What is UX?
UX stands for User Experience. While a specific definition and explanation is a highly debatable topic in the web design and development community, most will agree that it is a crucial process of any web project. So what are the basics of UX? Imagining, in the most simple terms, that it defines and polishes a user’s experience with your product, it definitely is a key success in an interactive solution. If a user cannot interact easily with your solution, they will move on to the next thing. Websites have seconds to engage users to get their message across in a thoughtful, simple and clear manner.
Our interactive developer, Mike McGuire, puts it best, “There are those out there who are searching for the holy grail, a UX to rule them all… To me UX is more about telling a story, and in story telling there is only one rule, make it engaging. UX is all about having the opportunity to engage your users emotions and hopefully guide them to a desired state.”
UX can start with a thorough wireframing and development process, with the end solution including various elements such as engaging calls to action, killer content, and even fast loading time. Although a debatable subject when it comes to exactly what UX is and how it can be measured, this article helps outline what it isn’t.
Why is UX important?
As we said above, there is really a small window of a few seconds to engage the user in your product. For FIREANT, the product can be a website for a wide range of clients, an app, a streamlined ecommerce solution, a branding strategy, or even a customized CMS backend for the client. UX can be applied to video games, your favorite game on your phone, operating systems, a mobile device, magazine layouts, a car, everything you see and interact with in the world around you has a UX process behind it.
UX is important because, as Mike said, it’s a story. It’s a story that is told every day, and the better that story is, the better experience and engagement we can have. While it might be difficult to define, it cannot be ignored. It keeps the user, the client, and the team producing it engaged and interactive. Why would you make something no one can or wants to use?
What sets FIREANT apart?
Having worked on many diverse client projects, from local coffee shops to multinational corporations, our UX standard is consistent from project to project, regardless of size or client. I asked the FIREANT team what they thought was great about FIREANT’s approach to UX, and what sets us apart.
From our interactive developer, Mike McGuire: Each studio has their own approach and what techniques they will use to build up the UX, but rarely do you see one studio utilizing a technique that no other studio has heard of. Breaking a project out into different parts such as a wireframing stage can surely make your UX much more consistent and well thought out… But this is just a step in the process that most professional studios should be implementing. So what sets [FIREANT] apart? Passion. We love what we do so we are constantly trying to expand our knowledge and abilities, so we can “tell” better stories.
From our lead designer, Shane Badaulf: “Our strategy, thoughtful attention to detail, and enthusiasm to make each project uniquely great.”
From our project manager, Lauren Baker: “Our in-depth [initial discovery] and wireframing is where we can really start thinking about the UX and content strategy in a logical manner. I work directly with the clients to establish their needs and/or problems within their current solution. I ensure that those needs are met throughout the entire process as well as the final product/end solution.”
Our strategy, our detailed process, our passion and enthusiasm. UX is present in every action we take to make sure we are developing products with the best engagement, the most seamless interaction, and the most interesting story.