3 Facts About UX Everybody Should Know

With User Experience (UX) being a central part of today’s tech world, there are many misconceptions that have come along with it. There is no denying the importance of focusing on well-coded apps, however, we oftentimes overlook the necessity of a pleasurable user experience. Making sure your app is user-friendly is a key ingredient to success.

In this article, we will debunk some common UX myths within the software development industry.

1. The Myth: UX is expensive

This is one of the most disseminated myths in the software world. Just like any other software development, understanding your users involves both time and a cost. When one does not recognize that UX should be part of the development of a product, it is possible to view it as an unnecessary expenditure.

The Fact: Let’s be honest, like any other product development, conducting a valuable analysis requires time and money. However, the real question is: is this time and money well spent? Based on our experience working with products that are constantly evolving, not having a clear understanding of your user tends to bring delays and increased costs at the time of development. And here’s why:

1. Investing money in UX initially, saves money later on. Obtaining feedback from your users — and making well- researched, user-centered design decisions — early on, can help you prevent expensive errors, saving a substantial number of developer’s hours and of course, thousands of dollars.
2. Develop the right product from the get-go. UX from the beginning helps assure that you are creating the right output or product while at the same time providing a better understanding of it’s design. This saves both time and money as well as gives you the information you need, leading to the ideal solution.

2. The Myth: Implementing UX within your company is difficult

Beginning to practice UX at your company is a complicated task.

The Fact: While it is true that having an interdisciplinary team specialized in UX can be complex, starting to focus on and practice UX is relatively simple. It involves communication, dedication, and desire. When you think about it, all products are ultimately made for users. If the user does not benefit from its value, the product doesn’t serve its purpose.

Defining the flow/UX of the app or program as a team provides a clear understanding of the decision- making process for everyone involved. The first step to achieving this is to begin sharing ideas and strategizing as a team. From the get-go, there should be direct communication between the designers, developers, and other stakeholders.

Implementing this level of interaction, even without UX specialists, will result in fewer complications during the development stage, a better product, and happy customers.

3. The Myth: UX is only for specialists

There is much discussion as to whether or not one must be a specialist to accurately think about the UX of the product.

The fact: Yes, having a specialist on board your team is ideal, nevertheless, if your company does not have the budget or capacity to hire a UX specialist at the time the most important things to keep in mind are being empathetic and open, listening, observing, and putting oneself in the shoes of the end user.

UX is crucial input in the decision-making process of the product if it is not aligned and present within the entire team, even an expert won’t be able to successfully solve the problem.

Check out these helpful (and recommended) resources to get started:

• UX Development
• Simplicity: using a pen and paper
• Is it working?
• Evaluating your designs

While the basics of UX appear to be simple, implementing it and using UX is a bit more complicated. UX is hard work- it takes planning (researching), observing (designing), analyzing (testing), and then of course, recommending the correct solutions.

Three steps in the UX process:

• Planning (researching): The planning and research stage is crucial to making design decisions later on. This step communicates how your target users interact with the product- their behavior, motivations, needs, and objectives.
• Observing (designing): The observation and design stage are the core of the product. This is where you strategize the user’s journey to make sure the process is intuitive and what they are looking for. Here is where you will illustrate and determine the features and functionality of the product.
• Analyzing (testing): The analyzing or testing phase involves validating if what you designed initially, actually works. This allows you to improve and eliminate any problems from the original creation and modify all unforeseen changes before implementing the product.

Important to keep in mind: This does not mean that those who are new or learning UX shouldn’t do it. It means to successfully use UX it demands dedication, practice, and experience.

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UX is more powerful than we think. It’s methods and strategy come from years of practice and research. Dispelling these myths will allow you to implement UX, benefiting current and future users and guaranteeing the outcomes you are hoping for.