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