The best response I have to this question is "it depends." Depends on the organizational culture, the amount of design rationale you have to back up your design decisions, the personalities at play in both sides of the conversation, and…
Category: UX Articles
UX 101, UX Articles
Lessons in UX and Analytics: Users aren’t data
I recently went to a conference where several sessions focused on analytics, and what analytics could provide to businesses of any size. Having some background in analytics myself, I definitely agreed with several sentiments these speakers expressed.. but I also…
UX Articles
Lessons in UX: What is your “benefit case”?
I’ve worked on several design projects that resulted in “dead ends,” situations where what we created didn’t really work. I always try and learn something from these experiences, and a key lesson I’ve learned again and again was that benefits…
My Quora answers, UX 101, UX Articles
What are the principles of good UX design?
These are high-level, but I think still specific enough to be actionable. These are principles to apply to a design project, and good UX design is reflected in these principles. Know your users. Have a firm and clear "target" in mind…
Apple, Technology, UX Articles
Apple’s Next Big Thing could be revolutionizing software development
I used to code. And when I say “code,” I mean write HTML, JavaScript and active server pages – not full desktop applications. This was close to a decade ago, and while I have taken some software development classes since,…
My Quora answers, Technology, UX Articles
How does linkedin measure categories to a 100% complete profile?
LinkedIn, like Google and Facebook, benefits from the more it "knows" about you. As I and others have frequently mentioned, you are not the user of such services… You are the product that the service "sells." In LinkedIn's case, the…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
Why are futuristic UI often referred to as Minority Report-style?
Timing is everything. When Minority Report came out, it was in the early days of the User Experience design field, a time when decision-makers at companies started paying attention to design. As it was the first movie that featured a…
Featured Articles, UX 101, UX Articles
Lessons in UX: How a high-level design makes everything better
I’ve been in several meetings where the words “high level design” was bandied about by designers and stakeholders. The importance of a high level design… well, it was unquestioned. A high level design was absolutely vital, to ensure the success…
UX Articles
Ancestry.com is an addicting, engrossing experience
On a whim last week I decided to try out Ancestry.com, after seeing several tv ads about the service. I had always been curious about my family’s lineage, and I thought, what the heck? Lets see how it works. Now,…
UX Articles
Lessons in UX: Embrace the checklist
I’ve been re-reading the great book The Checklist Manifesto, and I’m thinking about how some of the ideas in the book can be applied to UX design. I think the primary reasons to apply a checklist-based process is to ensure…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
Can a product be an experience – or is one a subset of the other?
No, a product is not an experience, it is part of an experience. As I've written before, the idea that anyone can "design an experience" is incorrect. You design solutions and products that are a part of user's experience, and…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How would you measure user experience of physical packaging?
The obvious answer to me is in usability testing. Define a series of tasks that you want to test the packaging for. The obvious task for packaging is…well, opening it. The next obvious task is about the content displayed/printed on…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How does one prepare for a UX Design job interview?
The same way you prepare for any other interview: RELAX. If you go into an interview stressed and nervous, guess what the person or persons interviewing you will think? "Wow, he's nervous." That may be enough to cast doubt in your…
UX 101, UX Articles
Design with confidence, by knowing your users
I have had several discussions lately with colleagues around design processes. I personally think that the best process is a flexible one, with standard phases that can have various “tactics” and effort that can be applied, depending upon the complexity…
My Quora answers, UX Articles
How could bank branches be improved?
As someone who has designed software for many a bank, as well as done ethnographic research in and around branches, I have some very direct ideas on how the banking experience at branches can be improved. Have express lanes. If someone…
Featured Articles, UX Articles
Focus on the outcome, not the tool
I’m fighting with Adobe. Not literally, obviously – I’m not having physical altercations with a multinational corporation. I’m fighting with thier apps, specifically InDesign. And InDesign is winning. The thing is, it shouldn’t be. I’ve used page layout programs for…