Universal Principles of UX

Most jobs have an easy-to-understand title you can quickly mention and move on from with no risk of confusion, and most job titles don’t require lengthy explanations. I’m a photographer. I’m a teacher. I’m a zoologist. People nod, say something polite like “That must be interesting!”, take a sip of their drink and continue the conversation. “I am a UX designer,” however, almost always results in raised eyebrows followed by a rambling monologue where I try to explain the complexity, expansiveness, and evolving nature of the field.

“You know what an architect does? UX designers—or user experience designers—are basically architects, but instead of designing physical structures, we design digital structures. And just as architects don’t actually ...