The (UX) User experience

Who is it Designed for?

This is the question I always ask myself over and over again as I develop. It's a key component throughout development that should always be on a designer and developer's minds. Keeping this at the forefront of design maintains a scope for a project and allows for better targeting within a market.

What devices? (Human Computer Interaction - Responsive Design)

This is incredibly important when thinking about the user as well as the product. On what devices would the user use this product? With the development of smart phones and tablets development of technologies has evolved no longer are PCs the only outlet for viewing website or gaining important information. This is why responsive design is key to modern development. Creating a fluid and cohesive experience across multiple devices not only increases accessibility but promotes recursive users.

This applies to all media and any project where a user interacts with a device. Smart phones and tablets are largely associated with web development but also apply to game design as well as consumer applications. Understanding the individual devices and how they differ is also important. A Samsung Galaxy may have different functionality or handling than an IPhone so it's important to research features and determine supported devices within the planning phase. This goes for web browsers as well.

Cross Browser Compatibility

When designing for web typically the considered big three are Google Chrome, Edge (Internet Explorer), and Firefox. I would also include Safari in this as well as it is the default IOS browser for all Apple devices. Each of these handle web formatting differently and whenever possible it is best to test on as many versions on as many devices as possible. This is essential again for maintaining a cohesive and professional experience for users brining users back to your site.