Contact
What is UX

Design

March 13, 2025

SHARE:

What does UX stand for? Learn more about what UX means, why it’s so important and what defines good UX.

“UX” stands for “user experience.” It describes the quality of the experience an end user has with a specific product, service, company or brand.

Although it’s often talked about in relation to digital products, like apps and websites, UX can relate to anything that an end user can interact with or encounter.

Take the example of going into your local bank to open a new account. If the process is quick and simple with clear instructions, easy-to-find information and friendly customer service, you’d come away feeling like you had a good user experience.

The same goes for ordering something online or using an app on your phone. If you’re able to accomplish your desired tasks with minimal effort, you’ll find the user experience to be a pleasant one.

UX doesn’t relate to one specific thing. It’s the sum of all the smaller parts that determines whether the overall encounter between the product/service and the user is a positive one. You can think of it as the impression the user leaves with and whether or not they’d be keen to repeat the experience. To learn more, keep reading.

What is user experience (UX) design?

If UX describes the quality of a user’s encounter with a particular product or service, UX design is the process of creating and shaping these experiences, with the goal of making them positive, pleasant and valuable for the end user.

UX design isn’t about how a product looks; that’s just one aspect of the overall user experience. It’s about ensuring that the product is logical, functional, easy to navigate and generally user-friendly.

There are 5 elements of UX design to consider:

  1. Strategy: Deciding which objectives the product should meet, including both end user goals and client/business stakeholder objectives.
  2. Scope: Fleshing out the details of the product, determining which features and functionality it should offer.
  3. Structure: Mapping out the structure of the product, considering how users will navigate from one point to the next and what information they’ll need to move around the product and accomplish their goals.
  4. Skeleton: Drilling down to the finer details of how each page should be structured and which elements (buttons, menus and other content) will go where.
  5. Surface: Considering the user’s sensory experience of the product, defining how the product will look in terms of colors, imagery, spacing, typography and so on. This is where UI design comes in.

Where does the term “UX” come from?

The term “UX” was invented by Donald Norman, a cognitive psychologist who started working at Apple in the early 1990s. He took on the role of User Experience Architect, making him the first (known) person in history to have UX in their job title.

Explaining the origins of UX, Donald Norman said:

“I invented the term because I thought human interface and usability were too narrow. I wanted to cover all aspects of the person’s experience with a system, including industrial design, graphics, the interface, the physical interaction and the manual.”

What is the difference between UX and UI?

If you’ve heard of UX, you’ve probably also heard of UI. The terms are often used together but it’s important to be clear on the difference between them.

UX is a much broader term, covering everything that influences how a user feels when they use a product or service. It’s a comprehensive discipline that involves research, analysis, and understanding user needs. 

UI stands for “user interface”, which is the point of interaction between an end user and a digital product. It’s a more narrow discipline that involves the visual design of the screens, buttons and other touchpoints you might use to navigate an app or a website. 

The way the user interface (UI) is designed has an impact on the overall user experience, so UI is an important part of UX.

UXUI
Stands for “user experience”Stands for “user interface”
A broad disciplineA narrow discipline
Involves the quality of the experience as a wholeInvolves the design of the user interface
Concerned with research, analysis, and understanding user needsConcerned with visual design

You can learn more about the difference between the two, as well as how they go hand-in-hand, in this guide to UX vs. UI.

Why is UX important?

UX is important for two reasons: business value and human value. Let’s look at both.

The business value of UX design

If you have a positive experience with a product or service, you’re more likely to use it again and become a loyal customer. You might even recommend it to friends and family. That’s great for the brand reputation, which ultimately determines whether or not the product or service is successful and profitable.

On the flip side, a negative user experience leaves a bad impression of the product, service or brand. If it’s less than satisfactory, you’ll be inclined to go elsewhere, like a competitor with better UX.

Wherever there are two similar products or services offering the same functionality, the one with the best UX will always win out. UX is therefore crucial for winning and keeping customers, developing a positive brand reputation and, ultimately, for driving profit and business growth.

