Introduction
Hey, DEV friends! 👋 Let's talk about a topic that most programmers try to avoid when it comes to the product for which they write the business logic on the backend or create the user interface on the frontend.
Yes, I want to talk about understanding user experience (UX) of the particular product you're working with. Why? To become more productive in the area of responsibility for which you're writing code!
📝 Table of contents
- What are we developing?
- How can understanding product UX help us?
- Simple tricks on how to train yourself to pay attention to UX in your product
- Instead of a conclusion
What are we developing?
I can already see the chuckle on your face that "why am I asking such a stupid question?", but that is the question that makes a lot of sense, if you want to become even more productive (and get a higher salary) in your workplace.
So, what is your answer to this question? Let me guess, something like this:
- I develop an interface in React.js and use such-and-such libraries.
- I develop a highly loaded API in Golang that can withstand a DDoS attack.
No. Unfortunately, none of these answers are right! But which one is right? It's as simple as always. The right answer is: I develop a product to successfully solve user problems.
☝️ Stop for a moment and take it for yourself!
How can understanding product UX help us?
Okay, okay. I'm already anticipating the thought that's going around in the minds of some of you, my dear readers: "but I do the backend, why should I think about UX?".
And it's these thoughts that keep you from raising your professional level in this workplace and being as helpful as possible in solving user problems. Because product UX isn't just about pretty icons and a red colored action button!
It's also processes that are invisible to users, such as saving intermediate results when filling out a large form or preload data in the cache that the user might need at the next moment.
Exactly the same applies to the frontend of the project. Understanding "when" and "what" to show your user is crucial for a successful UX of the whole product. If you know that it's better to show dynamic placeholders when product cards are being loaded, then suggest this option and make it so!
Anything, that facilitates user interaction and allows you to more clearly understand "what's going on now", will help your product become even more useful to the user.
🔥 And that's money to business and loyalty to you as a more valuable professional, who understands the product rather than just writing code.
Simple tricks on how to train yourself to pay attention to UX in your product
- Start using your product. Seriously, this may sound ridiculous, but many developers have never tried the result of their work as an ordinary user in their lives.
- Get more involved with the backend/frontend development team and designers. This will allow you to look at the same part of the product from completely different angles and notice what has been hidden.
- Identify for yourself a few products that you really like as a user and that you enjoy using. Try to compare the common places in these products and in yours, write down all the places you liked and the ones you would like to change and why.
Instead of a conclusion
And remember the most important thing: UX depends on everyone, who works on the product! It's in the DNA of the product from the first line of code, from the first draft of the design, from the first phrase of the presentation.
👉 How successfully your product will solve the user's problems is up to you!
Photos by
- Álvaro Bernal https://unsplash.com/photos/QPRd_UC3nE4
- You X Ventures https://unsplash.com/photos/X8H8vPcelPk
P.S.
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