Five Elements of UX Design

Steps a designer takes to turn an idea into a working product. The five elements are strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, and surface, where each element refers to a specific layer involved in creating the user experience

Why it matters

Garrett’s ladder is a dependency order, not a checklist: visual polish cannot rescue a broken structure, and structure cannot rescue a product nobody needs. Diagnose problems at the lowest failing plane.

The numbers

• 5 planes — strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, surface

Related terms

• Elements
• Skeleton
• User Experience
• Design Sprint
• Feedback

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