What Is User Experience (and What Is It Not)?

Summary: “User experience” describes both users’ relationships with products and a growing professional industry of practitioners aiming to improve those relationships.

The term “user experience” (UX) can be difficult to explain to colleagues and friends. This article is meant to provide an approachable definition of user experience, explain the ever growing professional field of UX, and distinguish UX from other commonly confused concepts and ideas.

(UX-ers: Send this article to family or friends who struggle with understanding UX , or who still think you’re a graphic designer or an IT specialist.)

What Is User Experience (UX)?

It’s helpful to distinguish between the term “user experience” used to describe users’ interactions with a product or service and the broader concept of user experience as a design discipline.