The Ultimate List Of UX Topics All Beginners Should Know

What is User Experience (UX)? 

User Experience (UX) focuses on the most essential aspect of any product company; its users. UX helps companies to thoroughly understand their users, their requirements, their abilities, and their limitations. UX is a growing field in the realm of human-computer interaction (HCI).  

List of UX Topics that all beginners should know: 

1. UX Strategy 

The plan and the method to approach a digital product is what makes UX strategy. UX strategies help businesses translate their intended user experience concerning every aspect of their products and services.  

The three main features that can ensure that the business focuses on solving the correct issues for the intended audience are: 

• Having a clear vision in regards to business 
• Anticipating user’s needs 
• Aligning technical capabilities 

2. User Research 

The systematic and methodical study of target users and their needs/concerns, in addition to building on insights to design processes, is a summary of what user research entails.   

There are two types of user research tools: 

• Quantitative Research: Examples of quantitative research include surveys and formal experiments. These methods determine user behaviour in such a way that it can be quantified and, consequently, be used for statistical analysis.  
• Qualitative Research: These include interviews and, to some extent, usability tests. Qualitative methods are more investigative and help gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of individual users or groups of users.  

3. Information Architecture 

Information Architecture (IA) in the field, or rather, the science of arranging and organizing web and mobile applications, social media software, and websites.  

Information Architecture structures the various content in a coherent, understandable way. The structure of the content depends on multiple factors: 

• The needs of the target audience because audience satisfaction is always the priority.  
• The type of products and services that a company/business offers. 

4. Interaction Design 

Interaction design is an essential component of the vast topic of User Experience (UX). Simply put, it is the design of the technique of interaction between users and products.  

Interaction Design strives to enable the user to achieve their purpose in the best possible manner.  

Five main dimensions are included in Interaction Design. These include: 

• Words: These should be precise and easy to understand. For example, a label on a button should tell the user exactly what the button does without information overload. 
• Graphics and their elements: Images, icons, and thumbnails are graphics that are companions to words. 
• Physical objects: The devices through which users use the product, like a laptop or a smartphone, all affect the interaction between the user and the product. 
• Amount of time spent: Media that is time-dependent like videos, sounds, and animations, i.e., the time that a user spends interacting with the product. 
• Mechanism of the product: Includes feedback and the actual usage of the product.  

5. Usability Testing 

The evaluation of a product by testing it on potential users is known as Usability Testing. This stage in the UX building process allows any required improvements or changes to be made before the product goes out in the market.  

There are three main methods of usability testing: 

• Explorative methods: These methods help UX researchers understand how users/potential users comprehend the concept and usage of a product and the psychology that comes into play when they use the product.  

• Assessment: The product’s effectiveness is tested via this method, which helps track the user’s reaction and the errors they make in real-time.  
• Comparative methods: In this method, users can compare variations of a particular element of the product and then share their opinions with the creative team. This helps in selecting the most user-friendly options. 

6. Visual Design 

The way that a product looks affects how the users experience it as well as interact with it. That is what visual design is; it is the implementation of text, colours, and images to enhance the design and interaction of the product.  

There are two subfields of visual design – user interface (UI) design and graphic design.  

Some of the elements of visual design include: 

• Lines 
• Shapes 
• Fonts 

• Textures 
• Negative spaces 
• Contrasts 

7. Content Strategy 

Content strategy is what makes content the king. According to Kristina Halvorson, the author of the book Content Strategy for the Web; Content strategy is the planning for the creation, publication, and governance of valuable and usable content.  

There are five stages in the cycle of content: 

• Analysis and Audit: This includes stakeholder interviews, competition analysis, objective analysis, and evaluation of the content environment.  
• Strategy: Sourcing plan, brand definition, workflow for content production is some of the strategy elements. 
• Plan: Staffing recommendations, communication plans, and migration plans are elements included in the plan stages. 
• Create: Creating stages include writing the content, search engine optimization, and quality assurance. 
• Maintenance: Advising the client and determining targets for success measures are aspects of maintenance. 

Author Bio: Charlotte Lin is a content creator at escaperoom.com. She’s a passionate young woman, mother to an amazing nine-year-old, and an avid reader. Over the years, writing has helped her explore and understand the world as well as her own self. She loves to travel, meet new people, and spend quality time with her daughter.

• « Importance of Penetration Testing Services
• Making Manual Testing More Inclusive for Developers »