UX >> S/W UIs + IOT
Thanksgiving has just passed, the holidays are in full swing. It’s time to visit loved ones, exchange gifts and attempt to explain that thing we do for a living. Chances are you’ll tell friends and relatives we design websites, apps and online checkouts to be engaging and easy to use. But is that it? Is user experience only about screens and devices with screens?
Let’s start by defining our terms. UX is “a person’s perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service” (ISO 9241–210:2010, subsection 2.15 — Ergonomics of human system interaction). “Perceptions and responses” can be practical (e.g., judgments of usefulness or value) or emotional (e.g., coolness, confusing). Some of the factors affecting a user experience include brand image, functionality, system performance, the user’s skill and prior experience, and the context of use.
Notice, there’s no mention of apps, websites or the word “digital”. What’s up with that? What’s up is that user experience applies to much more than software UIs and digital devices. To illustrate, let’s compare two examples of a common kitchen appliance and see if there’s a place for UX design.
Does a can opener have a user experience?
A few years ago I bought an electric can opener to replace my old reliable manual model. To my mind there was only one job to be done, open cans. Rather than pay William-Sonoma prices, I bought an off-brand model from a mega-discount store. A can opener’s a can opener, right?
Turns out, the devil’s in the detail. Here’s the generic model in action.
With some time and patience I juuuust about mastered this thing. (Does this sound a lot like “With practice users will figure it out”?) But I never got used to the noise, the exposed cutting blade or dealing with the sharp edges of the metal lids it created. A year later, I looked for a replacement.
Enter the Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch. Here’s what the same JTBD looks like with a device designed to minimize these problems.
No precise placement required, no exposed blades to avoid, no sharp-edged lids to handle, 11 decibels quieter and at a comparable price.
But wait a minute. There’s no display or digital component on either model. Can it be there’s a place for UX design here? Of course there is! As there is for just about every product, service and system ever devised.
After using both can openers I can assure you my “perception and responses” are much more positive towards the Smooth Touch than the generic one.
What else are candidates for our skills? As you read this article you’re interacting with a number of products. Are you sitting? Is your laptop on a table or desk? Are you in a room with light, heating and a décor? Are you dressed? Your chair and desk, the building you’re in and the clothes you’re wearing, all have a user experience.
As with digital devices, if you’re not aware of these items, then they’re providing an acceptable user experience. If your back hurts or your skin feels itchy, then their UXs need some work. Any time we design products, systems or services with the intent of affecting how users experience them, we’re engaged in user experience design. It’s just that simple.
Let me leave you with the words of one of the people most responsible for popularizing the term “user experience”.
