# What is UX (user experience)?

> UX, or user experience, is how easy and pleasant a website is to use, from finding information quickly to getting in touch without friction.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/ux
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: user experience, UI, user interface, usability.

UX stands for user experience. It covers everything about how using a website feels: whether people can find what they came for, whether buttons are obvious, whether forms are short, whether it works on a phone in one hand.

It is different from visual design. A site can look beautiful and still be frustrating to use. Good UX is often invisible, because nothing gets in the way.

You will also hear UI, meaning user interface: the actual buttons, menus and screens. UI is part of UX.

## Why it matters for a small business

Every small annoyance, like a phone number that is not tappable, a form asking for ten fields or a menu that hides your services, loses some visitors. For a local business, better UX usually means more of the same visitors turn into calls and bookings.

**Example:** A café's booking form asked for a full address and account creation. Cutting it to name, time, party size and phone number makes booking a table far easier.