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Introduction

Adobe Photoshop is a photo editing and manipulation software used by everyone from amateur photographers to graphic design professionals. It’s one of the most beloved programs in the Adobe design suite and can be harnessed for basic image retouching, all the way through to compositing digital art, creating mockups, adding effects to images, and even animation.

Keeping on top of software updates and new Photoshop features is essential for designers, as is looking at how other makers and creators are using the software. To set you up for success this year, we’ll explore the biggest Photoshop 2022 updates, including 8 of the most notable new Photoshop features 2022 and how designers are embracing and using the tool right now.

If you’re brand new to Photoshop, start with a Photoshop tutorial for beginners to discover Photoshop editing tips from the ground up. Or try an advanced Photoshop tutorial if you’re looking for Adobe photoshop tricks for experienced designers that extend beyond the basics.

What’s new in Photoshop?

As with most of Photoshop’s new releases, the most recent updates help to improve and evolve the program rather than giving it a complete overhaul. Once released, it doesn’t take too long for designers to identify the new Photoshop tips and tricks, honing in on creative Photoshop ideas and refining their techniques as they explore what’s possible and set new Photoshop trends.

So, what’s new in Photoshop in 2022? From brand new Neural Filters to improved communication with Illustrator, the focus in this update is around enhanced collaboration and more sophisticated finishes on existing tools. For those of us working in the creative industry, this is all very good news as the world forges ahead with increased flexibility and remote working.

How designers are using Photoshop: tricks, tips, and new features

So let’s get into it. We’ll briefly look at the key changes, the best Photoshop tricks, and more importantly, how designers are actually using them. So, what’s possible with Adobe Photoshop in 2022, and what new Photoshop techniques and editing tools should you be using this year?

1. Nailing compositing with Harmonization

First up is the new Harmonization Neural Filter. Essentially, this tool will match the colors and tones between the foreground and background. So when you go into your desired image, select your subject (in the foreground), then select the harmonization tool, you can use it to make your background match flawlessly. This works by allowing you to adjust the saturation, brightness, and overall color balance to find the best match with the background. Why is it so handy? It cuts down hugely on compositing time, which for many designers can be the most time-intensive part of image editing. To try out this tool straightaway, have a play-around using Photoshop add-ons. 

2. Replicating color & tone with Color Transfer

On the subject of Photoshop’s Neural Filters, another one worth taking notice of in this update is the Color Transfer Neural Filter. Photographers can rejoice with this tool. Imagine, you’ve spent the day at a photo shoot, and have hundreds of images ready to use. But what if you have one location where the lighting is perfect, and some of the images you want to use aren’t taken in that same position? Enter: the Color Transfer tool. You can use it to bring all your photos in line with the same color and tone, creating a seamless set of photos for your designs.

3. Playing with gradients thanks to improved Interpolation options

Gradients are having a moment in design – just look at these key graphic design trends for 2022 – and now, happily, Photoshop has upgraded its gradient tool with two new Interpolation options to make creating and adjusting your gradients that much easier. In addition to the Classic Interpolation tool, you now have the Perceptual Interpolation and Linear Interpolation tools. Both tools are designed to create more natural-looking gradients, which are closer to the way the human eye perceives real-world gradients. You’ve got a hint from the names of these tools, but one is for the OKLab color space and one is for use in the linear color space.

4. Creating NFTs using Photoshop

A real buzzword of the last few years, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are digital assets that are bought and sold online via the blockchain. To become an NFT a piece of artwork is ‘minted’, then as it’s bought and sold the transaction history is stored in the blockchain. Photoshop is supporting the growth of NFTs and helping to combat art theft, an increasing problem in the industry, with Content Credentials–currently in BETA. For a more detailed overview of preparing an NFT Adobe has a breakdown here, but essentially it means more insight for audiences and buyers on whether the person selling the art is the Photoshop user who exported it. To take advantage of this new development, you’ll need to enable Content Credentials.

5. Verifying content authenticity with Content Credentials

When you export your file, you now have the option to select to include Content Credentials. This means your jpeg (or chosen file format) will include details like your name, your adjustments, the assets used and their file names (backgrounds, subject, icons, etc.), and which version of Photoshop you created the image in. This functionality is super important for verification when submitting your work, where your client or editor can immediately check the authenticity. Bear in mind, though, that if someone makes adjustments and re-saves the image, your credentials won’t carry through.

