UX simply means user’s experience. It refers to what a user experiences when they interact with a product, service or a system. You might be wondering why some people prefer one product over another or buy from brand X instead of brand Y? It all comes down to experience.
Interaction is what builds a relationship between a product and a user. It actually forms the portal that establishes user relationship with the brand. Our perception is created from the minute we walk into the store, interact with the seller, buy an item, unbox and use it. For instance, Apple and Nespresso use this concept to create a special experience for their customers. Thus, using UX to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
A great experience is the one that is user-centric in nature, which puts the user at the core of the design process and development. This is where the importance of UX shines. It brings value to both users and businesses.
The goal of UX is to create a seamless and fluid experience. When designing and building the product, the designer consider all informations, details, and usage scenarios. Thus, many disciplines overlap and interplay in the process.
One of the common misconceptions about UX field that it deals only with visual design. Actually, visual design is the only visible layer from the different layers that encompasses UX process. One way to understand how UX works is by imagining an iceberg. An iceberg is a large floating ice sheet. You can see the top part but you can not see its massive part that is immersed under water. UX is very similar to that. It is composed of different essential elements that are not visible to the surface. What people see is the final interface that is created.
Another way to think about UX is that its an overlap between science and art. There is a lot of quantitative and qualitative research used in the process to reach results. From researching the user, analyzing, prototyping to testing. Additionally, it is an art form because it generalizes solutions, collects components and looks at the big picture to meet users needs.
That defines the UX as we know it today, but how did it evolve through time to its current form?
Despite being a modern field, the basic principles of UX are ancient. A roman architect named Vitruvius introduced the concept of design quality. In his book, De architectura, he argued that a structure must exhibit 3 qualities: firmitas, utilitas and venustas. Meaning that a structure needs to be durable, usable and beautiful. His concept formed the foundation for others work, especially Leonardo da Vinci. In 1400s da Vinci created a conveyor belt to transfer food items from the kitchen to the dinning area. Although his invention was a failure, it was one of the early documented attempts of using design thinking to solve a user’s problem.
Late 19th century and early 20th century saw the rise of manufacturing. The focus was on using technology to increase production efficiency and increase profit. During the 40s, Toyota introduced the humanized production process. Instead of focusing on technology alone, now the focus is shifted on aligning technology with human capabilities. Then in the 1950s, Henry Dreyfuss wrote a book called “Designing for People”.In his book, Dreyfuss approached industrial design the same way UX designer approach it today. He explained that product creation should focus on user’s needs and context. Holistic thinking should be applied throughout the development stages, from design processing to final packaging. Moreover, he emphasized the need for researching, prototyping, testing and iterating a product. The idea of using pleasure and emotion for creating user’s experience was then introduced by Disney in 1960s.
The 70s and 80s saw the genesis of personal computer and interface design. Xerox-PARC developed GUI and mouse, VisiCalc was introduced as the first easy to use software. In 1984, Macintosh, the first mass-market computer, was born. Thus, apple started to focus on user’s context and interaction with the product. The www (world wide web) was introduced in the 90s and it offered a richer visual design experience. In 1995, Don Norman who was vice president of Apple’s Advanced Technology Group, introduced the term UX.
“I invented the term, UX, because I thought human interface and usability where too narrow. I wanted to cover all aspects of person’s experience with a system that includes industrial design, graphics, interface, physical interaction and the manual”. — Donald Norman.
Why UX important?
Product development has shifted from manufacturing devices to creating user-centric products. Nowadays, UX designers put users at the center of the design process. In fact, they work like psychologists and anthropologists. They research their user, their environment, find needs and then build products that meet their expectations. In doing that they follow what we call Maslow’s model of human needs. The model describes how a product should be functional, usable and pleasurable. In my opinion, this is what separates a good design from a bad one.
Good designs are the ones that don’t leave users hanging or confused. They elicit positive emotions, create a memorable and a pleasurable experience. This can be achieved by using affordance. For example, in one video game app there is a controller like buttons on screen. They are added to afford players the feel they are holding a physical controller. As an Indie game player, I don’t see this affordance as interruption. Instead it enhanced my gaming experience through raising emotional connection with the game.
Pinterest is another example of how affordance can play a role in shaping experience. It is a social media platform that allows users to share ideas or images they like. If you like an image, just hover over it and a pin it button will appear. Another good example is the game controller; the shape plays a role in the gaming experience. If you look at the image, you can see how PlayStation game controller shape evolved through the years.
When a design goes bad
There are cases when enhancing a user experience can go wrong. For instance, Microsoft introduced a fictional small character called Clippy in their old word versions. Clippy was created to ease user’s experience by offering guidance and assistance when needed. They tried to create a sense of dialogue between the software and the person. However, it did not create pleasurable experience. Instead it was a source of frustration, confusion and annoyance. It kept popping up when it was not needed, offered irrelevant suggestions and disrupted work flow.
Another design that failed despite its popularity, is Philippe Starck Alessi lemon juicer. Although the juicer invoked positive emotions and focused on usability, it did not succeed in the market. Some complained that it was not functioning effeciently and others said it did not add value. Why did Alessi juicer fail, despite following design guidlines and principles? Why some products are widely accepted while others not? Finding an answer to this question requires a deeper understanding of humans and their environment.
I’ll leave you with a great video of Don Norman in Ted talk. He explains how good designs makes us happy then explains the levels of design (visceral, behavioral and reflective).
References:
- https://ithinkidesign.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/a-brief-history-of-design-thinking-how-design-thinking-came-to-be/
- http://www.akita.co.uk/computing-history/
- clippy https://uxmag.com/articles/the-evolution-of-fail-pets
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT8zLx2ydqo
- https://medium.com/@axbom/slaying-5-ux-myths-for-the-good-of-mankind-5a333ac621b6
- Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter.
- https://medium.com/@marcintreder/the-history-of-user-experience-design-5d87d1f81f5a