In sum, the business value of UX design includes:

  • A competitive edge in the market
  • Increased sales and revenue
  • Higher conversion rates
  • Better word-of-mouth marketing
  • A strong brand reputation
  • Improved customer loyalty and retention

We compiled some interesting statistics about the business value of UX, like the fact that 66% of customers are willing to pay more for a great user experience. 

The human value of UX design

In addition to being valuable to businesses, end users also value good UX even if they don’t know it. UX influences whether we enjoy an experience or not and whether products and services are efficient and easy or frustrating and difficult. 

In addition, UX determines whether products are accessible and inclusive for as many users as possible. Whether they are disabled, come from a different place with different needs, or have different requirements, good UX make products and services accessible for all.

What defines good UX? The fundamental principles of UX design

Defining good UX can be tricky. It’s not down to one specific thing. There are seven principles of UX design that all designers should follow. They are:

  • User-centricity — Design products and services in a way that centres the user’s needs and helps to solve their problems.
  • Consistency — This can mean keeping your designs consistent across all pages, screens, and products within the same product family. It can also mean meeting the user’s expectations for the kind of product you’re designing.
  • Hierarchy — This includes putting more important elements in more prominent positions in both a site’s information architecture and in the visual hierarchy. 
  • Context — Consider the circumstances in which your products of services will be used and how that will effect the user experience.
  • User control — Give the user the right amount of control over their interactions with a product, such as being able to reverse or undo errors to a text message without throwing the whole user experience into disarray.
  • Accessibility — Ensure your product or service is accessible to as many users as possible, including people with disabilities or in other environments.
  • Usability — Usability relates to how easy a given product is to use and it’s influenced by things like:
    • Learnability – how easy it is for a user to learn how to use the product for the first time.
    • Efficiency – how quickly and seamlessly the user is able to complete their goals and tasks.
    • Memorability – how easy it is for the user to jump back into the product after not using it for a while.
    • Errors – how many errors does a user typically make when using the product.
    • Satisfaction – how pleasant or enjoyable is the product to use.

What is the UX design process?

The UX design process focuses on identifying and solving a problem for a specific target audience. It includes:

  • Conducting user research to understand who you’re designing the experience for and what problems they need solving.
  • Narrowing it down to one problem and coming up with potential solutions.
  • Designing the chosen solution.
  • Making prototypes to test and validate the design, i.e. to make sure it will actually solve the user’s problem.
  • Developing the prototypes into a fully-fledged product or service which people can use.
  • Continuously improving the product/service (and thus the user experience) based on continuous testing and feedback.

Related Articles

{"ARInfo":{"IsUseAR":false},"Version":"1.0.0","MakeupInfo":{"IsUseMakeup":false},"FaceliftInfo":{"IsChangeEyeLift":false,"IsChangeFacelift":false,"IsChangePostureLift":false,"IsChangeNose":false,"IsChangeFaceChin":false,"IsChangeMouth":false,"IsChangeThinFace":true},"BeautyInfo":{"SwitchMedicatedAcne":false,"IsAIBeauty":false,"IsBrightEyes":false,"IsSharpen":false,"IsOldBeauty":false,"IsReduceBlackEyes":false},"HandlerInfo":{"AppName":2},"FilterInfo":{"IsUseFilter":false}}

Stories

Building Meraki: How Vivian Kwan Turned Passion into Purpose

The first time Vivian Kwan realized she could build something on her own terms was during her college years in the U.S. — a time that completely shifted her perspective on what a career could be.

She found herself surrounded by students who were running side hustles, freelancing, and starting companies before graduation. It was a stark contrast to her upbringing in Hong Kong.

“Back home in Hong Kong, the path was pretty clear: study hard, land a stable job, and climb the corporate ladder,” she recalls. “But in the U.S., I met people who were building something entirely their own. That inspired me to think differently.”

Curious and driven, Vivian began experimenting — running a small photography business and creating content for fun. That experiment grew into Meraki Group, a boutique talent management agency representing a diverse roster of lifestyle creators — and now a 7-figure business built entirely from the ground up.