6. Working more collaboratively with sharing & commenting

Another anticipated update is the addition of sharing and commenting capabilities. It works similarly to Google Workspace, where your Photoshop work will also appear as a Cloud file. You can then share your file with individuals via their email addresses, or get a shareable link so the file can be accessed by all those who receive it. You have the option to allow commenting, saving a copy, or both, meaning collaboration and feedback just got a whole lot quicker and easier – with no need for file downloading and minimized risk in version control. 

7. Switching more effectively between Photoshop & Illustrator

Designers will rejoice at this next update: a better experience switching between Photoshop and Illustrator due to improved interoperability between the software. In practical terms, it’s now possible to paste vectors from Illustrator directly into Photoshop. You have the option to import with layers – meaning you can keep your Illustrator graphics stroke, fill, opacity, and other attributes. You can edit your Illustrator graphic directly in Photoshop, rather than going back into Illustrator, making your adjustments, and re-pasting into Photoshop. Hoorah!

8. Identifying subjects of an image with advanced machine learning

Last but certainly not least is an improvement to Photoshop’s use of artificial intelligence, via the new object finder tool, and an upgrade to the object selection tool. This tool analyses your image to find the main subjects (and even minor subjects), which you can then select automatically and with enhanced precision thanks to more powerful AI machine learning. You’ll save loads of time adjusting subjects quickly and easily, separate from your overall image. You can even prompt Photoshop to hone in on one part of the subject. For example, you might have a person identified as a subject, but you can highlight a particular detail (like a hat) by drawing a smaller box around it. The object finder tool also comes with its own new settings, for adjusting color, outline, and capacity. 

Conclusion

So, as well as handy improvements to tools, Adobe Photoshop 2022 is looking to the future with practical means to address issues like content authenticity. It’s also taking advantage of AI, and keeping up with our everyday need for more seamless collaboration. For designers, it’s a solid update with truly useful enhancements as well as a few exciting new features to play with.  

The post 8 Interesting Ways Designers Are Using Photoshop in 2022 appeared first on noupe.

A fantastic logo is created from a variety of distinct components. But you must watch out that you don’t overdo it with the colors, fonts, shapes, etc. The end result is a logo that appears to have not been created by a little child or an inexperienced designer.

The reality is that a simple logo may cut through the clutter and showcase your brand’s actual core, which is crucial for the expansion of your company.

Even if they are not aware of it, individuals are interacting with companies more often than ever before nowadays. Brands are present everywhere, whether it is on social media platforms, television, radio, or email inboxes. Because of this, maintaining a strong brand is essential if you want to succeed. You can stand out from the competition by having a beautiful, simple logo design that connects with your audience.

Because they can convey clear ideas more rapidly than more complicated ones, simple logos frequently have a greater effect. There are several methods to make a simple logo, despite how simple it may seem in its design. For your inspiration, we’ve gathered some very outstanding examples from the internet.

Science tells us why we love simple logos

Recent research support what several businesses have previously found. People are naturally drawn to simplicity. It is derived from the idea of cognitive fluency. According to the hypothesis, our brains are programmed to look for information that is simple to digest. Our brains don’t appear to want to work very hard. Clean and straightforward logos appeal to our minds like sweets.

How It Works

Our eyes process visual data from an image into an electrical signal that is then sent to our brain. The brain receives the color and light information from this signal.

Our brains have to work harder to comprehend and recall information when processing complex logos with more colors and light changes. It takes longer and is more difficult for us to remember the image as a result. On the other hand, When you see a straightforward logo, you might assume that it was simple to make; however, there is a lengthy process of brainstorming, trial and error, revision, and sometimes even starting over to find the ideal logo for your brand. You may seek assistance from a skilled designer that specializes in basic design to make a distinctive, eye-catching logo that will help you connect with your target market.

Here there are some examples of simple logos

Typography Logos

Businesses whose brands lend themselves to form, shapes, or art may find simple typography advantageous. Its minimalism makes other design elements stand out. 

It’s crucial to maintain your brand values and the message you want to convey to your audience in mind while designing your own typographic logo. Your logo should be concentrated on telling your story and invoking the feelings you want to convey the key message of your business.

