectations from other apps
- Predictable behavior builds trust
#### 4. Feedback
- What's happening (loading states)
- What happened (confirmations)
- What went wrong (clear errors)
#### 5. Accessibility
- Color contrast for visibility
- Screen reader compatibility
- Keyboard navigation
- Clear, readable text
The UX Design Process
- Research: Understand users through interviews, surveys, observation
- Define: Identify problems to solve
- Ideate: Generate solutions
- Prototype: Create testable versions
- Test: Get user feedback
- Iterate: Improve and repeat
UX vs UI
UX (User Experience): How it works — the overall feel and function
UI (User Interface): How it looks — visual design, colors, typography
Good UX with bad UI: Functional but ugly
Good UI with bad UX: Beautiful but frustrating
You need both.
Related Reading
Listen to the Full Course
Learn design principles in UX Design Fundamentals.