The Relationship and Difference Between UX and Usability By: Jenna Erickson, Codal
User experience (UX) is one of the biggest phrases that people tend to confuse with the term usability. Although they are not the same, there is indeed a relationship between the two. To start off with, it is important to note that both UX and usability are essential to the success of any website, application, or digital product. Although both are equally as important, they must not be interpreted as the same thing.
The Difference Usability is all about task-based interactions, and the ability to do something easily. A product with a good usability should have no roadmaps, and should have a minimal amount of steps taken to complete a task. When checking on the usability of a product, the question that should be asked in “Can the user accomplish their goal?” This is where user experience differs. “Did the user have as pleasant of an experience as possible?” is the question to ask about the product’s UX. UX is all about how the user feels while interacting with a website or application. Designing the user experience of a digital product is about making tasks meaningful and valuable. User experience also can bleed into the physical world. If a user finds your website and has a great experience, but then calls the number listed on the website and has a bad
experience with the customer support representative, their entire user experience changes. Many people believe that if a website has a beautiful aesthetic design, that it is intuitive and easy to use. This statement is not true. Another common assumption is that if something is easy to use, than it has a good user experience. Another statement that is not true.
The Relationship With UX and usability being two totally different things; there is still a large correlation between the two. The usability of any product influences the overall user experience. It is a component within the UX, along with many others. Among usability lies, content strategy, journey mapping, user interviews, and visual/graphic design. The user experience is the result of everything that a website or application has to offer, and usability is part of that. If the website is not usable, it has a bad user experience. Altogether, usability and user experience are two very close, yet different concepts. If you need help with the usability and/or the user experience of your website or application, visit Codal.
Strategy | User Experience | Development www.codal.com