What is UX? Why UX Matters? Basics every developer should know!
Understanding the importance of UX using an example from Instagram
During my early days as an app developer, I primarily focused on delivering features. The goal was to meet deadlines, ensure everything worked as expected, and navigate around those unexpected bugs that always seemed to pop up out of nowhere. I believed that this was all that took to be a good app developer.
However, over time, I began to realise that there’s more to app development than just blindly building features. I started to question the bigger picture — starting from identifying requirements, prioritising features, developing use cases, creating the design, and finally developing and launching the feature.
But one of the most important parts is often ignored: analyzing user reception. As developers, we don’t often focus on how the feature has been received by users. Yet, this step is as crucial as the others. And it closely depends on… you guessed it right, UX!
The first time I heard the term “UX” being thrown around, I was quite confused. For a while, I thought it was no different from UI — how naive of me.After poking around a bit and consulting my seniors, I realised a very important aspect that beginners tend to miss out.
I learned that user experience plays a pivotal role in how users perceive the app and whether they keep coming back for more. So, what exactly is UX?
What is UX?
UX, or User Experience, refers to how easily and seamlessly users can navigate through an app. It focuses on ensuring that UI design is done keeping the following in mind:
User needs are met
The app is accessible to all users without difficulty
Users feel satisfied while using the app
Users can complete tasks efficiently, without frustration
In simple terms,
UX is about ensuring that the user has a positive and meaningful interaction with the product, meeting their needs in the best possible way.
Why UX matters?
Let’s take an example: everyone knows Instagram and use it daily. Instagram offers one of the best UX experiences. They continuously improve the app to ensure users keep coming back.
When Instagram first launched, the platform was primarily focused on sharing photos and videos in a feed. However, users were looking for a way to share more fleeting, temporary content without it permanently staying on their profiles.
This led to users hesitantly sharing images that didn’t feel ‘curated’ enough for the feed , something they didn’t want to stay in their feed forever. Users would sometimes post temporarily, but have to come back again later and delete it.
To meet this need, Instagram introduced Stories in 2016, inspired by Snapchat’s similar feature. The idea was simple: allow users to post content that would disappear after 24 hours.
This change was not just about adding a new feature, but about rethinking how users interacted with the platform. This was well received by the users and this solved an issue that could’ve pushed users away from the app.
Instagram’s Stories feature quickly became a massive success, with over 500 million daily active users by 2020. Not only did it solve an issue but it created a new form of engagement, keeping users coming back regularly to check out the temporary content.
It also led to other platforms (like Facebook and WhatsApp) adopting similar features, further demonstrating how improving the UX could enhance the overall user experience.
So in short, UX matters because it directly addresses user needs, enhances engagement, and drives retention.
A strong UX leads to happier users and greater success for the product.
UX Basics that every developer should know
Now, you might wonder, why should a developer care so much about UX? Isn’t that the responsibility of the designer or the product manager who comes up with the feature? Well, you’re not alone — I thought the same.
But as a developer, your understanding of UX is incredibly valuable. Developers play a critical role in bringing those designs to life and ensuring that the user’s interaction with the product is smooth and intuitive.
Here are some basic UX principles every developer should understand:
Usability:
The product should be easy and intuitive to use. If a user can’t figure out how to use the app or website, it’s not usable, no matter how well-designed it looks.
The developer’s role is to ensure that interactions are straightforward, consistent, and free from unnecessary complexity. This includes making buttons work as expected, ensuring input fields are clearly labeled, and handling errors in a user-friendly way.
Accessibility:
The product should be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities (e.g., visual, auditory, motor, cognitive impairments).
The developer’s role is to implement features like keyboard navigation, screen reader support, color contrast, and alternative text for images. Ensure that all users, regardless of ability, can navigate and interact with the app seamlessly.
Performance:
A slow app or website can frustrate users and lead to a poor experience.
The developer’s role is to optimize load times and responsiveness. Ensure that the app runs smoothly, especially on lower-end devices or slower networks. Users should feel like the app is responsive to their actions.
Feedback:
Users need clear feedback to understand the result of their actions. For example, when a user clicks a button, they should see a visual change, like the button becoming highlighted or a loading indicator appearing.
The developer’s role is to provide feedback through animations, loading states, or error messages to let users know the app is working or if something went wrong.
Mobile-first Design:
Mobile users often have limited screen space and slower internet connections.
The developer’s responsibility is to build responsive layouts, optimize for different screen sizes, and consider mobile performance to ensure that the product is usable on both mobile and desktop devices.
Error Handling and Prevention:
An app should prevent errors when possible and provide clear, helpful messages when something goes wrong.
The developer should validate input fields, provide helpful error messages, and try to guide users away from making mistakes. For example, showing clear hints or warnings for incorrect form entries.
Many companies encourage their developers to work closely with designers to ensure that developers understand the reasoning behind the design. This collaboration allows developers to provide their own insights and inputs when necessary. Not only does this improve work efficiency, but it also ensures that UX is considered from the early stages. Different perspectives help in coming up with the best possible solution.
In summary, UX matters because it directly addresses user needs, enhances engagement, and drives retention. Instagram’s Stories feature is a perfect example: it solved a key problem by allowing users to share temporary content, keeping them engaged and coming back. A strong UX leads to happier users and greater success for the product.
I guess this page would become my favourite place to freshen up ✨ So much to learn!!