What is Good UX Design? (+10 UX Design Examples We Can All Learn From)

Introduction: What is a Good UX design?

As a UX designer, I'm always looking for exceptional user experiences. I want to understand what makes a design intuitive, enjoyable, and effective. That's why I've decided to take a closer look at some of the best UX design examples.

In this post, I'll explore 10 websites and apps that showcase the principles of good UX design. Unlike other articles that focus on specific features, I'll take a comprehensive approach, examining how each platform creates a seamless and engaging user experience from start to finish.

Plus, I'm not just going to share my opinion. I've developed a rating process to evaluate each example based on critical UX design principles objectively. This way, you'll gain valuable insights you can apply to your projects.

So, whether you're a user experience designer looking for inspiration or simply curious about what makes a great UX design, keep reading. I promise you'll walk away with a deeper understanding of UX design and actionable ideas to implement. Let's get started!

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What makes a good UX design? (Hint: there are 24 factors)

A good user experience (UX) design is important for creating functional, enjoyable, and easy-to-use products. It involves designing products that meet user needs and expectations, providing a seamless and intuitive experience. A well-designed UX can greatly impact user satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty, ultimately contributing to the product's success.

When evaluating UX design effectiveness, consider various factors related to user's interaction from initial encounter to ongoing use and long-term engagement. Analyze and optimize these factors to create products that meet functional requirements and provide a delightful experience.

These are the factors of good UX design and will be our rating criteria for each case study:

1. Simplicity:

1. Clarity and Focus: Design should prioritise essential elements, minimizing distractions to focus user attention on critical tasks and information.
2. Ease of Use: A simple UX design is intuitive, allowing users to navigate and interact without confusion or requiring extensive instructions.
3. Streamlined Processes: Simplifying user tasks and processes enhances the user experience, making it straightforward for users to achieve their goals.

2. Usability:

1. Intuitive Navigation: Users should find it easy to navigate through the product, which should have a logical structure that anticipates their needs.
2. Error Prevention and Correction: Good ux design minimizes the chance of errors and provides clear, helpful guidance for correcting mistakes when they occur.
3. Learnability: A product with high usability can be quickly learned by new users, allowing them to become proficient with minimal effort.

3. Accessibility:

1. Universal Design: Products should be usable by everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, including users with disabilities.
2. Adaptable Interfaces: UX design should accommodate various user preferences and assistive technologies, ensuring accessibility through flexible layouts and functionalities.
3. Clear and Understandable Content: Text, images, and multimedia should be presented in ways that can be easily understood by all users, including those who require assistive technologies.

4. Consistency:

1. Predictable Interactions: Consistent design elements and behaviours help users understand how to interact with the product.
2. Unified Aesthetic: A cohesive visual design language enhances the user experience by making interactions feel familiar across different product parts.
3. Standardized Terminology: Using the same words and phrases throughout the product reduces confusion and aids in learnability.

5. Feedback:

1. Immediate Response: Providing instant feedback on user actions assures them that the system responds to their input.
2. Informative: Feedback should be informative and helpful, guiding users towards successful outcomes or correcting errors.
3. Positive Reinforcement: Encouraging feedback for successful actions enhances user satisfaction and motivates continued engagement.

6. Efficiency:

1. Optimized Workflows: UX design should streamline tasks, reducing the number of steps required to achieve a goal.
2. Customization for Frequent Users: Allowing users to customize their experience or use shortcuts can greatly increase efficiency for those who use the product regularly.
3. Performance: Fast loading times and responsive interactions are critical for a seamless user experience that minimizes waiting and frustration.

7. Emotion:

1. Engaging and Delightful: Design should evoke positive emotions, making the experience enjoyable and memorable.
2. Trust and Reliability: Creating a sense of trust through a consistent and reliable user experience fosters a strong emotional connection to the product.
3. Personal Connection: Incorporating elements that reflect the user's identity or personal preferences can enhance emotional engagement and loyalty.

8. Personalization:

1. Learning from User Behaviour: Good UX design examples incorporates mechanisms to learn from users' interactions, preferences, and feedback to continuously improve and personalize the experience over time.
2. Predictive Assistance: By analyzing user data and behaviour, personalized UX can offer predictive assistance, anticipating the user's needs and offering solutions or information before the user explicitly requests it.
3. Customization Options: Allowing users to customize their experience, whether through setting preferences, choosing themes, or configuring layouts, can significantly enhance satisfaction and engagement.