Then, make sure your logo is simple and straightforward to understand. You won’t have much success making an impact if your logo is difficult for your audience to understand at a glance.

Geometric Logos

Simple geometry has been used in many different types of logos over many years. The main reason why geometry can be used in simple logo designs is that it contains mathematical resolutions. Although simple geometric shapes such as triangles and rectangles are generally used, asymmetrical geometric shapes are also commonly used in simple logo design.

If you think you need a stronger logo design with more catchy, sharp lines, you can turn to geometric logos by using the power of mathematics.

Symbols or Icons

When used well, such logos can represent the company in a simple and bold way. In many cases, the design is abstract and aims to arouse interest. Although such logos are basically simple, they can be used as a product in many different designs, so they should be preferred primarily by large companies or companies that plan to grow.

Wordmarks

Wordmark logos are uniquely styled text that spells out the brand’s name, as opposed to symbols and icons. In order for such logos to be unique, a logo-specific font design is required. Since using the Wordmark logo makes the company’s name stand out much more, it contributes greatly to increasing the company’s name awareness. Since it is a type that provides simplicity, elegance, and usefulness at the same time, it is a type that is widely used by many companies.

Line Drawing Logos

Another way to simplify logo design is to use line drawings. Line drawings form the basis of typographic and geometric logos.

By integrating line drawing into their other designs, designers can obtain more elegant products while maintaining simplicity. Another advantage of line drawing is that it adds a more fluid and luxurious air to the design it is used in.

Looking more accessible

In the business world where everything is complicated, you can change your perception in people’s eyes by simplifying your logo, that is, your first impression in people’s eyes. Being simple and appearing that way will also help you become a more successful company in the long run, as it will make you look more accessible outside of people.

The post Simple Logos – Why They are More Attractive? appeared first on noupe.

Anime is a particular type of cartoon created or influenced by Japanese animation. The best-known qualifications of this special type of art are large eyes, tiny noses, wild hairs, and long limbs.

With these features, one can easily recognize anime style. For many, it is fun, but not that easy to draw anime. Here you can find the best tips to create an anime drawing step by step.

STEP 1: Drawing an Anime Head and Face

Before diving into details, first, you should create a structure. The basic principle for this is drawing a circle and extending the chin below the circle. Then you need to draw two lines, one horizontal and one vertical, passing through the circle’s center. Now, you can add ears and eyes symmetrically right under the horizontal line and eyebrows above the eyes. You can use simple curves for eyebrows, a little thicker in the middle. The mouth can be placed at the bottom, and the nose -a tiny vertical dash- between the eyes and mouth.

After finishing the facial details, you can start drawing the hair. Anime hair consists of different small parts instead of one direct line. Therefore it is better to divide it into pieces. Splitting into three parts may be the easiest way—basically, the front, the back, and the sides. 

Adding several tufts from the front is a good starting point. Then you can draw sides, again separating the hair into clumps. Instead of drawing a straight line, you should add a slight curve to make it more real. Lastly, add relatively straight lines for the back. You can extend it under the shoulders for long hair. If you want to add a bun, you can do it right after this step. You can add one to the middle or two to each side. For the best bun, the starting point is a circle. After, it can be turned into natural hair by adding curved lines in it.

STEP 2: Sketching an Anime Body

Again, you should start with a structure to create a perfect body. Generally, there is a rectangle for the chest, small circles for showing shoulders, leg, and arm joints, and finally, an oval for the hips. After completing that step, you are ready to connect these shapes. Draw curved lines from chest to hips and from neck to shoulders. In the end, the body should look like an hourglass. Then you can add legs narrowing from top to bottom and arms in any position. Here you can use small circles to help you when you are separating the upper part of the limb and the lower part of the limb.

After completing the big parts, you can start adding details like hands and shoes. For the hands, the first step is drawing two widening lines and adding a rectangle starting from the left side. The next step is drawing another line to show the knuckles. After that, divide the shape slightly symmetrical for the fingers and curve the straight lines. Now, it is time to connect all the lines you put before and create fingers. You can use different hand positions, but the fundamental principle is always the same: creating an outline and connecting the points.

