Whether or not we realize it, user experience (UX) plays a huge role in creating a successful online presence. User experience is exactly what it sounds like – what a user of any given platform (product, website, etc.) is experiencing. Through a presentation by Chris Morata, I was able to learn a bit more about what exactly pertains to UX, why it’s so important, and how we can create a great user experience. Chris is currently the VP of product at Qgiv, an online fundraising platform. Qgiv serves a variety of organizations and focuses on growing their donor bases; you can find more information on how they operate on their website. 

Chris ultimately believes that UX design is about solving problems, which is true – the ultimate UX is fool-proof and works well on all platforms. He also mentioned that great UX is built on empathy. Looking at it from a bigger picture, he notes that it focuses on what you are trying to get the user to do, and how you are going to go about getting them to do it. This is important to keep in mind when it comes to design. As a whole, we should focus on these specific areas of UX – visual design, form design, mobile design, and animation design. These elements work together to create a harmonious website that functions well on all platforms. Beginning with visual design, there are a few different points to focus on. Color and contrast are simple but important; color and contrast evoke emotion in design, and set the tone for your website/service. They can also draw in or push away attention. Contrast is used to plan decision making and readability, accessibility, such as colorblindness.  On the topic of color, negative space and white space are also important, as they assist with layout and composition, so incorporating the two are key. Aside from these elements, size and scale are key as well. Larger elements have more visual priority as they are bolder, so it’s important to balance these between elements. While using all of these, don’t remember to be consistent throughout the design!

As for form design, Chris mentioned that keeping things simple is the best practice. Trying to make things too fancy or over-the-top can interfere with accessibility. Going for a simple, clean layout is a smart tactic; an example of this would be single column form layouts as they are easy to scan. Additionally, remember to group related fields together to ensure continuity! Getting more specific, website labels should be short and to the point, and the best label position is directly on top of the field. This ensures easy access and is simple for the user to find. All of these elements should be able to transfer over to mobile devices, created a mobile friendly UX. When it comes to mobile design, we want to focus on responsive web design and apps. This article has extremely useful tips on the best practices to use when it comes to mobile UX, as well as pointers on what to expect. Lastly, for animation design, natural movement is the most important factor. It creates context, as animation should have purpose and be intentional.

What’s next for UX design? Chris believes that augmented reality, the measure app, conversational UI, wearables, and extended interfaces are all on the rise. Overall, user experience plays a part in our daily lives, as we are surrounded by it. A positive user experience is one we strive for, and Chris gave us some great information on how to achieve it!