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UX Design Criteria Rating Scale

Assessing a product's user experience (UX) is essential for understanding its usability, accessibility, and overall effectiveness. The following rating scale offers a framework for evaluating different aspects of UX design, from inadequate to excellent. This helps identify strengths and weaknesses, guiding efforts for improvement and optimization.

The UX Design Criteria Rating Scale has six levels, each representing a different degree of design quality, such as:

• ‍0 - Inadequate: The UX design fails to meet this area's basic standards. There is a significant need for improvement.
• ‍1 - Poor: The design makes some attempt to address the area but does so ineffectively. Users may find the design somewhat usable or accessible, but it is largely inefficient and inconsistent, leading to a challenging user experience.
• ‍2 - Fair: The design meets some basic criteria for good UX but lacks several key areas. Users can navigate and use the product, but there's room for substantial improvement.
• ‍3 - Good: The UX design is solid in this area, offering a generally positive user experience. However, some aspects could be enhanced for a better user experience.
• ‍4 - Very Good: The design excels in this area, providing an above-average user experience. Minor improvements could make it excellent.
• ‍5 - Excellent: The UX design is exemplary in this area, meeting all the criteria for a superb user experience. This rating sets a standard for what good UX design should be.

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Get inspired with 10 examples of great UX design

We will explore 10 brilliant UX design examples. Each case study showcases a different aspect of what makes a great user experience. We'll analyze these designs using our comprehensive rating scale, giving you valuable insights to apply to your projects. These UX design examples will spark your creativity and enhance your understanding of UX design principles.

Let's explore some of the best UX designs out there and discover what sets them apart!

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1. X (formerly Twitter)

X (formerly Twitter) is a popular social media platform that allows users to share short messages, images, and videos with their followers. It has become a go-to source for real-time news, entertainment, and social interaction.

X's design prioritses simplicity, focusing on essential elements and minimal distractions. The interface is straightforward, making it easy for users to navigate and interact with content. While most tasks are streamlined, some advanced features could be more intuitive to encourage users to explore the platform more deeply. Navigation is generally intuitive, but certain features are hidden in menus that could be more accessible. X has made strides in accessibility, but there is still room for improvement in accommodating all users and supporting assistive technologies.

The platform maintains consistency in its design elements, visual language, and terminology, aiding in learnability and predictability. Feedback is immediate and generally helpful, with positive reinforcement encouraging continued engagement. Performance is good, with fast loading times and responsive interactions.

X's design often evokes positive emotions, making it enjoyable to use, and its consistency fosters trust. However, more personalization options could enhance user engagement and satisfaction. The platform learns from user interactions to some extent, but more advanced personalization and predictive assistance could significantly improve the user experience.

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2. Spotify

Spotify is a popular music streaming platform that offers users access to a vast library of songs, albums, and podcasts. It provides a personalized experience through curated playlists and recommendations based on user preferences.

Spotify's interface prioritses simplicity and usability, with intuitive navigation and flexible user control. The UX design is consistent and streamlined, allowing users to find and enjoy their favorite music quickly. While the platform has made significant strides in accessibility, there is still room for improvement in areas such as customization options and support for assistive technologies.

Feedback is immediate and informative, guiding users effectively and providing positive reinforcement. Workflows are optimized, and excellent performance ensures a seamless and responsive user experience.

Spotify's engaging design fosters trust and emotional connection, creating a memorable user experience. The platform learns from user behaviour to provide personalization, but more advanced techniques and expanded customization options could further enhance emotional engagement and overall user satisfaction.

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3. Canva

Canva is a popular graphic design platform that allows users to create various visual content, such as social media posts, presentations, and marketing materials. It offers a wide range of templates, images, and design elements, making it accessible to users with little to no design experience.

Canva's interface is simple and intuitive, focusing on key tools and features. The user-friendly design has clear icons and a logical navigation structure, allowing users and UX designers to find and utilize tools easily. The platform simplifies design processes, enabling users to create user interfaces with stunning designs quickly.

Canva is accessible to many users, with an adaptable interface and clear, understandable content. However, customization options and support for assistive technologies still need improvement. Feedback is immediate and informative, providing positive reinforcement and encouraging engagement.

Workflows are optimized, and excellent performance ensures a smooth and responsive user experience. Canva's engaging design fosters trust and emotional connection, creating a memorable user experience. The platform learns from user behaviour to provide personalization, but more advanced techniques and expanded customization options could further enhance emotional engagement and overall user satisfaction.

