UX increasingly a must for businesses, with Lieven Degrauwe
Putting the user first and providing him or her with a pleasant experience, that is the essence of user experience (UX) and user interface design (UI). In the coming years, it will be something companies will have to focus on for their website, software, online shop, app,... if they want to stay ahead of their competitors. Lieven Degrauwe of UXpertise works as a UX/UI consultant for the industry, for webshops and for companies that develop (SaaS) platforms. He explains.
"I notice that companies from the Kortrijk region are embracing the digital evolution more and more."
Helping to create a website, platform, app... Helping to come up with a website, platform, app,... that a user likes and uses easily, that's what it comes down to. We always start with a problem. I focus on how technology can solve that, how it should work and what the end result for the user should look like. For industry, I use UX and UI to create a beautiful marriage between people and technology, such as a user-friendly platform that operators use to control a machine.
If a company uses UX for the development of a platform or website, it can quickly have a prototype that can be tested without having to actually program the product. It can quickly make adjustments where necessary and only needs to start development once the product has been validated, both internally and externally. The advantage: the whole process runs more efficiently, it costs less time and money and, in the long run, the end product is better.
The whole process always starts with three questions. The first is 'how can I solve my problem with technology?'. The next question is how that technology should work. And the last one is what the whole thing should look like. Only then do we start talking about design, fonts, colours, etc.
My job is to not understand things, but to make them understandable. I have to question the structure and the design of everything, make improvement proposals and have them tested by users. Because users are king. Conversion is crucial in e-commerce. But a webshop can be very functional and completely lose sight of the experience. In that case, it's just pox on it. It is always about the balance between branding & usability. I often use humour in my design, also for b2b projects.
UX is not yet fully established in the region, but I do notice that companies from the Kortrijk area embrace it more and more. I feel that industrial companies involve me in their sales process more than before. They have been using me more often during the offer phase, because they convince customers more easily if they can show them how a control could work. In e-commerce, I feel there is more focus on UX as a process, looking for continuous improvement.
Newspaper article 'Maak kennis met de creativiteit van de regio', a publication in the framework of the recognition of the region as Kortrijk UNESCO Design Region.
Would you like to receive a copy? Mail to info@designregio-kortrijk.be!
Edited by Capone.