Redefining Success as a First-Generation Founder

When Vivian launched Meraki Group in 2021, she had no network, no outside funding, and no PR machine behind her, just the belief that creators deserved better representation.

As a first-generation Asian immigrant, Vivian was raised to stay quiet and keep her head down. “But entrepreneurship requires something different,” she says. “I had to learn to advocate for myself and my talents loudly and unapologetically.”

Without big teams or resources, she leaned into what she could control: being hands-on, transparent, and relationship-driven. That boutique approach became Meraki’s unique selling point: brands and creators know they can reach Vivian directly, and that trust has allowed Meraki to thrive against the odds. Today, Meraki has closed 300+ brand campaigns with brand partners like HOKA, REI, Shark, Columbia Sportswear, Libman, Google, and UGG.

The Challenge of Balance

Motherhood has always run parallel to Vivian’s entrepreneurial journey — two worlds that demand her heart in equal measure. In the early years of Meraki, she often found herself caught between deadlines and bedtime stories, client calls and school drop-offs. The guilt was relentless: every hour spent growing the business felt like time borrowed from her children.

But over time, her perspective shifted. She began to see that showing her kids what fulfillment looked like was one of the greatest gifts she could give them. Building Meraki wasn’t just about proving something to the industry — it was about showing her children what resilience, purpose, and self-belief looked like in real life.

“My kids deserve a mother who’s confident and happy,” she says simply. “That thought keeps me grounded when things get hard.”

A Year of Growth and Gratitude

In October, the Meraki community came to life in a way that no Zoom call ever could. Vivian and her team hosted their annual NYC dinner — an intimate gathering of creators, brand partners, and friends who had helped shape the agency’s journey. The room buzzed with laughter, warm reunions, and stories that stretched back to Meraki’s earliest days.

For Vivian, it was a full-circle moment. Many of the guests were creators she had signed during the uncertainty of the pandemic — people she had championed from afar before ever shaking their hands in person. Watching them share a table, swapping stories and ideas, felt like witnessing the agency’s spirit materialise in real life.

It wasn’t a night of flashy sponsors or curated photo ops, but of genuine connection — the kind that has quietly fueled Meraki’s success from day one. “What I’m most proud of isn’t the growth,” Vivian reflects. “It’s loyalty. Many of my creators have been with me for three or four years. In an industry where talent often comes and goes, that kind of long-term commitment means everything.”

What Comes Next

As Meraki continues to grow, Vivian is laying the groundwork for a new chapter — one that strengthens the agency’s foundation while amplifying its impact. She’s focused on expanding her team and refining systems to preserve Meraki’s signature boutique quality, even as it scales.

“I’m being intentional with this next chapter,” she says. “Before stepping deeper into consulting and mentorship, I want to make sure the agency continues to run with the same care and creative integrity it was built on.”

With that foundation in place, Vivian plans to open limited consulting slots and launch educational programs for creators and emerging talent managers. Her goal is to nurture the next generation of creative leaders — empowering them to build with heart, purpose, and the courage to redefine what success can look like.

Follow Vivian’s journey:
 📍 LinkedIn | Instagram

  • 4 min read
Color - Anise Health 27710_2 (1)-jpg

Stories

The Founders Behind Anise Health: How Two Women Are Reimagining Mental Health for the Asian Community

When Nisha Desai and Alice Zhang met at Harvard Business School, neither of them expected that a casual conversation about their frustrations with therapy would spark the idea for something much bigger.

As they juggled graduate school and their own mental health, they often felt therapy wasn’t built for people like them – they spent more time explaining their background to their therapists than actually healing. 

They realized it wasn’t just them – there’s a gap in mental healthcare that left many in the Asian and multicultural community feeling unseen and misunderstood.

That shared realization became the seed for Anise Health: a platform built to make therapy culturally attuned, accessible, and truly effective for the AAPI community.

A Problem They Both Knew Too Well

Before their paths crossed, both founders had already seen the same issue from different directions.