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4. Duolingo

Duolingo is a popular language learning platform that offers courses in various languages. It provides an interactive and gamified approach to language learning, making it engaging and accessible to users of all skill levels.

Duolingo's interface is simple and intuitive, prioritizing key learning elements and minimizing distractions. The platform streamlines learning processes, enabling users to progress through lessons easily. Navigation is logical and well-structured, guiding users through the learning path seamlessly. Error prevention is effective, with helpful feedback for mistakes, and new users can quickly become proficient due to the app's user-friendly design.

Duolingo is accessible to a broad range of users, with clear and understandable content that caters to various learning styles and user needs. The platform maintains a consistent and cohesive visual design language, enhancing the overall user experience. Feedback is immediate, informative, and motivating, providing positive reinforcement and encouraging continued engagement.

Duolingo's learning workflows are optimized for excellent performance, ensuring a smooth and responsive user experience. The engaging design fosters trust, reliability, and emotional connection to the learning process. The platform effectively personalizes the learning experience based on user research, but predictive assistance and customization options can be improved to enhance user satisfaction and engagement further.

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5. Netflix

Netflix is a popular streaming platform that offers a vast library of movies, TV shows, and original content. It provides users with a personalized viewing experience based on their preferences and viewing history.

The interface is simple and intuitive, prioritising essential elements like featured content and recommendations while minimizing distractions. The platform streamlines processes such as searching and viewing content, making it easy for users to navigate and find their desired entertainment. The design is consistent and cohesive, enhancing the overall user experience.

Netflix is accessible to many users, with an adaptable interface and clear, understandable content. However, customisation options and support for assistive technologies still need improvement. Feedback is immediate and informative, though more detailed guidance and positive reinforcement could further enhance the user experience.

Workflows are optimised, and excellent performance ensures a smooth and responsive streaming experience. Netflix's engaging design fosters trust, reliability, and emotional connection, creating a memorable user experience. The platform effectively learns from user research and customer data to provide personalized recommendations and overall excels at creating content tailored to the user.

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6. Apple

Apple is a renowned technology company that offers a wide range of products and services, including smartphones, tablets, computers, wearables, and software. The company is known for its focus on design, innovation, and user experience, creating products that are both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.

The design philosophy prioritises simplicity, with a clean and minimalist user interface that minimizes distractions. The company's products are highly intuitive, with clear icons and streamlined processes that allow users to perform tasks efficiently. Navigation is logical and organised, and error prevention is robust, enable users to find what they need and correct mistakes when necessary.

Apple products are highly accessible, with an adaptable user interface and clear, understandable content. The company maintains a consistent visual design language across all devices, enhancing the overall user experience. Feedback is immediate, informative, and helpful, guiding users towards successful outcomes and encouraging continued engagement.

Apple's workflows are optimised, ensuring excellent performance and a smooth user experience. The engaging design fosters trust, reliability, and a strong emotional connection to the brand and its products. The products effectively learn from user behaviour to personalize the experience, but there is room for improvement in predictive assistance and expanded customisation options.

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7. Turbo Tax

TurboTax is a popular online tax preparation and filing platform that guides users through the process of completing and submitting their tax returns. The platform aims to simplify the complex task of tax filing by providing an intuitive interface, step-by-step guidance, and helpful resources.

TurboTax's interface prioritises essential elements, although it can sometimes present too much information at once. The navigation is logical, but users may occasionally feel lost in the detailed steps. The platform is accessible to a broad range of users, but there is room for improvement in terms of customization options for accessibility. Interactions and visual design language are consistent, enhancing the overall user experience.

Feedback is immediate and informative, guiding users effectively toward successful outcomes. Positive reinforcement is well-implemented, encouraging continued engagement through progress tracking and success messages. Workflows are optimised, but the inherent complexity of tax filing means some processes can be lengthy. Performance is excellent, with fast loading times and responsive interactions.

The design of TurboTax is engaging, but the inherently stressful nature of tax filing limits the potential for delight. Trust and reliability are strong, fostering a strong emotional connection to the brand. The system learns from user behaviour to improve and personalise the experience, but more advanced personalisation and predictive assistance could be implemented to enhance user satisfaction and engagement further.

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8. Vrbo

Vrbo, formerly known as HomeAway, is an online marketplace for vacation rentals. It offers a wide variety of properties, including cabins, condos, beach houses, and more. The platform connects property owners with travelers seeking short-term rentals for their vacations or trips.

