When’s the last time that you opened a website and found yourself irritated? You probably had a hard time finding what you were looking for—or couldn’t find it at all. Even though it’s 2025, we still encounter frustrating websites. While some might be plain unusable, the majority of these bothersome sites fall into the category of Not Unusable, but Could be Better.

The User Experience (UX) team in the Office of Digital Humanities works with websites and software and makes them better. The team does so much more than design (although they do excellent design work): the team works with you to mold your project into the most usable result. 

“Having a team that can focus on really great user experiences, internally and externally, helps other people understand how important the humanities can be,” said Dr. Kathie Gossett, head of the UX team. “Projects and products that are well-designed—that are easy to use—are really important.”

We can’t underestimate the significance of intentional design in the humanities: it is the process of user experience work that makes a product truly usable for our audience. That audience is the reason we’re making a website in the first place, and we cannot forget them in the process.

The Students Behind it All

Not only does the UX process benefit these projects, but it also helps the fantastic students who work on Dr. Gossett’s team. Comprising students from various majors, the UX team is a capable, diverse team who produces great design solutions.

Our UX students gain valuable experience with managing projects, mentoring, and tackling real-world user experience challenges. “I’ve previously worked as a UX designer on campus, but this experience has given me real-world experience in design,” said Susan Arriola, a member of the UX team. “I can really get out there and see actual projects I’ll be doing in the future as a UX designer.”

These students also become more involved with the university and the College. Nathan Frischknecht, another member of the team, said, “I understand more about BYU’s mission…. It’s great to see the different projects in the Humanities and get a peek into what’s going on!” 

The UX Process

The services of the UX team are available to those within the College of Humanities. When the team works on your project, they will work with you to tailor your website or application to your audience. Your end product will be intuitive, professional, and usable. Your users will have a better experience because you have been intentional about including them in the process.

If you’ve got an idea for a project, reach out to Dr. Kathie Gossett at kathie_gossett@byu.edu to go through the ODH project intake process. The UX team can help with many stages of the process, including the following: 

• Developing a project into a fully formed idea
• Identifying the target audience
• Conducting user and audience research
• Structuring information architecture
• Creating brand identity (logos, look and feel, color schemes)
• Producing designs and wireframes

Remember: don’t forget your audience! Involve the UX team.

Resources

Visit https://ux4dh.byu.edu/ for more information about integrating UX and the digital humanities. View tools, tips, workshops, and more.