The History of UX Design: Key Events from the 1900s to the 2010s
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The desire for great user experiences is fundamental to human nature. We inherently crave things that are seamless and intuitive and reject things that aren’t. User experience design is what makes this need a reality, transforming complex interactions into gratifying, user-focused experiences.
Even if we don’t necessarily realize it, user experience design has shaped our day-to-day lives for thousands of years. From ergonomic tools crafted in ancient civilizations to the thoughtful design of the world’s most popular amusement parks, humans have always sought ways to make interactions with their environments more efficient, practical, and enjoyable.
In the pursuit of comfortability and ease of use, we’re looking back at the history of UX design, how it evolved, and the trends impacting the field today.
What is User Experience?
The user experience (UX) is the overall, you guessed it, experience a person has when they engage with a product, service, or system. Considering every touchpoint and interaction throughout the user’s journey, user experience centers around usability, accessibility, and visual design. It also accounts for an emotional impact — how intuitive the experience feels, how inclusive it is, and how well it meets a user’s needs.
What is User Experience Design?
To build the best experience possible, you need user experience design. With the above factors in mind, UX design is the process of creating easy, effective, and enjoyable user experiences. It’s a form of decision-making and problem-solving that focuses on standardizing patterns and ways of interacting within systems, ensuring users can easily recognize and intuitively understand the actions or paths they can take. For example, an “X” at the top-right corner of a modal indicates it can be closed or dismissed, a common pattern throughout user experience design.
The Foundations of User Experience Design
We often associate user experience design with digital platforms, but it also encompasses physical spaces. In fact, that’s where the history of UX design starts.
5,000 BC: Feng Shui’s Emphasis on Space
Humanity’s first exploration into UX design dates back to 5,000 BC with the introduction of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of creating unity between humans and their environments. The practice draws inspiration from the Taoist philosophy that humans and animals should live in harmony with the Tao, the natural order of the universe. Feng shui is influenced by two main principles: ch’i, the universe’s life force, and yin and yang, opposing yet complementary forces.
Taoist philosophers believed balancing yin and yang enhances positive ch’i and repels negative ch’i; this philosophy guided the placement of cultural sites, buildings, spaces, and objects, ensuring they aligned with the natural flow of ch’i. Meaning “wind-water,” feng shui was likely first observed by early indigenous tribes to pinpoint ideal settlements: pieces of land surrounded by water but protected from the wind, the natural element that blows ch’i away.
Feng shui spotlights spatial recognition and arranging our surroundings in the most user-friendly way; it even considers every element inside and outside of a space, from location and layout to materials and colors. When we think about it in terms of contemporary UX design, the goal is the same: create the best, most intuitive experience possible.
500 BC: Ergonomics in Ancient Greece
We have the Ancient Greeks to thank for many modern innovations, including user experience design. They started with what we now know as ergonomics, the study of designing spaces and objects to optimize comfort and functionality (particularly in work environments). Though ergonomics wasn’t formalized until the 20th century, the Ancient Greeks laid the groundwork as early as 500 BC.
Physician and philosopher Hippocrates documented some of the earliest ergonomic concepts, outlining guidelines for designing a surgeon’s workspace and organizing tools for maximum efficiency. The Ancient Greeks were also ahead of their time when it came to comfort. They notably designed the Klismos chair, which had a curved shape to naturally support the body; in theaters, they created benches that helped improve blood circulation in the legs during long performances. These early ergonomic considerations highlighted the importance of designing for human needs and comfort, the foundation of modern UX design.
The History and Evolution of UX Design
1880s-Early 1900s: Taylorism (Scientific Management Theory)
In the 1880s, mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor identified significant production inefficiencies while working at Midvale Steel Company. Tools were worn and rudimentary, workers were inexperienced, and managers were disconnected from the tasks they oversaw. To address these challenges and boost productivity, Taylor implemented several innovative solutions, including designing specialized tools, matching workers to tasks aligned with their strengths, and training managers using his methods.
These methods later became known as Scientific Management Theory, or Taylorism, named in recognition of Taylor’s pioneering work. The theory takes a systematic approach to the workplace and standardizes tools, procedures, and employee training to maximize efficiency and improve processes. Although often criticized for oversimplifying workflows and dehumanizing labor, Taylor was the first to optimize how people interact with their tools — a fundamental UX principle.
Taylor’s methods were so influential, industrialist and business magnate Henry Ford enlisted the engineer to conduct time and motion studies in Ford factories, determining the most efficient pace and movements for a frictionless production line. Taylor’s insights helped form the popular Ford assembly line.
1940s: Toyota Production System
Post World War II, industrial engineer and executive Taiichi Ohno transformed manufacturing practices in Toyota factories, laying the foundation for modern lean production. Taichii studied American manufacturing techniques, particularly ones used at Ford, and refined them to better suit Toyota’s needs. Guided by Japan’s cultural emphasis on respect, the Toyota Production System aims to reduce waste, boost productivity, and deliver exceptional quality — all while prioritizing its workers.