Vrbo's design prioritses key elements like search and booking, but the extensive filters and options can sometimes be overwhelming for users. The interface is generally intuitive, and booking and searching processes are streamlined, though some steps can be time-consuming. Navigation is logical, but the variety of options and filters can occasionally make it challenging to find specific key features. Vrbo is accessible to a broad range of users, but there is room for improvement in accommodating all users, such as offering more customisation options for accessibility.

Interactions on Vrbo are generally consistent, and the platform maintains a cohesive visual design language. Feedback is usually immediate and informative, guiding users effectively toward successful outcomes. However, positive reinforcement could be more explicit to enhance user satisfaction. Workflows are optimised, minimising the steps needed to achieve goals, though some processes can still feel lengthy. Performance is generally good, with fast loading times and responsive interactions.

Vrbo's design prioritses search and booking, but the extensive filters and options can be overwhelming. The user interface is generally intuitive, but some steps can be time-consuming. Navigation is logical, but the variety of options and filters can make it challenging to find specific features. Vrbo is accessible to a broad range of users, but there is room for improvement in accommodating all users, such as offering more customisation options for accessibility.

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9. MS Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaborative communication platform that integrates chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration for enhanced teamwork. It is designed to help teams stay connected, collaborate efficiently, and simplify work processes within a single interface.

Microsoft Teams prioritises essential collaboration tools, but the extensive range of features can be overwhelming for new users. The interface is generally intuitive, but it may take some time for users to become accustomed to the wide array of tools available. Navigation is mostly intuitive, but the extensive feature set can make it challenging to find specific tools. The platform is accessible to a broad range of users, but there is room for improvement in accommodating all users, such as offering more customisation options for accessibility.

Interactions on Teams are generally consistent, and the platform maintains a cohesive visual design language. Feedback is immediate and informative, effectively encouraging users toward successful outcomes. However, positive reinforcement could be more explicit to enhance user satisfaction. Workflows are optimised, minimising the steps needed to achieve goals, although some complex features can feel lengthy. Performance is generally good, with fast loading times and responsive interactions.

The design of Microsoft Teams is engaging, but the complexity of some key features can limit delight. Trust and reliability are strong, fostering a strong emotional connection to the service. The system learns from user behaviour to improve and personalise the experience, but more advanced personalisation and predictive assistance could be implemented to enhance user satisfaction and engagement further. Customisation options are available but could be expanded to enhance user satisfaction and engagement further.

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10. Amazon

Amazon is a leading e-commerce platform and a notable UX design example that offers a wide variety of products, from electronics and apparel to groceries and home essentials. The platform provides a convenient online shopping experience, allowing users to research, compare, and purchase products from various sellers worldwide.

Amazon's interface prioritises essential elements like search and product listings, but the vast array of features and ads can sometimes feel cluttered and overwhelming for new users. Navigation is logical but challenging due to the extensive number of categories and options. The searching and purchasing processes are both streamlined. For example, users can quickly purchase a product within just a few clicks on both mobile devices and desktop devices. Amazon is accessible to a broad range of users, but there is room for improvement in accommodating all users, such as offering more customisation options for accessibility.

Interactions on Amazon are generally consistent, and the platform maintains a cohesive visual design language. Feedback is immediate and informative, guiding users effectively toward successful outcomes. However, positive reinforcement could be more explicit to enhance user satisfaction. Workflows are optimised, minimising the steps needed to achieve goals, although some processes can still feel lengthy, for example: the return process. Performance is generally good, with fast loading times and responsive interactions.

Amazon's design is engaging, but the vast array of options can limit the delight factor. Trust and reliability are strong, fostering a strong emotional connection to the service. The system learns from user behaviour to improve and personalise the experience, but more advanced personalization and predictive assistance could be implemented to enhance user satisfaction and engagement further.

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Final Thoughts

After evaluating user experiences across various platforms, we found that Apple scored 4.75, making it the top performer. Duolingo followed closely at 4.71, with Netflix at 4️.58. These platforms excel in delivering seamless, intuitive, and engaging user experiences, focusing on simplicity, consistency, and personalization.

Canva and Spotify also rank highly, offering user-friendly interfaces and efficient workflows. Turbo Tax demonstrates that complex tasks can be made accessible with a good UX design. While MS Teams, Amazon, and Vrbo have room for improvement, they still provide robust and reliable user experiences.

Platform X lags behind, indicating a need for significant UX enhancements to remain competitive. The top performers set a high standard for UX designers, highlighting the importance of prioritizing user needs and continuously refining design to stay competitive.

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