Designers have not always thought much about the experiences of users, but that has changed greatly in recent years. The discipline of user experience (UX) design has advanced by leaps and bounds, quickly becoming a central point of focus for professionals all over the world.

Prominent UX awards and other high-profile showcases reveal just how central this type of design has become to many industries. Anyone interested in UX design can get a feel for the field by learning about the seven fundamental principles that follow.

1. The User Always Comes First

Designers tend to be creative people, and that can make it easy to lose sight of the big picture. Designers who focus on UX have to keep the user in mind at all times and never stray from that foundation.

Even a momentary lapse can let artistic indulgence or outright negligence take the place of a deep commitment to users. Designers who have a knack for remaining so focused tend to enable the best, most consistent UX.

2. UX Designers Need High Levels of Empathy

It is all well and good to be committed to producing satisfying experiences for users. Too many designers, though, lack the skills needed to actually follow through.

It takes a lot of empathy to be able to think about how users will feel when faced with a new system or product. People who cultivate certain habits, however, tend to become more empathetic, as a result.

3. Assumptions of All Kinds Must be Examined

Whether when designing software user interfaces or new consumer products, people who are concerned with UX need to be wary of established assumptions. Many long-standing convictions about how best to proceed with certain types of the design were formed before the importance of UX was ever recognized. Successful UX design, in fact, often involves identifying such harmful preconceptions and making sure they cannot interfere with the work that follows.

4. Communication With Stakeholders is Critical

Experienced UX designers often work hand in hand with the very stakeholders who will benefit from their efforts. Just as with so many other kinds of professional activity, being able to communicate clearly is often invaluable when working on UX.

5. Mistakes Can Never be Ruled Out

Well-designed systems encourage users to succeed with their activities however they might personally approach them. UX designers still need to always be aware that users are human and will inevitably make mistakes. A UX design project that does not account for the possibility of mistakes and how to minimize their impact will always be less than truly successful.

6. Feedback is Priceless

People are inherently intelligent and will almost always learn when given the opportunity to do so. Interfaces and systems that produce useful feedback end up enabling particularly rewarding experiences for users. Whether at the onboarding stage or much further down the road, users appreciate receiving feedback about their actions.

7. UX Designers Must Never Stop Learning

Becoming a capable UX designer inevitably takes a lot of study and practice. The state of the art is advancing so quickly that only designers who keep learning can hope to stay at the head of the pack. Even over just the last five years, so many new conclusions about UX design have been established that many skills developed earlier have become obsolete.

The field of UX design is an especially exciting place to work and should remain that way for a long time to come. The seven principles above guide effective UX designers to create experiences users cherish.