When the World Wide Web was first pioneered in the 1990s, the primary ambition of developers, coders, and designers was to make their interfaces functional. They were programming to ensure that the back-end technology produced a successful front-end website, meaning, basically, that the various buttons and links on the page carried out the tasks that were advertised.

For years, developers paid little attention to the thoughts, needs, or desires of their customers. Although users would be the ones interacting with the interface, it was commonly thought that the average person didn’t enough knowledge or experience with technology to comment on the product or service in front of them. As a result, focus on the User Experience was minimal to non-existent, and functionality reigned supreme.

The onset of the iPhone

In 2007, however, Apple released the earliest version of the iPhone.

Steve Jobs and the designers at Apple foresaw the benefits of a synthesis between function and design, taking important steps toward contemporary design with button-free gesture control and simple, appealing visual cues that also served a purpose [3]. The device was revolutionary, but the design changes that were lauded at Apple took a long time to become the theoretical staples of design that they are today.

Early-stage app development

Initially, companies were eager to launch apps solely to have some platform that worked on a smartphone. These apps were typically basic, and added functions were tacked on to the original interface, rather than integrated into the entire system.

Although the iPhone had pushed the world in a more user-friendly direction, businesses hoping to reach customers through the handheld device still hadn’t recognized the importance of user-focused design. They ignored complaints of interfaces that didn’t adjust well to different devices (from desktop to smartphone and vice versa) and continued designing with their own profit-driven agenda in mind.

Then, Google began emphasizing “material design,” or the notion that design should be lifelike to an extent, but also a metaphor for reality. An app or website should successfully sell a product, but also be relatable to its users and self aware of its own virtuality. The platform needed to cater to the needs and desires of those engaging with the technology, with special regard for the device on which an interface was employed.

Design for multiple devices

Designers began paying attention to the various components on their interface that changed depending on the device being used.

Developers started reworking design elements like navigation tools, scrolling options, page formatting, the sizing of images, and menu styles for different devices, taking the users and their comfort into account as they did so.

The importance of user testing

Product developers recognized that their designs needed to be integrative, intuitive, visually pleasing, and functional. However, the designers’ vision for a functional, well-designed product often differed from the users’ opinions, due in large part to a lack of knowledge about the specific group of people that were investing their time and money in the brand. It became clear that user data and comprehensive user testing was crucial to reducing long term production costs, as they helped developers identify design flaws earlier in the iteration process.

Thus, the demand for UX Professionals increased, and with it, the understanding that a brand or product was only as strong as the platform on which it was sold.

With more data on their primary customer demographic and more personal feedback on apps and platforms in the development stage, businesses could provide better services to their consumers that also gave meaning to their technology, ie, good UX Design.

The future of UX

Today, most everyone in tech acknowledges the imperative role UX Design plays in a product’s overall success in the market.

Many UX professionals are now trying to provide users with a “conversational experience,” or a platform that offers colloquial, friendly chatbots that can communicate more directly with the company’s customers.

Whatever the future may hold, it is obvious that UX has come a long way since the initial stages of web and app development. While the many complications of programming virtual tools for human beings will continue to exist, the emphasis on User Experience will only become stronger as time progresses. Users want a product that speaks to them, and understands their needs, even when they can’t articulate them themselves.