Embracing the Environment: A UX Designer’s Perspective

Sharing some thoughts that had been brewing in my mind lately. Coming from an architectural background, I’ve always been fascinated by how our surroundings influence our experiences. As I transitioned into the world of UX/UI design, I realized that this environmental mindfulness is just as crucial in the digital space.

🔄 From Bricks to Pixels

In architecture, we are taught to design with mindfulness towards the environment. We think about how a building sits in its landscape, how the light hits it, and how people interact with the space. This attention to the environment creates a seamless experience for those who inhabit the space.

As I shifted gears to UX/UI design, I saw the potential to bring this environmental mindfulness to the digital world.

Just like in architecture, the digital products we create should feel like a natural part of the user’s environment.

🎨 The Power of Color and Context

One of the first things I noticed was the impact of color. In architecture, we use color to complement or contrast with the surrounding environment. In UX/UI design, color can play a similar role. By considering the user’s physical environment, we can choose colors that enhance their digital experience.

For example, consider SaaS applications used by people in office buildings with dull white walls. A vibrant and vivid color palette can infuse energy and engagement into the application, breaking the monotony of the surroundings.

On the flip side, Fintech apps, often used on the go, demand clarity and readability, particularly in bright outdoor settings. Opting for more neutral and pastel tones, like subdued blacks, blues, greens, and yellows, can significantly enhance visibility. These colors tend to reflect less light, reducing glare and making the text on the screen more readable. When combined with high-contrast text, these color choices ensure that critical financial information remains accessible and clear, no matter where users are or what conditions they're under.

By thoughtfully considering the user’s environment in our color choices, we create a more harmonious and comfortable digital experience.

🧘 Creating Comfort in the Digital Space

Another aspect I’ve been exploring is how to create a comfortable digital space. In architecture, we design spaces that are meant to be lived in and enjoyed. In UX/UI design, we should be doing the same. This means thinking about the user’s mindset and what they need from the product.

Are they looking for a quick, efficient experience, or are they looking to explore and discover?

Understanding the user’s context and how they interact with their physical environment can help create a more comfortable and intuitive digital experience.

💭 Inspired by and for the World Around Us

Finally, our digital designs should be inspired by the physical world. Just as a building reflects its surroundings, a digital product should reflect the user’s environment.

This doesn’t mean replicating the physical world in the digital space. Instead, it’s about creating a harmonious relationship between the two.

Let’s take a smart home application as an example. Imagine this app controls lighting, heating, and cooling systems in a house. To make sure it respects and understands the user’s environment, the design could include features that learn and adapt to the user’s daily patterns and the local weather conditions.

If a user usually gets home around 6 PM and lives in a particularly hot climate, the app could learn to start cooling the house at 5:30 PM, ensuring a comfortable temperature by the time they arrive, while also suggesting the most energy-efficient settings. Additionally, on cooler days, the app could prompt the user to open the windows for ventilation instead of using the air conditioner, helping to save energy and reduce costs.

By providing these smart, context-aware suggestions, the app isn’t just a remote control for home devices; it becomes a helpful assistant that enhances the user’s experience, contributes to energy savings, and promotes a sustainable lifestyle. Through a simple yet thoughtful design, it connects the digital experience with the user’s real-world environment in a meaningful and beneficial way.

💲Towards Sustainability

Reflecting upon the insightful story of a 🐟 fish fry, we see a mother teaching her daughter to cut the tail off the fish before frying it, a method passed down from her own mother. However, the daughter’s curiosity leads her to discover that this practice actually originated from the grandmother’s necessity to fit the fish in a smaller pan back in the day, a powerful metaphor urging us to re-evaluate our design approaches.

A commitment to reducing energy consumption leads us directly to the path of sustainability, demanding efficient and responsible user experiences while adhering to traditional standards.

A real-world example of this is the implementation of dark mode in many applications and operating systems. By allowing users to switch to a darker theme, the energy consumption of devices, especially those with OLED screens, is significantly reduced as pixels can be turned off completely to display black. This not only enhances the user experience by reducing eye strain in low-light conditions but also contributes to energy efficiency and sustainability. ♻️

By critically reassessing our design practices and intentionally choosing strategies that minimize energy consumption, we can forge a path towards digital solutions that excel in both form and function, while also embodying a profound commitment to sustainability and a harmonious integration with the users’ environments.