When a client hires a company like us to do a project, user experience is usually seen as the deliverable from user research or user testing. It is a high-level requirement that is completed when we finish user research, and user testing.

User research, check. 

User testing, check.

User experience, check...hold on a minute.

User experience is not simply part of the process, it is the process and it really is a way of life. You can't turn it on and off. User Experience is very difficult to quantify and even harder to explain. User experience happens all around you, every decision that is made about a product, every idea that is manifested into a button– everything has an effect on your users’ experiences.

So, what exactly do I, and other user experience professionals, do all day?
Wouldn't you like to know? ... Here is the short version.

We try to ensure that everyone is aware and focused on the needs of the users; that the users' needs are at the core of whatever product we are trying to create. This need for the users to directly effect the foundation of a product is the main reason we need to learn as much possible about actual users as soon as possible.

How do you do that?
Everyone knows that just talking about something is not enough to convince people you are right. Especially if those people have a budget and a job they would like to keep.

We need to collect data.
We collect website analytics data to find out what people are doing. Then we pair the analytics data with data collected from stakeholder interviews and user research. This combination of data allows user experience professionals to communicate very clearly about who the users are, what the client thinks the users need, and what the users really want.  This amalgamation of data usually takes form as Personas, or fictional users whose needs and behaviors illustrate the real needs of your users. Using data in this way allows stakeholders to evaluate existing and potential issues on an objective level.

But this is really just the beginning. Once we have an initial insight into the users, it is up to all of us to continually refer to the users throughout the project. As the project moves along, we will learn more about users and how to better meet their needs. This focus on improving the users’ experience with our product is truly what User Experience is all about.

Until next time, keep it usable, Internets...and don't forget about the user.

I have to give credit where credit is due. I was inspired to write this post by Whitney Hess (@whitneyhess) on Mashable.com. Link to Mashable.com article - http://mashable.com/2009/01/09/user-experience-design/