What is usability vs user experience? The difference between usability and user experience used to be explained during the early days of the internet by something referred to as the “road analogy.”
A road is generally wide and straight and allows drivers to get from one point to another in the quickest way possible. A road that contains a lot of scenery, however, can divert a driver’s attention, taking him in a multitude of directions, which makes it much different than a normal road.
Roads have grown greatly nowadays, just like the internet. Now, let’s understand what is usability vs user experience.
Table of contents
User Experience
Image source: Afnizar Nur Ghifari
This is something that essentially consumes everything that has to do with a user’s interaction with something. The exact needs of the user must always be met without fail before products becoming the objects of a user’s enthusiasm.
User experience also goes beyond simply what users say that want. It now merges aspects like marketing, interface design, or engineering.
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Usability
Image source: Olia Gozha
This is a term that describes just how easy it is to utilize different user interfaces. Below are the five general components of usability:
- Learnability
- Efficiency
- Memorability
- Errors
- Satisfaction
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Usability and User Experience: The Aims
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The overall goal of usability is to ensure that a website is completely easy to use, while user experience exists to make sure that the user is as happy as possible while using a website.
In terms of usability, the most acceptable question to ask would be the following: Will the user be able to accomplish his goals?
User experience, on the other hand, entails the following question: Was the user satisfied with his overall experience?
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Required Resources
In terms of usability, the resources are the individuals in charge of a website’s interface design. In turn, user experience involves collective efforts, reuniting web designers with marketers or brand managers.
User experience requires a great deal of effort in order to make sure that the results of the web design project have a meaningful impact. It can also enhance the relationship between the brand and the user, provided that everything is properly done.
User interfaces are valuable resources themselves. As long as they are intuitive and simple, they can create positive and appealing experiences for the user and keep him satisfied and always returning to your website.
Usability and User Experience: The Relationship
Image source: Luc Chaissac
Let’s get to know the relationship between usability and user experience.
Usability is narrower than user experience, in the sense that it mainly focuses on achieving various goals when a website is being used. On the other hand, user experience comes about as the result of everything that the user goes through whenever using a website.
What this essentially means is that aspects such as design, marketing, ergonomics, etc. are included in the typical user experience.
The Role of User Testing
Image source: José Polanco
User testing provides a multitude of solutions for improving a web design. Nevertheless, the designer often receives a personal feedback from the tester, regarding how good his design actually is.
Image source: Design Your Way
Quantitative metrics such as the number of page views or visitors are also required to measure usability and user experience, but these are these not considered to be true measures of success.
All in all, when the initial vision of a design is as clear as possible, the appropriate success metrics will be also defined.
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Conclusion
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Usability and user experience are two closely related yet different concepts. A good usability entails an intuitive and friendly user interface, while a good user experience makes sure that users leave this user interface happy and satisfied, also planning to return to it. We hope you now have a understanding of usability vs UX.
Credit for featured image: Gal Shir
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