Drawing shoes are easier than drawing hands. After drawing the feet in the desired position, create an outline for the shoes relatively wider than the feet. Erase the feet line. Then, add some details, such as shoelaces and designs on the shoes.

STEP 3: Adding Clothes

For an anime character, there are lots of options when it comes to clothes. However, for a beginner, the simplest option is a combination of a shirt and jeans or a shirt and skirt, depending on gender.

To draw a shirt/t-shirt, firstly, create a sketch as in the other parts. Draw loose lines around the arms and body. If you are having trouble doing it directly, you can use basic geometric shapes like a rectangle for a shirt. If you do so, you can curl the lines afterwards according to body shapes. Then add the collar if it is a shirt. Make sure to draw the collar’s outline far enough from the neck and body so that it appears to have some volume. After drawing the outside, keep going with the details. Add creases around the breast, armpit, waist, and elbow. Do not forget to add buttons to the shirt. 

Drawing a jean might be seen as the simplest part. Since you already have the lines for the legs, all you need to do is to draw loose curved lines along the body lines. After finishing outlines, erase the leg lines and add creases, especially to the ankles. Finally, add the button and a small shape for the zip. 

If you want to draw shorts, follow the same steps but instead of covering the whole part of the legs, make it shorter around the knees.

To draw a skirt, begin with the outline again. To show the folds’ dimensions, draw several vertical lines. It’s essential to remember that the folds in this specific pattern point in one way before gently curving in the opposite direction.

Last but not least, add some colors to your character to make it more real and attractive.

Here are some easy drawing examples:

Some master arts

Knowing the body shapes of anime characters is an essential point in creating perfect drawings. When drawing a figure, always start with a scratch. In other words, do not forget to use a sketch as a starting point. Afterwards, you can add all of the details as you want. Also, remember that you will find your own technique over time; you just need to practice before becoming a master.

The post How to Draw an Anime: Best Anime Drawing Tips appeared first on noupe.

There’s no doubt that branding has become an important part of a business’s competitive edge in today’s economy. With so many companies competing for customers, it is essential to have a strong branding strategy. Read this guide to understand the benefits of using a branding agency for your business.

Access to Experience and Expertise

If you’re looking to achieve success with your branding efforts, you need access to the best expertise and experience. Branding agencies can help you with skills, a wealth of experience, and knowledge of making a successful brand.

Top branding agencies can provide you with the resources and support you need to create a successful brand, such as identity design, website, social media management, internal communication material, presentations, etc They can also help you identify and market your brand to the right people. They know how to create a strong reputation for your brand and how to attract new customers.

So stop reinventing the wheel, and start freeing up your time by hiring top branding agencies to tell your story to the rest of the world. 

Eye-Catching Campaigns

Branding agencies can help you create eye-catching campaigns that promote your business.

The branding agency can help you create a campaign that is unique, and attractive to consumers and that brings more engagements to their business. They can help you design marketing materials that are effective and persuasive. Their efforts will result in campaigns that are well-executed, creative, and visually appealing.

Boost Awareness and Recognition

Branding agencies can help your business to boost awareness and recognition. They can help to create a unique identity for your company and help to promote it across the internet, in print media, and on radio and television.

Creative agencies can help you to create marketing materials that will help you to reach your target market. They can design logo designs, advertising campaigns, and even marketing slogans for your business.

By using a creative branding agency, you can ensure that your business is well-known and respected in the marketplace.

Build Brand Trust and Loyalty

When you choose a branding agency, you’re investing in its ability to create a unique and memorable brand for your business. This is essential if you want your customers to trust and be loyal to your product or service.

A branding agency can help you build trust and loyalty among customers by creating a strong brand identity for your company. They will create a logo, website, and marketing materials that reflect your company’s values and personality.

With a reputable branding agency, you can ensure your business has the foundation it needs to move in today’s competitive marketplace.

Improve Your ROI

When you’re looking to improve your business, it’s important to find a branding agency that can provide you with the best possible results. A branding agency can help you increase your ROI by creating a unique brand for your business.

Experience with Multiple Technologies and Methods

Branding agencies can provide a variety of benefits when it comes to using technology and marketing. They are experienced with a variety of technologies and methods, which can help you reach your target audience.

