Unveiling UX Design: Strategies for Creating Intuitive Interfaces and Delighting Users

User Experience (UX) Design is all about websites, mobile apps, or software, and making sure users love using them. It’s like creating a great experience when people interact with your product.

In simple terms, UX Design is about figuring out what users want and need and then designing solutions that work well and are easy to use. This involves doing some research, testing with users, sketching out ideas, building prototypes and making improvements along the way.

Why does this matter? Because even if you’re consistent, understanding how your customers want to interact at every touchpoint is crucial. It’s about connecting with brand enthusiasts who keep your business going, especially during tough times.

Here are just some of the reasons UX Design is so important:

• Happy customers: When your product or service is easy and enjoyable to use, customers are happier.
• More engagement: People will use your product or service more if it’s user-friendly, which means they stick around and become loyal customers.
• Save money: Spending time on good UX upfront can save you from costly mistakes later on. Fixing things is more expensive than getting it right the first time.
• Stand out: If your product or service is a joy to use, it stands out from the competition. Customers notice and remember good experiences.
• Get more conversions: If it’s easy for people to buy or sign up, you’ll get more conversions. Simple as that.
• Look good: A positive user experience reflects well on your brand. People like and trust businesses that make their lives easier.
• Include everyone: Making your product or service accessible means more people can use it, which is always a good thing for business.

So, in a nutshell, UX Design is like the secret sauce that makes your product awesome and your customers super happy. That’s where we come in. Our agency specializes in uncovering these insights and crafting seamless, intuitive experiences from start to purchase.

We sat down with one of our experts of UX Design, Matt Walker. He shares his background as a UX designer, what he believes are the most important aspects of design, and his tips for budding designers. 

How did you get your start as a UX Designer?

Matt: I’ve been interested in visual design since I was a kid. With social media becoming more popular when I was in school, I started designing LiveJournal and Myspace layouts, shirt designs, animated banners and AIM icons and more for local bands and startups in my area. I’ve also always thought in an analytical way, and gained more of an interest in the data that drives behavior the older that I got. 

The cross between the creative-visual side and the analytical-data side is what initially drew me to UX design. I worked for a couple of tech startups wearing many hats while doing graphic design and marketing work while learning with Senior UX Designers on staff. Now, UX design encompasses a portion of the projects I work on at our marketing agency.

What do you believe are the fundamental rules of UX Design?

Matt: The main goal of user experience design is to improve the experiences and interactions that users have with a digital platform, usually through websites and apps. It meets at the intersection of research, data, visuals, copy and testing. Some fundamental rules include:

• Design with a focus on ease of use for the users, with accessibility for the largest number of users.
• Base design decisions on strategy, analytics, data and usability testing, not personal preferences or gut feelings.
• Continue to test and iterate on the product to continually improve upon what you have.

Do you have examples of client UX design projects you’ve worked on?

Matt: A lot of UX projects we work on as a marketing agency are based around responsive websites, dashboards and in-app graphics. Recently, we’ve worked on a new hospitality website for Skytop Lodge, a website for local chain eegee’s, an e-commerce website for Paddy O’ Furniture, the BeBallotReady dashboard for the Maricopa County Elections Department and more.

What are your top three tips for someone looking to get started as a UX designer?

Matt: My top three tips would be: 

1. Take time to learn the fundamentals. With communities like Dribbble, Behance, Instagram and more, there are a lot of younger designers prioritizing the visuals of a layout instead of the usability. Don’t always jump straight to high-fidelity designs. Working in the world of color and style is a lot of fun, but it needs to be driven by a foundation of data. This is the main difference between art and design. Take your time to dig into the analytics, perform research when applicable and work as a team to make discoveries before jumping straight to visual design.
2. Trust the data. Numbers don’t lie, or have biases or agendas. Of course, you should always look at the data through a lens of impartiality. But at the end of the day, people have opinions and preferences, but numbers always tell the truth.
3. The work is never really done. The UX process is built on an iterative process, where you are continually testing, changing, learning and starting all over again. The goal is to continuously improve and iterate on what you have to always be moving in the direction of an improved product or website.

To see how Matt and the Commit Agency team can help you with your brand’s UX design, visit us at commitagency.com/services/user-experience-ui-ux/.