User experience (UX) is a core concept in the field of products and services. However, the term is often misunderstood, with many people associating it solely with visual interface design. Some may even interpret it literally, thinking that it is merely a subjective feeling. Don Norman, often referred to as the “father of user experience,” first introduced the term in 1993. He believed that the scope of user experience goes beyond usability or human-computer interaction, encompass all aspects of people’s experience with a system.
In reality, the driving force behind the rise of user experience is the accelerated advancement of technology. Technological progress has made innovation crucial in business competition. However, innovation not only presents technological challenges but also introduces new cognitive challenges for users. New products often require users to learn new ways of using them and address their own problems accordingly. This is not an easy task for many users. User experience is designed to help us solve these cognitive challenges. Thus, user experience actually represents a user-centered approach to product or service design. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the user’s mental model and aims to eliminate cognitive barriers that users may encounter when using a new product. The ultimate goal is to assist users in making informed decisions and achieving desired outcomes.
User experience design is at the heart of this process. It is a scientific and professional work that goes beyond simple personal subjective feelings. It encompasses a set of systematic processes and methods that progressively help product developers identify and reconstruct users’ mental models, thereby creating exceptional user experiences.
Therefore, true user experience is actually an interdisciplinary profession. Its foundation lies in psychology. User experience can be understood as applied psychology based on design. Additionally, it is closely linked to business, sociology, and management. Its knowledge system covers a wide range of areas, including psychology, user research, behavioral design, information architecture, interaction design, user testing, product development, service design, team consensus, and business design.
In practice, improving the user experience of an enterprise is a multi-level systemic engineering task. One crucial aspect is the transformation of organizational culture. Good user experience is built upon a user-centered value system. Additionally, organizations often need to conduct relevant training to embark on the path of change. Training should be tailored to different levels and departments to ensure that everyone understands the principles and practices of “user experience.” It is worth noting that providing user experience training to senior management is particularly effective, as their understanding of user-centered design principles can drive the redesign of organizational processes and performance metrics, thereby promoting user experience transformation from the top down.
Innovation heavily relies on user experience. For businesses, monopoly is not a moat; the user’s mental model is the real moat!