A good website design agency can help you create a website with a user-friendly interface and visual appearance to match your professional brand. By ensuring your website is attractive, they can also help you increase its visibility on the internet.

Branding agencies can help you reach the right person on social media. They create campaigns that are tailored to the individual or group of people targeted. They can also help you to manage your social media accounts effectively so that you remain compliant with all the laws governing social media platforms.

Easy accessibility to assets

Branding agencies offer a wealth of resources. This means that you can find the information you need without having to search through numerous websites.

Branding agencies can help create solutions that are specific to your business. This means that you can customize your branding strategy to fit your specific needs.

Branding agencies have years of experience in the area of branding. They can help you develop a successful brand by generating quality content and guarding your reputation.

A Fresh Perspective

Branding agencies can offer a fresh perspective on your company and help to create a unique identity.

Branding agencies can help you to ideate and brainstorm about your company in different ways that address its needs and goals. They can help you to develop a new identity for your company that will be unique and appealing to potential customers. This approach can help you to break through the clutter and make your company more visible.

A branding agency can also provide guidance on how to market your company effectively. They can give you advice on how to create marketing campaigns that are tailored to your company’s needs and target audience. 

A Strong Brand Boosts Revenue

Many businesses believe that a strong brand is key to success. This is because a strong brand can boost revenue in several ways.

A strong brand can increase the demand for products and services. With a recognizable brand and established reputation, people are more likely to spend money on products or services that they offer.This means that the company will be able to sell more products and services than other companies in its industry.

A strong brand can increase the visibility of a company. This increased exposure may lead to more customers and more business opportunities.

Gain Access to a Versatile Talent Pool

One of the benefits of using a branding agency is its diverse talent pool. This pool contains experts in marketing, design, and other fields. They can help you create a special and efficacious brand.

Another benefit of using a branding agency is its flexibility & versatility. This means that you won’t have to waste time and money trying to create a brand that doesn’t fit your business.

Overall, branding agencies are an important resource for businesses of all sizes. Their versatile talent pool and ability to customize services make them valuable assets.

Rely on Creative Agility

When it comes to finding the right branding agency, you need someone who can provide you with creative agility. This means that the agency can quickly adapt to changes in your business and create a unique branding strategy that stands out from the rest.

Branding agencies have the skills, years of experience, and knowledge to help you market your business. They are likely to know what will work best for your business and can help you to reach your target market. In addition, they can help you to develop a consistent brand message that will be effective across all aspects of your marketing efforts.

Cost-Effectiveness

The cost-effectiveness of using a branding agency is hard to beat. Branding agencies can help businesses with a range of branding needs, from developing a new logo to creating a marketing campaign.

Branding agencies can also provide assistance with other strategic business decisions, such as choosing the right location for a business or determining the best way to market the company. 

Branding agencies can also help businesses to attract new customers and increase sales in a cost-effective way

Conclusion

Branding has come a long way in the past decade or so, and there are plenty of benefits to using a branding agency for your business. From increasing brand awareness to creating more engaging content, a good branding agency can do wonders for your business.

The post Benefits Of Using A Branding Agency appeared first on noupe.

CX (customer experience) and UX (user experience) are two important business strategies aimed at optimizing customer communication and engagement. The principles of UX have been around for centuries, but the term was first coined in the 1990s by Don Norman.

CX is a much newer concept that’s been gaining popularity as companies look to improve customer satisfaction. Many designers now argue that UX is a subset of CX, but there are some important differences between them.

In this article, we’ll look at where CX and UX differ and where they meet to improve the customer experience. But first, let’s define what CX and UX design are.

What is UX design?

User experience design focuses on the interactions people have with a service or product. This is usually a digital product such as an app, website, or software like PD DataFrame Python. But UX can also apply to non-digital products.

The aim of UX is to create better-designed products to improve the user experience. And it works: over two-thirds of businesses say UX improves customer satisfaction. Plus, 62% say it improves brand perception. So UX design is crucial for businesses to attract and convert customers.

UX design considers everything that shapes the user experience, from how the actual product feels to how easy the buying process is. An amazing product is one that’s efficient and easy to use, and that’s what UX is all about. 

If you need some help with designing your website, for example, search online for “tips on how to design website”.