Nisha, who grew up in Florida in a family of healthcare entrepreneurs, had always been drawn to questions of access and equity in care. After studying finance and marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and earning her MBA from Harvard, she worked in healthcare investing and later in digital product management at Humana. It was there, while helping build a mental health app, that she started hearing a troubling pattern from thousands of users – the same barriers she had personally faced.

Nisha recalls that people weren’t saying therapy didn’t work. They were saying it didn’t fit, that they didn’t feel understood.

Alice, meanwhile, came to the same conclusion through her own deeply personal experiences. Born in China, raised across Japan and Canada, and now based in New York, she calls herself a “third culture kid.” Her multicultural background gave her adaptability, but also a sense of never fully belonging anywhere.

That feeling resurfaced when she sought therapy during business school. Despite being fluent in English, she found herself translating her own emotions for her therapist – explaining why criticism from parents felt like love, or why pursuing excellence felt non-negotiable.

Alice remembers feeling exhausted after each session, explaining her background again and again, and leaving each time feeling unseen.

Alice Zhang (left) and Nisha Desai (right)

Building a Culturally Grounded Model of Care

After that pivotal conversation at Harvard, the two women began mapping out what culturally attuned mental health care could look like. They spoke to clinicians, patients, payors and community leaders, testing how cultural nuance could be integrated into evidence-based therapy and coaching.

They envisioned a new kind of care model: one that didn’t require clients to educate their therapists or set aside their cultural identity at the door. Instead, therapy would start from a place of understanding.

“Alice and I really built Anise to be what we believe our community has needed during our upbringing. What we kind of wished for ourselves through our own personal journeys with therapy.”

But building what didn’t yet exist came with challenges. They had to prove — to investors, clinicians, and even the broader healthcare system — that cultural context wasn’t just a “nice to have,” but essential to effective care. Many mental health professionals hadn’t been trained to deliver culturally adaptive therapy, so Anise Health had to design that framework from the ground up: provider training programs, accurate diagnostic tools, tailored care plans, curated resources and a scalable model for personalized, culturally attuned care.

Their persistence paid off. What started as late-night brainstorming sessions between classes evolved into a fully fledged mental health platform that blends clinical rigor with cultural empathy.

Growing the Movement

Since its founding, Anise Health has facilitated over 10,000 paid appointments and built a network of 60+ licensed providers across multiple states. The company is now expanding through insurance partnerships that make culturally attuned care more affordable and accessible.

Behind the scenes, Nisha leads operations and product design, while Alice drives partnerships and provider training.

Their complementary strengths, coupled with a shared sense of purpose, have helped Anise Health raise $6.4 million in funding and gain recognition as one of the top 10 most innovative Asian Pacific-led companies to watch by NYSE, Y Combinator, and Gold House.

Redefining the Future of Mental Health for Asian Communities

For both founders, Anise Health’s success goes beyond numbers. It’s about shifting how mental health is understood and delivered, starting with a community that has long been underserved and stigmatized.

“Our goal isn’t just to make care available,” Nisha says. “It’s to make it effective, culturally relevant, and sustainable within the healthcare system.”

By creating a new gold standard of culturally attuned care, Nisha and Alice aren’t just helping Asian Americans access therapy that finally feels like it speaks their language – they’re reimagining what inclusive mental health care can look like for everyone.

Learn more about Anise Health at anisehealth.co

  • 5 min read
Angel Zhen Built a $500K Solo CPA Firm and Redefined Success

Stories

Angel Zhen Built a $500K Solo CPA Firm and Redefined Success

From Public Accounting to Personal Freedom

For most people in the accounting world, success looks like a corner office, a big team, and an endless stream of clients. For Angel Zhen, CPA, MST, success meant something entirely different — independence.

“I wanted to build something that valued freedom, quality, and impact,” he says. “After years in public accounting, I saw how the system rewarded long hours over real results. I knew there had to be a better way — to build a high-performing firm without sacrificing your life.”

