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Nielsen Norman Group Publishes UX Disciplines Glossary

Nielsen Norman Group released a glossary of UX disciplines, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of various fields. The glossary aims to standardize the understanding of UX terms.

Original reporting · nngroup.com

Original: “UX Disciplines: Glossary”

Read “UX Disciplines: Glossary” at Nielsen Norman Group →
UX Disciplines: Glossary
Image: Nielsen Norman Group

How this was written. Awesome B2B Design wrote this article with a language model from Nielsen Norman Group’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.

Key points from Nielsen Norman Group’s report

  • Nielsen Norman Group published a glossary of UX disciplines to clarify the roles and responsibilities of various fields.
  • The glossary covers a range of disciplines, including agent experience, content design, and customer experience.
  • The glossary aims to standardize the understanding of UX terms and provide clarity to the field.

Nielsen Norman Group published a glossary of UX disciplines, according to Nielsen Norman Group. The glossary focuses on the different fields of practice, including UX, UI, CX, and visual design.

The glossary notes that job titles in the field are not standardized, with respondents in a UX-careers survey reporting 134 unique job titles related to UX. As a result, the boundaries between disciplines can be blurry.

Some fields, such as market research, are not traditionally part of UX but are adjacent to it and often confused with it. Others, such as UX research, are subfields of UX.

The glossary covers various disciplines, including agent experience, content design, conversation design, and customer experience. Each discipline has its own unique focus and responsibilities.

Agent experience, for example, involves designing digital products and services that can be effectively understood and operated by AI agents. Content design, on the other hand, focuses on determining what information users need and how to best provide it.

Nielsen Norman Group's glossary also highlights the overlap between UX and CX, with some people using the terms interchangeably. However, UX typically refers to the experience of a single interaction with a product, while CX refers to the overall relationship between a customer and an organization.

The glossary is intended to provide clarity and standardization to the field of UX, which is constantly evolving. By understanding the different disciplines and their roles, professionals can better navigate the field and work together more effectively.

Questions and answers

What is the purpose of the UX disciplines glossary?

The glossary aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of various fields and standardize the understanding of UX terms.

What is the difference between UX and CX?

UX typically refers to the experience of a single interaction with a product, while CX refers to the overall relationship between a customer and an organization.

Why are job titles in the UX field not standardized?

Job titles in the UX field are not standardized because respondents in a UX-careers survey reported 134 unique job titles related to UX.

Read the full story at Nielsen Norman Group More from Saturday, October 24, 2026’s edition