User Experience has evolved a lot since the mid-'30s. In 1995 Don Norman mentioned it in a paper as "critical aspects of human interface research and application." This is the basis of the meaning UX has today.

Since then, User Experience has developed into a discipline of its own, intending to meet the exact needs of the user. And with that, we, designers, felt the need to create structures, frameworks, and processes. Theories were created. This is all great and has helped us to be more efficient in our work.

What often happens in cases like this is that a new generation of professionals don't have the context and the experience of the beginnings, and processes might become an end in itself.

This is what this value is about. Theories and processes should not be the objective, but a means to an end. The end of those means is to serve people.

Knowing who the customer is, understanding their needs, empathizing with them, building trust, developing a lasting connection with users is how we can serve people.

Theories and processes can help us, the designers, to develop relationships and give people better experiences. They are useful as they help us to efficiently understand the user needs, keeping this connection with the user alive.

It's essential to keep evolving User Experience theories and processes while keeping a real connection with the one that's the reason why we develop those theories and processes in the first place, the user. Also know as people.

Would you like to share your thoughts about it?