Learning to look for UX, its everywhere…and nowhere all at once.

Once I learned of User Experience and started reading about its principals, I began to experience the Baader-Mienhof phenomenon. This phenomenon occurs when you take notice of a particular thing or experience and suddenly you begin to see it everywhere, you know like Channing Tatum, he is everywhere, “get out of my head Channing Tatum!” I now see UX, or the lack there of, in everyday things. Sure I have experienced this phenomenon before with a particular word or idea, but what I find most interesting about this happening with UX is that it makes total sense. A steadfast principal behind good UX is that you do not notice that its there, unless of course you know what your are looking for. UX is to good design what gravity is to me falling on my ass after a recent ice storm. You don’t see the ice, you don’t see the gravity, but you certainly see me wipe out and hear me exclaim and complain about “salting your walkways” as if that will bring back my dignity. Now learning to see UX in everyday things and experiences is not as easy as hearing a word and then noticing it again and again and again. Nor is it as annoying, crepuscular, really… why?! As a matter of fact I find it to be very rewarding. Because UX is not meant to be seen, you have to train your brain to look for it. Even then, some of it you will never see, as what resulted in the final solution in a design does not present all the hurdles that were made as they worked through the hundred iterations it took to arrive at the final solution. All you see is a design and a product that makes your life easier or better in some way. So, how do you see UX in the everyday? You may begin by taking notice of the things you use that don’t suck. “Wow, sending that bail money was easy, hmm, was there some UX behind this product?” Or you may begin to see where UX was not applied or just applied poorly. “Why is it so hard to find an attorney, this website sucks!” Identifying pleasant and painful experiences throughout your own day is a great way to start identifying good and bad UX. Learn from other designers successes and find opportunities by identifying things that need improvement, I’m looking at you mirror hanging kit that I could not open even with a very sharp knife. Give it a try and you may start to see the world around you in a new light.