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Start your free trialIvan Franzone
7,328 PointsWhat are the UX´s disciplines?
I would like to know the different UX´s disciplines/parts which integrate UX design.
3 Answers
Tim Knight
28,888 PointsHi Ivan,
Within the video on UX Disciplines, Lis Hubert outlines a list of 6 disciplines:
- Visual Design
- Information Architecture
- Content Strategy
- Interaction Design
- Usability
- User Research
Depending on the industry that you're working in you could easily add things like:
- Industrial Design
- Sound Design
- Human-Computer Interaction (which is largely considered to be cover in Interaction Design, but there are also influences of industrial design here)
And depending on your position there are things like storytelling, cognitive science, business analysis, and business strategy that can be grouped into UX as part of the discipline.
Is there an area of UX where you're more curious or do you have a specific question on how these disciplines work together?
Ivan Franzone
7,328 PointsThanks you very much Tim, your answers are brilliant!! I think I will start to read about Visual Design (as IU designer I think I know enought about this field), Information Architecture, Content Strategy, Interaction Design and Human and Computer Interaction.
Thanks!
Tim Knight
28,888 PointsEnjoy Ivan and if you want any book recommendations just let me know.
Ivan Franzone
7,328 PointsOh yes, it would be perfect if you could recommend me some books :)
Tim Knight
28,888 PointsI'd say where I think most people that start of with a visual design background get tripped up is in the aspects of user research. Because of that The User Experience Team of One is a great primer.
Other things that you might like would be:
- About Face (4th Edition)
- Designing for the Digital Age
- Sketching User Experiences
- Designing with the Mind in Mind
- Seductive Interaction Design
- A Project Guide to UX Design
- Don't Make Me Think
- Rocket Surgery Made Easy
The first two are huge, and largely academic, but I feel they're incredible important. And when it comes to communicating with deliverables I'd add:
- Communicating the User Experience
Now for those reading this post there are definitely more out there that I would recommend but I wouldn't want you to get lost in book so much that you're not actually just practicing design.
Ivan Franzone
7,328 PointsIvan Franzone
7,328 PointsIf we were talking about websites / mobile Apps, Should a UX designer be knowledgeable about all the disciplines? In other words, what "disciplines / subject areas" he should cover?
Thanks in advance!!
Tim Knight
28,888 PointsTim Knight
28,888 PointsIvan,
Well as a quick disclaimer I'll say that I've been in the UX industry for a long time and currently serve as the Director of User Experience for an agency in Florida... while I'm speaking to a lot of aspects to the field, that's not to say that you have to be an expert in all of them, rather just aware of their existence.
Here's the way I look at UX in general (I think this is important because of how it compares to the disciplines), to be an effective UX designer you have to have an understanding of all of the touch points a user has within the system or service you're designing. Obviously there are junior and senior UX designers, but the goal should always been to have some level of clarity with all of the disciplines.
In terms of a web site or a mobile app, questions from each of these disciplines would apply:
So are all of these questions important? Yes. But do they all have to be figured out immediately? Not necessarily. Your goal as a UX designer should be to learn more and more about various disciplines so you can start asking more questions and further becoming an advocate for the users of the systems you're designing. And the disciplines don't really stop there. You might find concepts in building architecture, service design, or marketing that you can use to help invite a positive experience with your customers.