What are the five elements of UX design?

User Experience (UX) design is a multifaceted discipline focused on shaping the experience of users when they interact with a product, system, or service. It aims to make these interactions as efficient, effective, and enjoyable as possible. Here are the five core elements of UX design, often conceptualized through different models and frameworks in the design community:

1. Strategy

The strategy is the foundation of the UX design process. It involves understanding the underlying business goals and objectives of the product alongside the needs and goals of the users. This element answers the "why" behind the product - why it exists, what problems it intends to solve, and for whom. Key aspects include:

• User Needs: What do users desire from the product?
• Business Objectives: What does the business aim to achieve with this product?

2. Scope

The scope defines what the product will entail based on the strategy defined. It is typically divided into two major components:

• Functional Requirements: These are the features and functionalities that the product must include to meet user needs and support business goals.
• Content Requirements: This includes the type of content that needs to be incorporated into the product, such as text, images, videos, and interactive elements.

3. Structure

The structure element defines how the system behaves in response to user actions and how it organizes and presents information. This involves:

• Interaction Design: How users will interact with the technology (e.g., how they navigate through a website, how they enter data into a form).
• Information Architecture: How content is organized and structured throughout the product, making sure that users can easily find what they are looking for.

4. Skeleton

The skeleton provides a more concrete representation of the structural design through interface elements. It involves the arrangement of interface components to enable users to interact with the functionality of the system. Key components include:

• Wireframes: Basic layout of the pages/screens showing the placement of elements.
• Navigation Design: The design of the interface elements that users use to navigate through content and features.

5. Surface

The surface is what users actually interact with. It encompasses the visual design of the product, including the choice of colors, typography, and other elements that affect its aesthetics and usability. The surface should enhance the underlying layers by making the interaction elements visually intuitive and appealing. Elements here include:

• Sensory Design: The look and feel of the product.
• Graphic Design: The visual presentation of the interface.

Integration of Elements

These five elements of UX design are interrelated and each builds upon the others. Starting from a strong strategy, the process works its way up to a polished surface. This method ensures that every aspect of the user experience is grounded in both the user's needs and the strategic objectives of the business.

In practice, these elements are not always tackled in a linear fashion; UX designers often iterate back and forth between these elements as they refine their designs based on user feedback and testing. This iterative process helps in creating a user-centered design that not only looks good but also functions well and meets the intended objectives.