Usability
Take roads. A Usable road is one that is wide and straight (less mental effort), with no oncoming traffic (less mistakes, less mental effort). One that enables you to get from A to B as fast as possible (more powerful) and one that has a consistent and clear use of signs (high learnability). | |
In short the most usable road is a freeway. But, a freeway is also directly boring in terms of user-experience. |
User Experience
A road with a high level of user-experience is completely different. It is a twisting mountain road (visual). Now you got great scenery (visual, emotional), the smell of nature (smell), the excitement from the climb (and the sheer cliff only feet away). | |
You got little friendly signs put out by the local, who sells fruits along your way (show-off effect). Every city is slightly different (branding, emotional, environment). You feel happy when you see the locals wave when you pass by, and you stop let a sheep pass (emotional, trust, coexistence). But a mountain road is far from a usable road. It is much harder to drive on, it is difficult to learn, you can't go as fast and the risk of making a mistake (taking a wrong turn or crashing into a sheep) is much greater. But, a mountain road will give you a much better user-experience than any freeway could ever do. |
Striking the right balance
When designing digital products or services, it’s essential to consider Usability and User Experience (UX). Though they may appear similar, they have different effects on how users interact with and view a product.
To create digital designs that are both successful and interesting, it is essential to comprehend the distinctions between key approaches: Usability and User Experience.
Shared by TIGO UI/UX Team