ANSWER

While XD is an acronym for a number of terms, in the world of the analyst XD stands for eXperience Design.

Experience Design (XD) is the practice (or discipline) of focusing on the people’s experience when using a given product or service.  The XD practitioner approaches the design by considering the intended customer’s:

• needs
• feelings
• emotions
• mindset
• expertise

Experience Design (XD) considers the impact of the prescribed interaction on the customer’s satisfaction in a variety of ways:

• What are the customer’s expectations in terms of speed of the software?

• Is the product usable by people with disabilities (hearing impaired, visually impaired, mobility impaired,d etc.)?

• What could frustrate the customer as they use our product?

• What assumptions could the customer have prior to using our service?

In order to achieve a positive user experience (UX), the XD team can use a number of different techniques and tools such as:

• Persona Definition - identify the types of users the product or service is meant to serve.

• User Research - detailed analysis and investigation of the habits, needs, wants, and peculiarities of the intended audience.

• Focus Groups - talk and interact with the future users of the product.

• Interface Definition - clearly and intentionally defining how the prospective customer will interface with your product or your service.

• Prototyping - creating a scaled down version of the final product but more than just a conceptual design, allowing prospective customers to try your idea.

• Beta Testing - enable a sample of the intended audience to try out your product and provide feedback - watching the customer use your product is also very valuable.

What else does XD stand for besides eXperience Design?

XD = Adobe XD

XD = eXtreme Design

XD = eXtreme Digital

XD = eX-Dividend

XD = Laughing face emoji