What is user experience (UX)?

10 January 2025

Authors

Teaganne Finn

Content Writer, IBM Consulting

Amanda Downie

Editorial Content Strategist, IBM

What is user experience (UX)?

User experience, often shortened to UX, refers to the overall experience a customer or user has when interacting with a product, system or service. UX takes all the user’s feelings about the product or service, including ease of use, accessibility, visual design, functions of the user interface, and the emotional impact of using the product to then make an assessment.

It is a multidisciplinary field involving many stakeholders, drawing on principles from design, psychology, engineering and business to create experiences that are both intuitive and enjoyable for the user through user research and understanding user needs. The user-centered design approach was first invented by Don Norman, who at the time worked for Apple as an Apple Fellow.1 He is known as the “father of user experience” and first coined the term and the definition of user experience in 1993. He later co-founded the Nielsen Norman Group, a UX research and consulting firm.

UX aims to meet the needs and expectations of users by ensuring that the product or service is easy to navigate, responsive and efficient. This involves understanding the user’s preferences and customer behaviors. This feedback can be collected through user interviews, surveys and usability testing of the business’ web design or app. The goal for UX professionals is to identify pain points that might hinder the user experience and address them with thoughtful design choices to produce better products. UX design is iterative, meaning it evolves over time through testing, feedback and continuous refinement.

There are several key stages to the process, including research, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping and user testing. Effective UX design does not just focus on aesthetics. It also considers the functional flow of interactions and emotional satisfaction of the user through important design principles. A well-designed user experience can significantly improve user satisfaction, retention and even business outcomes, by fostering trust and engagement.

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Why is user experience (UX) important?

The user experience is a crucial part to the success of any business because it directly influences customer satisfaction and overall brand loyalty. Today’s highly competitive market gives customers a range of options and they expect seamless, intuitive interactions with a brand, whether through human-computer interactions, mobile apps or physical products. It doesn’t matter if the business has a long history or a brand new startup, a good user experience can significantly enhance a company’s reputation and increase customer retention, while a poor experience can lead to negative reviews and potentially lost business.

Separately, a well-designed UX drives conversion rates. Some features of a successful UX include simplified navigation, clear calls to action and fast loading times which can make a significant difference in whether a potential customer completes a purchase or abandons their cart. By prioritizing UX design a business can reduce frictions points and improve the chances of converting a casual user into a loyal customer over time.

A focus on UX can help businesses’ differentiate from competitors. Particularly in markets saturated with similar products or services, companies that offer superior user experiences stand out. Customers often prefer doing business with companies that prioritize ease of use, personalization and customer support, which can set a brand apart and lead to increased market share.

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How does user experience (UX) differ from customer experience (CX)?

The user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) are closely related concepts but differ in scope and focus. While both aim to improve how users interact with a brand, they address different aspects of the relationship between a company and its audience.

User experience specifically refers to the interactions that a user has with a particular product or service. Customer experience is a broader concept that encompasses every touchpoint and interaction a customer has with a company, both online and offline, direct or indirect, throughout the entire customer journey.

UX is primarily concerned with the usability and efficiency of the product or service itself. User experience design focuses on elements like navigation, visual design, performance and user interface. The goal of the UX design process is to ensure that users can easily achieve their objectives without frustration.

A CX includes not only product or service usage but also interactions with other departments like customer support and sales processing. CX considers the emotions and perceptions customers form about the brand across all stages of their relationship, such as pre-sale awareness, purchasing and post-sale support.

UX is a critical component of CX, but it represents only one part of the user interaction. What it comes down to is UX focuses on specific interactions, while CX covers the entire relationship to the brand. Both are essential for creating a holistic and positive experience that drives customer satisfaction and loyalty.

What are the benefits of a strong user experience (UX)?

UX is a critical factor in how customers perceive and interact with your business. A focus on UX can lead to numerous advantages, including everything from customer satisfaction to the businesses bottom line. By creating products or services that are intuitive, businesses can foster stronger relationships with their audience and gain a competitive edge.

