Want to Enhance A User’s Experience? Implement These Essential UX Design Practices! 

by Kelsey Arrington on Nov 22, 2022

Those working in UX design know that a user’s experience is integral to the success of a product. But what does that really mean? UX is certainly not a one-size fits all industry – so, there’s no formula for the exact steps UX designers need to take in order to dazzle their end users. However, there are some essential user experience design practices that should be considered with every project. Keep reading to review what those are. 

In this post:

• 5 UX Practices Every Design Professional Should Follow
• 3 Resources to Learn More About User Experience Design

5 UX Practices Every Design Professional Should Follow

When you’re designing a product, where do you start? For UX professionals who are just entering the industry, it can be difficult to figure out a design process – which is why we’re here to help! Below are 10 essential practices user experience designers can keep in mind as they work to create products that are user-oriented. 

1. Conduct user research. 

“People ignore design that ignores people.”

– Frank Chimero, Product & Brand Designer

It’s important to understand the users who interact with the products you design. So, user research is absolutely imperative. After all, you can’t ensure users have a good experience with a product if you don’t know who those users are. 

If you’re having a difficult time finding design solutions to improve user experience, consider implementing a UX research method. Doing so may help you understand users better than just crafting well-structured layouts and call-to-action buttons. 

Here are a few UX research methods to try:

• User Interviews
• User Surveys
• Focus Groups

And if you need to hone more research skills to meet user needs, find 10 UX courses right here.

2. Maintain consistency with design elements.

“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.”

– Robert L. Peters, Canadian Graphic Designer and Educator

Whether you’re designing a mobile-friendly website or working on mobile apps, your job as a UX designer is to guide users through the entire process of using a product. 

Maintaining consistency with your design elements is one way to do just that. Remember, increasing user satisfaction is the goal. So, work with your UX team to identify key elements of the web design (or app design) that can be streamlined while still maintaining a sense of visual hierarchy. 

3. Keep accessibility in mind.

“When UX doesn’t consider ALL users, shouldn’t is known as ‘SOME User Experience’ or…SUX?”

-Billy Gregory, Accessibility Program Manager, Ubisoft

When working with human users, it’s important to consider how accessible a product is. After all, accessibility is just as important as usability when it comes to UI and UX design. So, as you design with your end user in mind; consider potential users’ physical limitations and cognitive abilities. 

Remember, as a user experience designer, your role in creating meaningful and relevant experiences is essential! So, make sure your UX design focuses on ways to engage customers, regardless of their physical abilities. 

If you’re unsure of where to begin, that’s okay! You can find tips on how to improve accessibility in design on our blog.

4. Practice functional minimalism. 

“Rule of thumb for UX: more options, more problems.”

– Scott Belsky, Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President, Adobe Creative Cloud 

Scott Belsky may have said it best – when it comes to UX design, simplicity is certainly better. So, keep that in mind as you create a responsive design that will illicit varied user experiences. Ask yourself the following questions to gauge if your design could use a bit of streamlining.

• Are there visual elements that I could remove to improve the customer experience or make the finished design more accessible?
• Is there enough negative space?
• Could I swap complicated illustration styles out for flat vector designs?
• Do these button styles work for all or most of the users that will interact with this design?

5. Remember UX design is an interactive process.

“Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.”

Steve Jobs, American Entreprenur, Tech Icon, Industrial Designer and Investor

UX, and other forms of interaction design, require an iterative design process. So, it’s okay to not get it right the first time. Do your best to design products that align with the business goals of the company you work for, keep users’ diverse backgrounds in mind, conduct usability tests, and, then go from there. 

3 Resources to Learn More About User Experience Design 

Want to hone more UX design skills so you can find innovative design solutions to users’ problems? Read on to find 5 resources to expand your knowledge of user experience design.

Look for UX communities like UX Mastery

Have a UX problem you can’t seem to solve yourself? Head to UX Mastery’s forum and ask community members to chime in.

Attend Top UX Events & Conferences – UI/UX Trend

Want to be fully immersed in the UX design process? Need tips to propel your career forward? Attend a conference virtually or in person. Check out this list from UI/UX Trend for a list of upcoming events.

Take an Online Course – Coursera

Need a competitive advantage over other UX design job applicants? Take an online course with Coursera – they have over 350 in user experience alone! Audit most courses for free or pay extra for a certified educational experience.

Other platforms that offer MOOCs in UX design include:

• Udemy
• EdX

Bonus Resource:

Authentic Jobs

Our blog posts weekly content with topics ranging from graphic design to UI/UX design, development, and everything in between. Keep up with our content for helpful career development tips! And apply for your dream UX design job on our job board.