UX covers four major disciplines:

1. Experience Strategy (ExS)
2. User Research (UR)
3. Information Architecture (IA)
4. Interaction Design (IxD)

Experience Strategy 

Experience strategy aims to combine business and design strategies to create a holistic experience that gives value to both users and businesses at the places they interact. So ExS considers both digital and bricks-and-mortar experiences.

ExS roles include product designer and product manager. Their aim is to align the company vision with customer needs and technical capabilities. They help companies manage their teams and keep them focused on the user experience.

User Research

User research helps companies understand their users’ needs, motivations, and behavior. For instance, UR could help you understand why users are looking at alternatives for Grasshopper. This makes user research a vital part of UX design. In fact, integrating UR into product development boosts customer satisfaction by 30% and brand perception by 31%.

User researchers collect qualitative and quantitative data to create user personas. This involves collecting feedback from customers with surveys, interviews, and usability testing. They then use these personas to inform product development.

Information Architecture

Information architecture focuses on the structure of digital products. This includes how content is organized and the type of language used. The goal is to help users quickly find information with minimal effort. As such, you can use IA for wireframing to plan the layout of a product.

IA roles include data analyst, content strategist, and information architect.

Interaction Design

Interaction design focuses on the way users interact with a system. IxD considers all the interactive elements of a product, such as buttons, animations, and transitions. Interaction design roles include product designer, interaction designer, and experience designer. Their aim is to integrate ExS, UR, and IA into an interface that’s intuitive and effortless to use. 

The role of UX designers

The role of UX designers is to make products and services accessible, user-friendly, and enjoyable. They usually work as part of a product team and bridge the gap between the user and the company.

The most common uses of UX design companies are discovering usability issues (68% of companies) and validating designs (66% of companies). But UX designers perform a variety of tasks, including:

• User research
• User testing
• Wireframing and prototyping
• Presenting designs to stakeholders
• Creating user personas
• Designing the information architecture of a product

Depending on the company, UX designers may focus on UX for non-digital products. They may also be service designers that focus on the experience of using services like public transport. But whatever their area of focus, it’s their job to ask questions like:

• Is this product/service easy and intuitive to use?
• Is this product/service accessible to a range of users?
• Will this product/service make users happy?
• Is this product/service what users want?

What is CX design?

Customer experience design includes all the interactions a customer has with each of a business’s touchpoints. CX considers a company’s advertising strategy, reputation, pricing, customer service, delivery, sales process, and the usability of a specific product or service. In this sense, UX is part of the broader experience of CX design.  

Let’s use a VoIP call center solution as an example. The customer experience isn’t only what it’s like to use the software, but also:

• What it’s like to buy the software
• How easy it is to access support
• How effective is the company’s marketing campaign
• What it’s like to upgrade or replace the software
• What it’s like to receive notifications or offers from the company

CX design also considers a customer’s emotional satisfaction. That is how they feel about a business. So, CX design is crucial to a company’s success. For instance, three-quarters of customers say it’s important to have a good experience on digital channels. The same goes for offline channels.

CX design considers three levels of customer experience:

1. Single-interaction
2. Customer journey
3. Lifetime relationship

Single-interaction

The single-interaction experience is the customer experience during a single interaction or task. This is usually a short-term interaction with a product or service, such as ordering something from a website or signing up for a mailing list. Experiences at this level are only a small part of the total customer experience.

Design at the single-interaction level is what most people associate with UX design. In other words, this is the level most UX designers work at.

Customer Journey

The journey level of customer experience focuses on the series of interactions that take place to accomplish a goal. An example is buying journeys. It usually involves several channels, so a CX customer journey map may look something like this:

1. You want to return a sweater, so you log in to your account and request a return.
2. You print out the return label and take your parcel to the post office.
3. A few days later, the company emails you to confirm the return and refund your money.

Many companies are now adopting an omnichannel approach to improve CX at the journey level. In fact, over one-quarter of companies say improving the omnichannel experience is a top CX priority.

Lifetime Relationship

The lifetime relationship level takes into account the single-interaction and customer journey levels to consider every interaction a customer has with a company. Each customer exchange with a company affects their perception of the company. So, CX design at this level is about nurturing the customer relationship.

