UX BRO?
Responsive design, to some people it’s just a title.
UX BRO – Make it responsive.
make what responsive?
UX BRO – Everything. Make the words shrink, make stuff move. I saw my bros site and that shit was so cool.
ok, so we are talking about making a website. gotcha.
UX BRO – I thought you knew all about this, I do, apps and phones and computers and flat icons and Steve Jobs, RIP.
this is gonna be fun… do you have a goal for this site?
UX BRO – Fresh, it’s gotta be fresh. Parallax sites are sweet. I can’t remember the company but I was scrolling through it like whoa dude. Then my browser crashed. Oh and I want a huge bio. Tell em’ I won an award.
so the goal is making it fresh? I was thinking the goal would start with a defined purpose and how we will craft that user interaction.
UX BRO – Yea whatever you said. I only have 20 minutes till I have to make my fantasy draft so lets crush this real quick.
I need to step out for a minute.
Our role as web designers is to push existing technologies and tools just a little further. We convey unfamiliar messages in a way that drives people to accept products even if they blur the boundaries of the conventional. We pour techniques, concepts, and frameworks into snapshots of user experiences that unify a message, a vision, and a purpose. While many of the technologies and standards we apply today will change dramatically over our careers, two fundamentals will always seed good design: anchoring the message in a well-defined strategy and conveying it in a way that makes people stand up and pay attention. Needless to say, simply making a website responsive is not enough.
Giving responsive design a voice in 4 “easy” steps:
- Define what you want the site to accomplish, how you want the user to experience your content. This sounds basic but I swear it’s not that easy. Clients vary. Not all of them have a specific product line, or menu, etc. Many sites offer a product that spans a variety of services. Help the client structure their message in a way that can lead a user through a story that is concise and engaging.
- Developing a mobile first strategy is not a joke. Especially with the content, not just the look. It’s a truth, a fact. All of you climate change deniers need not read further… Well thought out and streamlined content is a vital building block to creating a responsive product that is strain-free and drop-off free. Many clients want to take existing content and simply plug it in to a responsive framework. What I have found is that in doing so you make the user navigate through a horribly long and overly complicated experience. Or they move on to something easier to navigate.
- Repeat # 1 & #2. Seriously, it will make all of the difference in the world.
- Think about ways to solicit feedback from a diverse set of target users, preferably with different levels of product knowledge or proficiency.
For me, being creative is about seeing beyond what’s in front of you and into what can be. By stepping out of your work and building the pieces of the puzzle through the lens of the unknown, you can see all your personal biases. Some of those biases are actually good — they’re a part of your personal style, and some of those biases are clichés and tropes. Those need to go.
In web design, creativity and collaboration shouldn’t stop at the final submission. Being happily employed at a place that churns out good creative is easy. The hard part is cutting through the fluff of inflated trends, hype, and talking heads, and contributing to a more informed and strategic approach to UX for the industry as a whole.
If you care to move the UX needle in the right direction, **Recommend** this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on Twitter @my_hubble or visit aboutsage.com