That clarity led Angel to found Pasadena Tax CPA, a one-person practice that now generates over $500,000 in annual revenue and serves more than 300 clients nationwide. Angel’s work has earned national recognition from both CPA.com and the AICPA, including being named a 2025 Innovative Practitioner Award Finalist and 2025 Leadership Academy Selectee.

From Public Accounting to Personal Freedom

Turning Loss into Leadership

Angel’s story didn’t begin with business success. It began with loss.

“In April 2020, my dad passed away unexpectedly,” he recalls. “Because COVID hit and I was deep in tax season, I didn’t get to see him one last time. That moment changed everything — life, time, and purpose.”

Like many in Asian families, Angel describes his father as the pillar — the provider and decision-maker everyone looked up to. When he passed, Angel knew it was his turn to step up.

He moved back home to Rosemead, California, to take care of his mom and rebuild his life. What began as a moment of grief became a defining transformation. “Starting over during a pandemic forced me to innovate to survive,” he says. “I turned loss into fuel and fear into focus.”

Five years later, that focus became a thriving solo CPA firm built on innovation, strategy, and heart.

“There’s a Chinese saying, 苦尽甘来 — after bitterness comes sweetness,” Angel says softly. “Every struggle built the clarity, strength, and mindset that led me here today.”

Challenging the Traditional CPA Model

Angel’s biggest challenge wasn’t the market — it was his own mindset. As an Asian CPA, he grew up with messages about safety and stability: work hard, follow the rules, don’t take risks. But entrepreneurship demanded something different.

“I had to unlearn the belief that success required a big team, long hours, or a corporate ladder,” he explains. “I built systems, automations, and pricing models that gave me confidence and time back.”

Those systems didn’t just make him efficient — they made him exceptional. Today, Pasadena Tax CPA is recognized as one of the most efficient solo CPA firms in the nation, a model of what’s possible when technology meets intention.
His book, The Profitable Solopreneur Playbook, expands on that mission — teaching other CPAs and solo business owners how to build practices that generate both profit and freedom.

Challenging the Traditional CPA Model

Redefining Success in the Modern Asian American Dream

Angel’s success challenges a long-held cultural narrative — that stability and ambition are mutually exclusive. His mission is to show Asian professionals that they can have both.

“For the Asian community, I want to normalize the idea that you don’t have to choose between stability and ambition,” he says. “You can honor your roots while building your own path.”

Through mentorship, education, and storytelling, he’s helping others reclaim the idea of financial independence — not as a luxury, but as a form of empowerment. His philosophy is simple but powerful: “Build with intention, clarity, and courage.”

A Beacon of Innovation and Leadership

Angel’s recognitions from CPA.com and the AICPA are more than professional honors — they’re milestones in a larger movement to modernize the accounting industry.

“Being recognized by CPA.com as one of the most innovative practitioners isn’t just about accounting,” he says. “It’s about leadership, legacy, and resilience.”

His nomination for the 2025 Innovative Practitioner Award celebrates his ability to merge technology and empathy — running a fully remote, tech-driven practice that still feels deeply personal.
🗳️Vote for Angel Zhen, CPA → cpa.com/innovative-practitioner

Rooted in Legacy, Driven by Purpose

What drives Angel today isn’t just revenue or recognition — it’s the promise he made to himself after his father’s passing: to live with intention.

“I’m proud of building a $500K+ one-person CPA firm from scratch — without a team, referrals, or outside funding,” he reflects. “It’s proof that with clarity, systems, and consistency, one person can do extraordinary things.”

Beyond his business, he continues to inspire thousands of professionals across CalCPA, Asian Hustle Network, and beyond — showing that even in an industry built on rules, creativity and freedom can lead the way.

Rooted in Legacy, Driven by Purpose

About Angel Zhen, CPA, MST

Angel Zhen is the founder of Pasadena Tax CPA, a one-person firm serving clients nationwide with a focus on tax strategy, clarity, and efficiency. He has been recognized by CPA.com as a 2025 Innovative Practitioner Award Finalist and by the AICPA as a 2025 Leadership Academy Selectee. Angel is also the author of The Profitable Solopreneur Playbook, helping others design businesses that create both wealth and freedom.