Increased customer satisfaction

A well-designed UX makes interactions more enjoyable for the user, which leads to greater customer satisfaction. If a user is able to find what they need easily and have a positive experience, they’re more likely to return and recommend the business to others.

Improved customer retention

A customer is more likely to stay loyal to a brand that offers an easy experience. With UX in place a business can minimize friction and offer consistency for its customers. Therefore, businesses can retain existing customers and reduce churn, focusing on making long-term relationships.

Higher conversion rates

A seamless, user-friendly experience encourages users to take wanted actions, such as signing up for an account, making a purchase or engaging with content. By optimizing UX design, businesses can increase conversion rates, which directly impact revenue.

Reduced support costs

A user that can easily navigate and understand a business’ product or service is much less likely to need customer support. By investing in user-friendly designs, businesses can reduce the volume of inquiries, saving both time and money on customer service operations.

Strong brand reputation

A positive UX can enhance the reputation of a brand. Consumers tend to associate a clear and accessible interface with professionalism and trustworthiness. This gives users a digital experience that builds credibility and desirability.

Competitive edge

A businesses UX can be a key differentiator in crowded markets. Businesses that prioritize UX stand out by offering a more pleasant, user-centric experience, attracting customers who might otherwise choose competitors. A superior UX can create a unique selling point that sets a business’ brand apart.

How to measure user experience (UX)

Measuring UX is essential for businesses to understand a user journey and ensure that a great user experience is occurring. There are several methods to assess UX, ranging from qualitative feedback to quantitative metrics. These are key techniques and tools to help measure UX effectively.

Step 1: Define UX goals

Before measurements are determined, it’s important to define what is trying to be achieved by measuring UX. This helps ensure that the metrics collected are aligned with the business objectives.

UX goal examples:

  • Boost conversion rates on a website or app.

  • Improve the ease of navigation or usability.

  • Enhance customer satisfaction and engagement.

  • Reduce drop-off rates during a checkout process.

What to do: Start by writing a specific UX goal that aligns with the overall business objectives. Be clear and detailed on what needs to be improved.

Step 2: Collect user feedback

User feedback is one of the most direct ways to measure UX. Asking users about their experience can help a business gather insights into pain points, customer needs and preferences, and areas of improvement. Two widely0used techniques to collect user feedback include surveys and interviews.

Key metrics to gather:

  • Satisfaction: Use customer service metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores to gauge overall satisfaction.

  • Pain points: Ask users where they encountered difficulties or frustrations, such as difficult to read font size during the online experience or pricing discrepancies.

  • Usability: Ask users to rate how easy or difficult it was to use the product.

What to do: Develop a survey or interview guide based on the business’ UX goals, and reach out to a sample of the target audience for feedback.

Step 3: Conduct usability testing

Usability testing helps identify how users interact with a businesses product, what tasks they struggle with, and where they drop off. This is an in-person, real-time way to see UX in action. Techniques include moderated testing, unmoderated testing and A/B testing.

Key metrics to gather:

  • Tasks success rate: The percentage of users who can complete a given task without issues.

  • Time on task: How long it takes users to complete specific tasks.

  • Error rate: The frequency with which users make mistakes.

What to do: Conduct usability tests on key flows (example: purchasing a product, signing up for an account), and record user actions and feedback.

Step 4: Track behavioral analytics

Behavioral analytics involves tracking how users navigate and interact with a businesses website, app or product. This can help uncover patterns and identify areas where UX improvements are needed. Some tools include Google Analytics, Hotjar and Mixpanel, each one tracking specific behaviors.

Key metrics to gather:

  • Bounce rate: The percentage of users who leave your site after viewing only one page.

  • Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click a link button, or call-to-action.

  • User flow: The path users take through a website or app, including where they drop off or abandon tasks.

What to do: Set up behavioral analytics tools to track how users are interacting with the product or service and identify patterns or areas of friction.