The system is based on two pillars: jidoka, loosely translated to “automation with a human touch,” relies on workers and machines to detect abnormalities and stop production to prevent defects; and Just-in-Time (JIT), the practice of coordinating production so items are only made when they’re needed and in exactly the right amount. It also leverages employees’ natural skills and allows them to be part of all decision-making. By establishing synchronized production practices and bringing workers directly into the process, the Toyota Product System streamlined efficiency and prioritized continuous improvement, both early examples of UX design and user testing.
1950s: Designing for People
Industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, known for designing the Hoover vacuum cleaner and the Honeywell round thermostat, best captured the essence of UX design in his 1955 book, Designing for People:
"When the point of contact between the product and the people becomes a source of friction, then the [designer] has failed. On the other hand, if people feel safer, more comfortable, more likely to buy, more productive, or just plain happier when they use the product, then the designer has done his or her job."
Dreyfuss also urged designers to personally engage with the products they create and experience them just as consumers would. His work advocated for the importance of designing products that enhance people’s lives, the overarching goal of user experience and human-centered design.
1960s: The First UX Designer
As user experience design theories and standards took shape, Walt Disney brought them to life through immersive, real-world applications. In 1966, Disney unveiled his vision for what would later become Walt Disney World; his plans included the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), “a place where the latest technology can be used to improve the lives of people.”
To faithfully build his parks and ensure they would evolve, Disney gave his team of Imagineers a set of instructions: Know your audience, wear your guests’ shoes, organize the flow of people and ideas, create a weenie (a visual magnet that draws attention), communicate with visual literacy, prevent cognitive overload, tell one story at a time, avoid contradiction, provide fun, and maintain cleanliness and routine maintenance (mirroring user experience design’s iterative nature). Famously called “Mickey’s 10 Commandments,” these directives cemented Disney as a UX designer, decades before the term even existed.
1970s-1980s: Personal Computers and Graphical User Interfaces
The 1970s and 80s ushered in the era of personal computers, marking a turning point in the history of UX and shaping the field into what it is today. At the time, personal computers were seen as clunky and difficult to use, but Xerox changed the game when it released the Alto in 1974.
Focusing on design and communication, the Alto was the first device to have a graphical user interface, a mouse for point-and-click interactions, and moveable windows and icons that are now routine in user interface design. It also allowed multiple applications to run simultaneously, facilitated file creation and sharing, and introduced a word-processing method that has since become standard. Though it didn’t coin the term, Xerox pioneered the desktop metaphor in computer user interfaces, based on its work on intuitive graphical interfaces for office workers.
Steve Jobs was so inspired by Xerox’s innovations that he traded $1 million in stock to Xerox in return for an in-depth look at the company’s technologies. Then, in 1983, Apple debuted LISA, but it failed to take off due to its price. A year later, Apple followed up with its original Macintosh computer; its intuitive, user-friendly interface (and more approachable price) made it an instant success — and a milestone for UX design.
1990s: User Experience Gets Its Name
Throughout most of its history, user experience existed without a formal name. Enter Don Norman, a cognitive scientist who worked at Apple in the 1990s. Norman believed “human interface” and “usability” didn’t capture every aspect of a person’s experience with a system, so he invented the term “user experience.” Norman was the first to use “UX” in a job title, changing his from User Interface Architect to User Experience Architect in 1993. Widely adopted by the design community, “user experience” is now essential to our design vocabulary.
2000s-2010s: A Demand for Great UX Design
As personal digital devices became more commonplace, user experience evolved into a key business function. The growth of social media, eCommerce, and mobile apps increased the demand for designs that were both easy to use and engaging — and created a need for skilled UX designers to translate concepts into interactive experiences. From the late 2000s to the early 2010s, UX design transformed from flashy, experimental designs to more intuitive, human-centered approaches.
When Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007, it revolutionized the digital world and raised the bar for user experience design. Influencing competitors and guiding user expectations, the iPhone pioneered skeuomorphic design, intuitive touch interfaces, greater personalization, and more. Its later iterations substantially impacted other contemporary UX design trends and standards, including flat design, responsive design, accessibility, and mobile-first experiences.
Present Day: The Future of User Experience
User experience design is constantly evolving, and it continues to be the key factor in successful products and services — whether physical or digital. With the growing need for seamless user experiences, there’s truly never been a better time to be a UX designer. To keep you up to speed, here are a few of the trends and technologies shaping user experience design today.
Artificial Intelligence
Designers typically have a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to artificial intelligence. But as one of today’s fastest-growing technologies, AI continues to change the way tech juggernauts like Apple and Google design their digital experiences. But don’t worry — AI still needs a human touch; UX designers will play a key role in ensuring intuitive interfaces and tailoring experiences to users’ needs.
Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality
Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality are taking UX design beyond traditional screens (think Apple Vision Pro design and development). For truly immersive environments and experiences, UX designers will need to blend creativity and technology, prioritizing usability and accessibility while safeguarding intuitive, natural interactions.
Cross-Platform Connectivity
In 2023, the average U.S. household had 17 connected devices. With the Internet of Things continuing to expand in real-time, we’ll rely on UX designers to build integrated experiences across several devices, ensuring user-friendliness, efficient compatibility, and uninterrupted connectivity.
As trends and technologies shift, user experience designers should be ready to add to their skill sets. This means staying informed about emerging tools, embracing continuous learning, and adapting to a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Need a design expert to fine-tune your product’s user experience? Get in touch.