🗳️Vote for Angel Zhen, CPA as the 2025 Innovative Practitioner

https://www.cpa.com/innovative-practitioner

Connect with Angel Zhen

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelzhencpa 

Website: www.pasadenatax.cpa

  • 5 min read
Founder-Images_3-2-scaled-jpg

Stories

Singapore’s Snack Revolution: How The Golden Duck Turned Salted Egg Yolk Into a Premium Global Phenomenon

Chris Hwang (left) and Jonathan Shen (right) – founders of The Golden Duck
Chris Hwang (left) and Jonathan Shen (right) – founders of The Golden Duck

Growing up with Asian snacks like salted egg yolk chips meant savoring flavors that felt both comforting and unforgettable. Yet when Jonathan Shen and Chris Hwang turned their eyes to the global market, they saw a different reality: these beloved treats were undervalued, underpriced, and largely overlooked by international consumers.

Back in 2015, Singapore’s FMCG market was crowded, dominated by established Western brands. Asian flavors were largely seen as niche, affordable snacks rather than premium products you’d gift or showcase in events.

Jonathan and Chris quickly recognized a gap: millennial consumers craved adventurous, culturally rooted flavors, but no brand was presenting them in a way that made people proud to share them.

They founded The Golden Duck with a vision to elevate Asian snacking to a globally aspirational experience.

Today, The Golden Duck has sold over 20 million packs worldwide, and is stocked in 650+ Woolworths and Metro stores.

How It Began: Inspiration from a Familiar, Unlikely Flavor

Jonathan Shen and Chris Hwang didn’t start with a massive budget or fancy offices. What they had was complementary expertise, and a shared passion for snacks. 

Jonathan, with a keen eye for branding and marketing, looked at salted egg yolk and asked: what if salted egg yolk could feel luxurious? 

While ubiquitous in Asia, it was rarely found outside hawker stalls or home-cooked dishes.

Chris, a stickler for quality and craftsmanship, understood that getting the recipe and packaging right could make all the difference.

When it launched, crowds queued for hours, wanting to get their hands on chips that tasted like home but looked like luxury. The Golden Duck’s Salted Egg Yolk later earned Jonathan & Chris recognition on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.

How It Went: Bold Flavors, Relentless Hustle

Entering a competitive FMCG market without big funding meant bootstrapping everything—from sourcing ingredients to hand-packing orders. They had to balance daring flavors with high-quality production, ensuring every snack met premium standards.

It wasn’t just about product innovation. Breaking into a market dominated by Western brands meant shifting perceptions: convincing consumers that Asian snacks could be modern and premium. Every unconventional pairing, every new flavor, was a calculated risk.

Chris ensured every ingredient and recipe exceeded expectations, while Jonathan told the story in a way that resonated with millennial snack enthusiasts.

They launched pop-ups, engaged directly with customers, and refined details one by one. Salted egg yolk became their signature flavor, but it was only the beginning. The Golden Duck now offers a growing range of gourmet Asian-inspired snacks, from Chilli Crab Seaweed to Tom Yum Goong and Spicy Mala Hot Pot.

What’s Next For The Golden Duck?

The Golden Duck isn’t slowing down. In 2025, the brand launched a new line of canister chips for Western markets including Australia, the United States, and Canada, with bold flavours like bold flavours like Truffle Wagyu, Kombu Seaweed Butter, and Sour Cream & Sriracha. At the same time, the company is actively entering new markets such as the UK, Europe, and China.

Innovation and sustainability remain at the heart of The Golden Duck’s strategy. The company continues to explore new flavors and formats while sourcing real ingredients to deliver premium, authentic taste experiences.

With every new flavor and product, Jonathan Shen and Chris Hwang are proving that Asian snacks can be premium and globally celebrated. Every bite is a story of heritage, innovation, and taste waiting to be told.

Connect With The Golden Duck

Website: https://www.thegoldenduck.co/

IG: @thegoldenduck.sg

@thegoldenduck.au

  • 3 min read