The difference between User Experience and Customer Experience
User Experience (UX) Design is a discipline in which you ensure that the user receives a (digital) product that looks good, works well and connects well to other (digital) touchpoints. A term that UX is often confused with is Customer Experience design. Customer Experience (CE) design, however, goes further than creating a good experience for a customer. CE design ensures that the customer experience is consistent and good across all touchpoints and channels, remains good and also improves over time, for example by adding new touchpoints.
So what is the difference between User Experience Design and User Interface Design?
When it comes to UX design, you often hear the term User Interface (UI) design fall. Where UX ensures that the overall user experience is good, UI is more about how that experience looks. The UI determines how the screens that the user is looking at look exactly. Where are the calls to action, what do the buttons look like, what colors do we use and how does the user navigate from one screen to the next? UX looks at the big picture of the overall user experience, UI looks at the detail level of how that experience should be designed.
Why do you involve a UX/UI specialist as early as possible in developing digital channels?
Actually, we already gave the answer. The UX designer oversees all the screens and devices that a user encounters. He or she can therefore ensure that the interactions with all those screens and devices are 'correct'. So whether they fit together properly and logically and that there are no conflicts in the experience between those digital channels. But the UX designer also thinks along within a digital channel.
The UI designer is usually the one in the functional design phase de wireframes of the website, app or my environment works out. The UI designer always works together – or is always briefed – by the consultants who were involved in the online strategy phase and the UX designer. Sometimes the position of UX/UI designer is combined and is one and the same person.
Is UX or UI design the same as web design?
No, not entirely. A web designer usually joins in a bit later in the process. The UX and UI designer first get to work on developing the wireframes and functional design of the digital channel. The web designer is the person who gives the wireframes the visual look and feel. It does happen quite often that a Web designer also takes care of the UX and UI design.
Tips for the perfect User Experience
User Experience design and User Interface design are a profession in their own right. It is therefore not illogical that they are included as separate disciplines in the developments of your digital channels. Below are three more tips that you can take into account when working with your UX designer:
- Involve your customers in the UX phase: sales and marketing departments often think they know what customers want and find important. In practice it is often more difficult. Involve your customers in the UX phase. Present them with your plans and look together at what could be improved and sharpened.
- Less is more: an improved user experience often comes from leaving things out. Making processes less complex and eliminating steps often makes an experience better.
- Make it measurable. Make your UX measurable, for example by keeping an Irritation Quotient. This allows you to measure the extent to which the user is 'irritated' by parts of your page or site.