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How to explain to your family over the Holidays what UX is
It’s inevitable…the holidays are coming. At some point, a family member is going to ask, “What is UX?” Here are the undisputed best ways to respond.
You know how it goes.
The holidays arrive and so do your family members. It’s a joyous occasion until at some point during those long (sometimes heated) dinner discussions, someone asks you, “So, what do you do again?”
You pause for a moment, unsure of how they’ll take it, or if they’ll even understand, and you reply, “I’m a UX Designer.” Then… the question comes…
“Oh…what’s UX?”
Oh boy.
Not to fear. I’ve been there. Here’s a complete guide to responding to your family members during the holidays. Rest assured, after you’re done with them, there will be no question in their mind as to what UX is.
The clear-cut, no-fluff definition
Fire off a bold response from one of the heavy-hitters like Wikipedia or the Interaction Design Foundation. It’ll stop them dead in their tracks and they’ll be so amazed they won’t know what to say.
Try this…
The Wikipedia response
“User experience (UX) is a person’s emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system, or service. It includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful, and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership.” Source
or…
The Interaction Design Foundation response
“User experience (UX) design is the process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function.” Source
or…
The Career Foundry response
“UX design focuses on the interaction between real human users (like you and me) and everyday products…
