What is UX?

Overview
Purpose is to explain UX.
(chances are you already think about UX a lot more than you realise).
Where UX thinking comes from.
The benefits of using it.
How to apply it in your job.

Understanding UX in 1 hour
UX, IA, UI, GUI, IXD, CX, HCI… WTF?

UX = User Experience
It refers to the what, when, where, who, why, and how a person uses a system.
So, it’s everything that affects a person’s interaction with a system.
System?
System is a: website, an app, a service, human computer interaction.

When working within UX we study the feelings that people
have about their experience.
We study the system and look at things like it’s value, how
people perceive it, ease of use, efficiency, and so on.

Origins of UX
Ergonomics of tools in Ancient Greece (500BC)

UX is everywhere
Look at everything from an experience point of view as a user.

UX is everywhere
It triggers an emotion.
Does it bring joy or frustration?

UX is everywhere
Consideration for how people are going to use things.

UX is everywhere
These pencils were withdrawn from schools after a 10 year old pointed out a problem..

UX in action
A pretty face isn’t enough, it matters where she’s looking.

UX in action
Unboxing for someone who is
new to smartphones.
Concept by Vitamins

UX is a way of thinking
The way you feel about an experience = $$$ for brands
Everyone wants a happy user

User Experience is the philosophy of how to treat people
Visual design is the philosophy of how to make an impact
User Experience is the design behind the design

Good design does always not = good experience

We’re all constantly learning.
No one is the perfect UX practitioner, some are more
balanced whilst others are specialist, everyone starts
somewhere.
The mission statement for every UX practitioner:
Meet the needs of the customer
in a way that is simple, elegant, and pleasurable to use.

Benefits of UX
User Experience is the design behind the design.
It’s a process based on a science (insights, data, research).
It’s easy to pick up and apply.
It will always benefit a project.

Benefits of UX
It allows us to visualise ideas without spending money on build.
It’s better to make an informed decision because...
It costs more to fix an incorrect design or thinking later.
UX benefits the agency as a cost saving factor.

Benefits of UX
It provides professional opinion grounded in research.
“I think” is not as valid as “we know”.
Make decisions that resonate because they’re backed up by insights.

Traditional web development
Define Design Develop Deploy Drink

User Centred web development
Design
Discover
Define
Deploy
Develop
User

Digital project triage
Let’s bring this thinking back into the business.
How can we apply UX to this?

Digital project pillars
Design
Account / Project
Management
Development
&
Production

Digital project pillars
Design
Account / Project
Management
UX
Development
&
Production

Requirements capture - user and business needs
Write down a problem to help see the solution
How can you apply UX?

Competitor reviews
(don’t waste time and money redesigning what’s already been fixed by
someone else many times before, and don’t break consistency)

Personas

User journeys

Process flow

Site map (simple)

Site map (phased)

Content strategy

Prototyping

Usability testing (not build testing!)

But here’s Jacob saying why 5 people is enough
I always test with 7 people

Corridor testing is not a good idea.
Do not test your own stuff.
Do not validate your own assumptions.

Silverback app
Simple software to run tests with:

Wireframes

Module library

Site map with modules described

User interface design

The Spectrum of UX via IA.net

The Digital Industry
Web design is not just making something for a desktop computer.
The market is flooded with devices that all represent a window onto the
web and are not considered by the user as separate experiences.

The Digital Industry
Mobile is currently at the focus of most organisations, but TV is next.

In summary
UX is not something to hand over to the next stage in a project, it’s a part of
the whole project cycle and beyond.
Design by data.
It’s a science built upon methodical processes rather than opinions.
When UX is applied to a project it will always yield benefits.
It’s easy.
Everyone can apply UX thinking to a project.

Where UX is headed
UX practitioners are going down two different routes:
Multi-disciplined, can rapid prototype / code, acts quickly, can scale to fit
different project needs.
Specialists who become masters of a particular UX skill.
Both are needed. The UX discipline is still rapidly evolving, some people
like to craft perfect UI, some are experts at listening and understanding
client needs, some test constantly, all are interested in User Experience.

Further reading
UX Movement (the go to place for the latest industry insights)
http://uxmovement.com/
52 Weeks of UX (conversations about designing for real people)
http://52weeksofux.com/
UX Rave (User Experience rants and raves)
http://uxrave.com/
Disambiguity blog (top UX blog)
http://www.disambiguity.com/
Lovely UI (great collection of fantastic looking user interfaces)
http://www.lovelyui.com/
Cool collection of user interfaces from the past few decades
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/browse.aspx
Little Big Details (sometimes it’s the little things that make a big impact)
http://littlebigdetails.com/
Connecting video - the future of Interaction Design and User Experience from some of the industry’s thought leaders
http://vimeo.com/52861634

What is UX?

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