For example, a software company that sells call center enterprise solutions would optimize their product to make it attractive to buyers and easy to use, upgrade, or uninstall. But they’d also look at improving their customer service and advertising campaigns.

The role of CX designers

To create a bulletproof CX strategy, CX designers analyze how customers feel about a brand. They also look at ways to improve the quality of interactions with them. This means problem-solving skills are a must.

CX designers may have backgrounds in advertising, marketing, psychology, management, sales, and customer service. They perform a variety of tasks, such as:

• User research and testing
• Collecting and presenting data
• Creating customer personas and empathy maps
• Mapping the customer journey
• Creating storyboards and workflows
• Defining business goals
• Tracking performance

In other words, CX designers focus on the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the customer experience.

How do CX and UX differ?

UX is an important part of CX, but there are some key differences to be aware of. These differences include:

• Focus
• Responsibilities
• Metrics
• Audience
• Testing

Focus

UX designers focus on how a user interacts with a single product or service?whether that’s an enterprise security solution or a hotel room. Their aim is to help users interact easily and successfully with a product. They want products to be accessible and give users a sense of satisfaction.

CX designers focus on the customer’s entire experience with the company. Their goal is to ensure customers have a good experience whenever they interact with a company. This includes both online and offline channels. They also want to boost brand revenue by nurturing customer loyalty.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of UX designers revolve around the product or service. They spend most of their time on product design, usability testing, and improving the product based on user feedback. Both CX and UX design involves user research. But UX research tends to be smaller in scale and focuses on individual personas or groups.

The responsibilities of CX designers are more to do with boosting brand perception and customer loyalty. Their goal is to optimize marketing, communication channels, customer service, and all other business touchpoints. So, CX research tends to involve large-scale studies and surveys.

Metrics

Because CX and UX focus on different aspects of the customer experience, they use different metrics to measure their success rate. For instance, over 50% of UX designers use product and site analytics like cart abandonment rate and engagement rate. Also, 48% use outcome metrics like app store ratings, conversion rate, and support tickets. But CX designers use metrics like:

• Churn rate
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)
• Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
• Net promoter score (NPS)
• Average handle time (AHT)

For example, 63% of designers measure customer satisfaction, and 31% measure NPS. They may also look at how many customers the company gained or lost in a certain time frame.

Audience 

The target audience for UX designers is the product’s end-user, whereas CX designers target customers. What’s the difference? Customers aren’t always the product’s intended user.

For instance, say a company’s CEO is buying software to reduce their employees’ data privacy risks. A UX designer would focus on the employees (the users), while a CX designer would focus on the CEO (the customer).

By focusing on the customer, CX designers look to enhance the business-customer relationship to make it mutually beneficial. The customer gets good service, while the business gets more income and a better reputation.

In contrast, since UX designers focus on the user, any business benefits are more of a by-product.

Testing

UX design mainly involves usability testing. Usability testing ensures the product or service is intuitive and easy to use in the way the designer intends. It involves observing real people using a product. For instance, watching people use a work schedule app to see if they get confused or frustrated. UX designers can then use these insights to make improvements.

CX testing looks beyond usability to create a holistic view of the customer experience. This usually involves studying key metrics and mapping the customer journey with diary studies, interviews, and surveys. Once CX designers understand the current customer journey, they can look at ways to optimize it.

Where do CX and UX meet?

Although CX and UX are different, they’re also similar. They both focus on improving the customer experience, and without one, the other won’t succeed. If a user isn’t happy with a product, they may not use that company again. And if a customer isn’t happy with a company’s buying process, they won’t buy the product in the first place.

Companies should use CX and UX together to optimize the whole customer experience. After all, 64% of customers stopped doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience. In contrast, a great customer experience increases customer satisfaction. This in turn improves brand reputation and revenue.

It’s important businesses pay attention to customer feedback, including how customers use, buy, upgrade, and troubleshoot a product. As we’ve said, a great product isn’t enough unless a customer also has a great lifetime experience. For this reason, many companies are now looking to hire designers with skills in both CX and UX.

Takeaway 

It should now be clear that although there are differences, UX is an integral part of CX. For businesses to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, they should use CX and UX together as part of their business optimization strategies.

Designers that consider both CX and UX will not only create better products. They’ll also enhance the customer experience at all stages of the customer journey.

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