Post on 27-Jul-2015
Five UX questionsin search of answers
Eric Reiss@elreissUX Sofia
5 June 2015Sofia, Bulgaria
Stuff I think aboutStuff I want to share
“A man fallsinto a hole...”
“Why are companies doomedwithout a focus on UX?”
“What is UX?”
UX
IxD SD IA CS
Content management
Knowledge management SEO
Scenarios
Content strategy
Sensemaking
Accessibility
Storytelling
Usability
Findability
AristotleAristotleAristotleAristotle
Information architecture
U serU serU serU ser----centered designcentered designcentered designcentered design
Design thinking
Experience design
Webmaster WebmasterVisual designerCopywriter
DeveloperVisual designerInformation architectCopywriter
Front-end engineerFull-stack developerVisual designerUI designerInteraction designerUX strategistContent strategistInformation architectContent providersSEO consultantSocial media guruProduct managerProject managerToken baby boomer
1995 1998 2000 2015
Inspired by Lutz Schmitt
Eric’s 1st Law of UX:
User experience is the sum ofa series of interactions between:• people• devices• events.
Eric’s 2nd Law of UX:
UX design represents the consciousact of :• coordinating interactions
we can control• acknowledging interactions
we cannot control• reducing negative interactions
“Why are companies doomedwithout a focus on UX?”
Let’s talk about pizza...
Nota bene� In a “me-too” world, UX is the key to
company/product/service differentiation� Higher product/service prices can be justified if
you provide better UX� Merely “making customers happy” cannot be
the goal. Increased conversions is the goal and UX helps make that happen
What you can do now� Do something quick and easy that makes your
client/company look good(show that positive change is not impossible)
� Seek champions within the organization� Make everyone feel that their contribution is
valuable
“Rodopite” at Belintash
“When is a company ready to embrace UX?”
Let’s talk about auto safety...
From academia to reality� Safety depends on reducing:
� velocity of impact� crushing force� bending, folding, or torque of the body� deceleration rates during a collision
� Safety depends on reducing:� stress on the body� direct contact with hard, sharp objects
� Safety can be improved by:� adding seatbelts� airbags� crush zones to absorb impact
Nota bene� Most companies examine UX when all the tried-
and-true options have failed� Most companies ignore UX because the
definitions are too academic or confusing� No company will accept UX if they don’t
understand it.
Source: Renato Feijó
Source: Bogo Vatovic
What you can do now� Aggressively promote activites that are:
� understandable� actionable� measurable
� Get senior management involved� a company will never be truly ready to embrace UX
before its leadership is
� DON’T let yourself become the “UX team of one”
“Who are the people thatmake good UX designers”
You are!
Nota bene – three key skills� Curiosity
� You’ve got to be interested� You can’t fake this
� Empathy� This provides balance in UX� Both for users and stakeholders
� Understanding� A perception is always true� One insight is worth a 1000 data points� “Understanding” does not mean “agreeing”
What you can do now� Get out of the building and talk to users
� not just to discover a problem, but also tosee problems through someone else’s eyes
� Make sure you are always solving a real problem, not merely inventing one
� Don’t just ask what; ask why� Don’t argue, listen
“What are the ingredients of UX”
Let’s build an ark…
� Content, code� Strategy, visual design� IA, navigation� Metrics, testing,
best practices
Building requires four things� Basic materials� Shaping tools� Fastening techniques� Measurement tools
Nota bene – three key ingredients� Utility
� Stuff needs to work
� Relevancy� Stuff needs to provide value within a specific context
� Consistency� Stuff that looks the same should act the same� Stuff that looks different should act differently� Retroductive inference lowers the learning curve
What you can do now� Create a UX shortlist
� Focus on what is really important� Eliminate the “nice to haves” – think feng shui
What you can do now� Create a UX shortlist
� Focus on what is really important� Eliminate the “nice to haves” – think feng shui
� Keep users in the loop� Practice user-driven design
� Don’t succumb to “deliverables creep”� Communicate, don’t try and impress
“How do we measurethe results of our UX efforts?”
“Flying on time…”
Nota bene – three metrics� Conversions
� Has the business improved?
� Efficiency� Are we saving time and money?� Are we reducing effort and stress for our users?
� Satisfaction� Are the users truly better off than before?
What you can do now� Compare your work to current best practices
� Don’t reinvent the wheel – until you need to
� Make sure you measure things that are important� Don’t go for easy wins such as “likes” on Facebook
or time on page
� Talk to help-desk and call-center personnel� Insist on having influence regarding the questions
asked in all future customer-satisfaction surveys
Alfred Wegener and continental drift
What you can do now� Don’t let “UX” become a buzzword� Don’t think you need certification� Don’t be afraid to disagree with current practices� Pick your battles with care� Don’t be afraid to fight for what is right
благодаря!
Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:
The FatDUX Group ApSStrandøre 152100 CopenhagenDenmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44Twitter: @elreissinfo@fatdux.comwww.fatdux.com