As digital products become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, users demand more than just aesthetics and visually pleasing graphics. We live in a world where technology drives innovation and demand for product design is skyrocketing. We need to see things beyond the aesthetics and focus on creating the best experience for users. This is where the basic principles of User Experience design (UX) come in handy.

Relationship between visual design and user experience design

Let’s first start by understanding the difference between visual design and UX design. Visual design is just one of several aspects of the design process when considering product design. User experience designers have a different skill set to visual designers however, their knowledge and expertise overlaps.

To understand where visual design fits within the broader UX framework, we can refer to Garrett’s 5 Elements of User Experience.

Credit: Interaction Design Foundation

In the image above, we can see that visual design is what lies on the surface of the overall considerations for user experience design. This isn’t to discount visual design in any way, it is still an essential element when designing digital products but it is often misunderstood by businesses to be the leading consideration. Product leaders making this error run the risk of launching a product that is visually stunning but if the overall experience for users is subpar, they won’t stick around.

Why your business needs UX Design

Before the internet happened, “design” was all about creating attention-grabbing visuals for print ads and billboards. With more digital products dominating the online marketplace, solely relying on beautiful designs doesn’t provide users with the same memorable experiences that build loyalty and engagement. The rise of UX design promotes the need to shift our focus from not only creating attractive and engaging visuals, but also creating the best user experience imaginable. ‍

UX questions the purpose of visual design

Purpose is more important than perfection. Creating the perfect design is exciting for all visual designers but it comes with a cost. In most cases, many things look pretty just because they need to be. From a UX perspective, what’s the purpose of the visuals? Does it have to be there in the first place? Where are the visuals going to be used? These are the questions that UX designers ask themselves when focusing on creating the best user experience.

By implementing this UX process into visual design, you can start to see a different perspective on how much time and effort you should be putting into creating amazing artworks.

Improve your products with UX design

The UX design process is cyclical. It’s a repetitive and iterative process where designers continuously question themselves; is this the best version it could be? Slowly but surely, learning from past experiences allows designers to implement what could be done better the next time round.

Regardless of the focus, it’s always a great idea to understand the psychology behind great UX design. With better understanding towards good user experience, we minimise wasted efforts and optimise our time to tackle more complex problems which can eventually evolve ourselves into becoming much better designers across the board.

Want to discover how your business can benefit from effective UX design? Get in touch with our team today!