Step 5: Measure performance with UX metrics

Aside from user satisfaction and behavior, a business can measure the performance of the product from a technical perspective to ensure that it meets the users’ needs and expectations.

Key performance metrics to track:

  • Page load time: Slow-loading pages can negatively affect the UX. Tools like Google and PageSpeed Insights that might help measure and optimize this.

  • Error rates: Track system or app crashes and bugs that might hinder a smooth UX.

  • Accessibility compliance: Tools like WAVE and Lighthouse can help a business measure how accessible its website it for users with disabilities.

What to do: Use tools to track technical performance, like load time, error rates and accessibility issues to ensure that the website or app is fast and reliable.

Step 6: Analyze data and identify actionable insights

Once all the UX research has been conducted, it’s time to analyze the information and identify actionable insights. Look for patterns that point to common pain points or places for improvement.

Questions to ask during the analysis process:

  • Does the user feedback or usability testing reveal recurring issues?

  • Are there high drop-off rates or low engagement in particular areas of the site or app?

  • Do some user groups face more challenges than others?

What to do: Create a report that summarizes key findings, and prioritizes areas for improvement based on impact, feasibility and user feedback.

Step 7: Implement changes and iterate

Once the analysis has been done now it’s time to implement design and functional improvements to address the UX issues. After the initial changes, continue to measure UX to determine whether the adjustments had the wanted effect.

Actions:

  • Prototype and test: Design improvements can be made through wireframing or prototyping tools. Further usability testing can also be done before implementation.

  • Monitor metrics: Once the UX metrics have been defined, it’s important to keep track of them to assess the impact of changes.

Step 8: Continuously monitor and improve

The UX measuring process is ongoing, not a one-time task. It is key to the business to continually collect feedback, monitor analytics, and test new changes to ensure that the product or service is evolving as users needs change.

Actions:

  • Make a schedule for collecting user feedback and analyzing data.

  • Keep up to date on the newest UX tools and trends to keep improving the user experience

User experience (UX) and emerging technologies

The UX landscape is being reshaped as emerging technologies and tech evolutions continue to enter into the market, pushing the boundaries of how users interact with digital products, services and systems. One of the key drivers of this shift is the increasing integration of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain.

As these technologies shape the UX landscape, organizations are turning to frameworks like IBM Garage™ and design thinking to create innovative, user-centered solutions. IBM Garage is an approach designed to accelerate digital transformation through a combination of design thinking and agile development. The framework brings together technology experts, designers and business stakeholders to develop and iterate on solutions in real-time.

Design thinking is one of the core methodologies used within IBM Garage to ensure that there is a user-centric approach to innovation. The focus is on solving problems through empathy, ideation and iteration. The evolution of UX is increasingly influenced by data-driven insights, intuitive designs and immersive technologies. As the year progresses, there is likely to be a focus on even deeper personalization and more immersive interactions to meet users’ evolving expectations.

User experience (UX) FAQs

How does user experience (UX) differ from user interface (UI)?

A UX designer focuses on the whole user interaction no matter what channel the interaction is coming from. Whereas a UI design is used to build software or digital interfaces. A user interface design focuses on the look or style of a business’ website.

Why is user experience (UX) important?

It’s important because it focuses on fulfilling the needs of a user through meaningful analysis and implementation. A UX designer takes aspects from market research to product development to strategy in order to create a seamless UX.

Where does AI play a role in UX?

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help automate tasks and assist UX designers, but can’t replace human designers. AI tools are able to create personas that can supplement real-time feedback to create smart, intuitive digital products and services.

Are graphic designers and UX designers the same thing?

The short answer is no. A graphic designer is focusing on the visual aesthetics that are trying to convey a particular message, like through a logo or illustration. While a UX design is focused on the ergonomics of a user interaction and the functions of said product or service.

Footnotes


1 Don Norman, Interaction Design Foundation.

What is website user experience (UX) and how do you improve it?, qualtrics XM.

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