Understanding Application Context for Engaging User Experience(UX)
Have you ever felt like your phone knows you?
As a UX designer , I’ve always been fascinated by how digital products can seem to Predict our needs.
Imagine the fitness app- one that suggests a gentle yoga flow in the mornings and a high-intensity workout after work. It feels like the app reads your mind, right? Well, it’s not magic, but a concept called application context. This exciting idea allows products to adapt to different situations, creating a more personalized and engaging experience for users like you and me.
But how, as designers, do we make this “magic” happen? ✨
Understanding the Bigger Picture: What is Application Context?
The Interaction Design Foundation defines the context of use as “a combination of users, goals, tasks, resources, and the technical, physical and social, cultural and organizational environments” in which a system is used.
Let’s break this down
It’s not just about the user: It considers their goals, tasks, and available resources, not just their demographics.
Beyond the screen: It extends beyond the app itself, encompassing the physical and social environment where users interact with it. This includes the technology they use, their physical surroundings, and even cultural and organizational contexts.
Designing for all situations: By understanding this bigger picture, we can design effective and user-friendly systems in any situation. These contexts include
Here’s how product use context to make your life easier.
Imagine a fitness app that considers the “bigger picture” beyond just your exercise routine. Here’s how it could adapt to different contexts:
Technical Environment:
- Device: Detects if you’re using a smartphone, smartwatch, or smart TV and tailors the interface accordingly.
- Data access: Connects to wearable devices (like heart rate monitors) to personalize workout intensity and track progress.
Physical Environment:
- Location: Uses GPS to suggest outdoor workouts based on your surroundings (running trails, park circuits etc.) or recommend indoor routines if the weather is bad.
- Time of day: Offers high-energy morning routines, low-impact evening stretches, or gentle yoga flows before bed.
Social, Cultural, and Organizational Environment:
- Social goals: Connects you with friends or family for group workouts or challenges, fostering a sense of community and accountability.
- Cultural norms: Provides workout options that respect cultural sensitivities regarding clothing, exercise types, or religious observances.
- Organizational policies: Integrates with corporate wellness programs or gym memberships, offering relevant content and tracking progress towards company fitness goals.
By understanding these diverse contexts, the fitness app becomes more than just a workout planner — it becomes a personalized and adaptable companion that supports your wellness journey in any situation.
How Different Devices Shape How We Use Products
This table provides an overview of different devices and how their features and strengths influence how we typically use them in various contexts.
Utilizing Application Context in UX Design
Here are some key strategies I use as a UX designer to incorporate application context into my designs.
- User research: Conduct user research to understand user needs, behavior and context specific scenarios.
- User personas: Develop user personas that represent different user groups and their typical contexts of use.
- Context — aware features: Design features that adapt and adjust based on factors like location, time, user preference, and device usage patterns.
- Progressive disclosure: Present users with essential information initially and offer additional details on when relevant on their interaction with product or Services.
Examples of Products Leveraging Application Context
1. Spotify
- Context: Time of day, activity level, user preferences
- Implementation:
- Morning: Recommends energetic playlists based on user preferences and historical listening habits.
- Workout session: Curates high-tempo playlists based on activity level (detected through heart rate data from wearables) and music tastes.
- Relaxation time: Suggests calming instrumental music or personalized “chill” playlists based on user preferences and listening history.
Uber
- Context: Time of day, location, user preferences
- Implementation
- Peak hours: Displays estimated surge pricing and wait times to help users make informed decisions.
- Late-night rides: Offers safety features like illuminated car interiors and driver background checks for added user peace of mind.
- Frequent destinations: Recommends saved locations or familiar routes based on user travel patterns, streamlining the booking process.
Benefits of Application Context
Incorporating application context into design process offers a lot of benefits both users and business.
- Enhanced user experience: By providing personalized and relevant information and features, context-aware apps create more valuable user experience.
- Increased User Engagement: When products adapt to users’ needs users are more likely to find them valuable and continue using them.
- Improved Conversion Rate: By presenting relevant options, context-aware products can give a higher conversion rate.
- Improved accessibility: by understanding the user’s context, product or services can adapt their interface and functionality to provide diverse needs and abilities. (For example, an e- commerce app might offer larger fonts and voice-controlled navigation for users with different abilities.
- Enhanced Security: Context–aware security features can offer an extra layer of protection.
- Reduced Cognitive Load: By anticipating user needs based on context, the app can minimize the information they present and streamline tasks. Reducing the cognitive burden on the users.
User expectations are constantly evolving. To create successful products, we needs to understand and apply application context. By designing for different devices and user needs in various situations, we can craft personalized and engaging experiences. So, next time an app seems to “read your mind,” it’s not magic, but the power of application context!
And hey, if you’re curious to dive deeper into this topic, check out the resources below!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you found it valuable, please consider giving it a ‘like’ and sharing it with your friends. Your support is greatly appreciated. ✌
Reference
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/context-specific-cross-channel/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212827118304128
https://uxdesign.cc/context-in-design-a-keystone-to-understanding-users-aeba93ce5dc4
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/contexts-of-use
