UX design is an umbrella term which encompasses multiple terms within itself.
Visual design
Focuses on how the product looks. Colors, fonts, shapes, textures, hierarchy, balance, contrast, scale, unity & similarity.
Information architecture (IA)
How the content is organised and structured with the goal of helping the user find information they were looking for. Includes navigation, metadata, labelling, search, sitemap, etc.
Interaction design
- Behaviour and interaction between user and service.
- Define how users can interact with the interface.
- Give users clues about behaviour before actions are taken.
- Anticipate and mitigate errors: Constraints to prevent errors & useful feedback messages.
- System feedback and response time
- Think about elements: Are you following common standards and conventions? Are buttons and menus placed logically?
Usability
How well users can learn to use a product & achieve their goals. Intuitive design, easy of learning, efficiency, memorability, error frequency and subjective satisfaction.
User research
Understanding your users. What do they want or need? How do they use something? Generally split into two forms of research, which should be combined for the optimal result:
- Qualitative research: Why users do what they do? Usually done via interviews, field studies, usability testing & monitoring.
- Quantitive research: What users do and test assumptions from qualitative research. Surveys, analytics.
Content strategy
Planning, creation and management of content. Includes words, images and other multimedia.
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