Garrett’s 5 elements of UX design

Jesse James Garrett’s framework, commonly known as the “Five Planes of User Experience”, is a fundamental model in UX design that helps designers understand and structure the user experience.

1. Strategy Plane:

This is the highest level of UX design, focusing on the overall vision, goals, and objectives of the project. It involves understanding business objectives, user needs, market research, and defining the project’s scope and success criteria.

2. Scope Plane:

The scope plane defines the features, functionalities, and content that the product will include. It involves creating user personas, and user stories, and defining user journeys to understand how users will interact with the product.

3. Structure Plane:

This plane deals with the information architecture and organization of content within the product. It includes creating sitemaps, and wireframes, and defining navigation paths to ensure logical and intuitive user interactions.

4. Skeleton Plane:

The skeleton plane focuses on the interface design and layout of the product. It involves creating low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes, designing UI elements such as buttons, forms, and menus, and ensuring visual consistency across the product.

5. Surface:

The surface plane is the final layer that users interact with, including visual design elements such as colors, typography, imagery, and interactive components. It aims to create a visually appealing and engaging user interface that aligns with the brand identity and enhances the overall user experience.

Visual design and user experience (UX) design are integral aspects of creating successful digital products and services. While visual design focuses on the aesthetics and presentation of content, UX design aims to enhance user satisfaction by improving interactions between users and products. These two disciplines are deeply interconnected, with each playing a crucial role in shaping the user’s perception and interaction with a digital platform.

Visual design is the first impression that users encounter, influencing their initial engagement and perception of a product. It encompasses elements such as color schemes, typography, imagery, and overall layout, all of which contribute to the product’s visual appeal and brand identity. A well-executed visual design not only captures attention but also guides users through the interface, making interactions intuitive and enjoyable. On the other hand, UX design delves into the usability and functionality of a product, ensuring that every interaction is meaningful, efficient, and aligned with user expectations. UX designers conduct user research, create personas, and develop wireframes and prototypes to optimize the user journey.