User Experience (UX)
The overall experience a user has when interacting with a product or service.
Definition
User Experience (UX) encompasses all aspects of a user's interaction with a product, service, or company. Good UX design focuses on understanding user needs, creating intuitive flows, and removing friction. UX involves research, information architecture, interaction design, and usability testing. It's distinct from but closely related to UI design.
Why It Matters
UX encompasses how users interact with and feel about a product. Good UX means users accomplish their goals easily and enjoyably; poor UX creates frustration that drives users away.
Investing in UX delivers measurable returns—reduced support costs, increased conversion, higher retention, and stronger brand perception. Every dollar spent on UX returns many in avoided problems and captured opportunities.
Examples in Practice
A UX overhaul reduces support tickets by 40% by making common tasks self-service.
User research reveals checkout friction, and removing it increases conversion by 35%.
A product's superior UX becomes its key differentiator in a crowded market.