What user experience and feng shui have in common

The history of feng shui and its
application in modern web design

Feng shui originated 3,000 years ago in ancient China and its methodology is essentially about positively influencing the effect of different elements on each other. The aim is to create an environment that is as harmonious as possible. From the flow of energy to the flow of work: Because harmony became less important than efficiency at the beginning of the modern age at the latest, Frederick Winslow Taylor described profound considerations for increasing the efficiency of workers and their tools many centuries later in his "Principles of Scientific Management". And at the latest with the triumph of computers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it became increasingly important to consider how technology can be made more accessible in principle and what role the user interface plays in this. Under the term "UX design", cognitive psychologist and designer Don Norman summarises all aspects of graphics, industrial design, interfaces and physical interaction. Together with Jakob Nielsen, the Californian also founded the Nielsen Norman Group - a UX research and consulting company - which is now a global leader in analytical UX research and continues to set standards.

Today, UX designers utilise the knowledge of many generations and transfer it to the design of websites and apps or the operation of devices and software, among other things. The idea behind it is always the same."Looking good alone is not enough," says Patrick Weiser, Managing Director at RYZE Digital and the man for good UX, "because there is always a concept behind it that goes beyond personal taste." Although subjective perception plays a major role, many things can be objectively assessed and designed accordingly.

The four aspects of UX: design, operation, function and benefit

To this end, UX is divided into four aspects: Design, operation, function and benefits. Good design determines the first impression, conveys the brand image and ideally creates an additional level of experience. Operation is decisive for access to the offer and has a significant influence on use, but is subject to conventions and standards. Function is a quality feature that is often underestimated. It is simply taken for granted and only becomes noticeable when it is missing - but then in a directly negative way. The benefit is ultimately the result of good UX and often depends on accompanying processes - it combines UX and customer experience. This is why UX must always be considered and thought of in the context of the customer experience. After all, the quote from the Chinese philosopher Confucius "The journey is the reward" does not apply here. Instead, the actual goal of the user is always what they receive, i.e. the content, the product or a service.

In the next instalments of our "RYZE x UX" series, we will explain why you might accidentally shower in Japanese high-tech toilets instead of flushing and what this has to do with UX principles. We will go into the four aspects of UX in detail and use examples to explain how you can optimise your UX. In the first part, "Looking good alone is not enough!", we take an in-depth look at the aspect of design and show how to attract users at first glance - and why this is so important for the subsequent user experience.