Importance of thinking UX design with clients and why you should Involve them in the Process
In today’s web design world, so much emphasis is put on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which forces a lot of us to design for machines. Even though this is a necessity for web designers, the focus of a design should be on that of the user – the breathing, typing, and mouse clicking kind of user. The user experience (UX) design portion of the website building process is often overlooked, usually due to a lack of knowledge in the area.
You cannot not communicate; every behavior is a kind of communication. Because behavior does not have a counterpart (there is no anti-behavior), it is not possible not to communicate.
—Paul Watzlawick
Everything a designer does affects the user experience. From the purposeful addition of a design element to the negligent omission of crucial messaging, every decision is molding the future of the people we design for. As such, one of the primary goals of any good designer is communicating the intended message… the one that leads to a positive user experience. The copywriting, the color of your text, the alignment of form labels, using all-caps or going lowercase on those navigation links — even the absence of a design pattern — are all part of this communication.
Knowing this, we can ask (and hopefully answer) the question, “Does this element support or contradict what I am trying to communicate to the user?” And by asking this you will find yourself refining and improving the little things; the things that often go unsaid or unnoticed, that ultimately make up the user’s experience.
THE ‘U’ IN UX
One of the biggest misconception of UX design is the “U.” There are a set of business objectives that need to be met. We just can’t always do what is best for the users. We have to try to make sure that we are presenting an overall experience that can meet as many goals and needs as possible for the business and the users. As designers, we have to find the sweet spot between the user’s needs and the business goals, and furthermore ensure that the design is on brand.
Our end user’s experience is made up of all the interactions a person has with your software, your web site or your mobile application. The sum total of these interactions over time is the user experience. The designer needs to plan carefully for these moments. Part of our responsibility is to make all interactions positive, and include aspects of the software, the copy writing, the graphics, layout, flows, and physical experiences. It’s a shame when one part of the experience is top notch and another is dreadful. Cohesion is important.
INVOLVING THE CLIENTS & PROGRAMMERS
A trap that a lot of clients fall into is in thinking that they are their own end users and continually believe that they understand them. They hire programmers who then both believe that they can create the experience as they build the applications. Designers are then caught in the middle trying to speak the business language and the developer language to justify why we need to do our jobs and why it’s important to success.
—
If you make assumptions about the people you expect to use your product or service — who they are, how they behave, what makes them tick — you'll probably always be wrong. But if you take the time to get to know them, and hire the appropriate person to facilitate the process, and you can ensure you'll get it right.
Designers are liaisons, not subject matter experts, doctors or any type of magical beings. We don't have a set of best practices that we can robotically implement, nor do we have all of the answers. Our greatest skill is that we know how to listen. While we can help evangelize the most effective process within your organization, it’s ultimately up to all members of the business to make it a success.
A lot of us [designers] have traditionally been secure in the role of page creators. We now have a wider purview… The landscape on which people experience our design is wider than ever before. Thus, we must adapt our ways to include all aspects of experience.
