Pop Culture Explanation of UX

Some desktop shorthand

“So what is UX? What is it that you do?”

I have two figures that I keep on my desk and come in handy when those questions arise. One’s a character from Tron, the other Spiderman. When I get those questions, I point to them to help explain.

Disney Infinity game figures from Tron and Spiderman

Tron protects the integrity of the system while fighting for the user.

Spiderman is known for the phrase, “with great power there must also come — great responsibility.”

UX is a commitment, putting the user first to craft experiences, products, and services with purpose, compassion, and integrity. The insights used to do so, can also be used to manipulate in ways that trick or misguide. It’s our responsibility as designers to ethically make experiences to help users. In other words:

A good UX designer must actively question business requirements to understand what is behind them and, where necessary, challenge them.

Peter Hornsby, UX Matters