It depends on the platform and the application. When it comes to computer hardware, an ethernet port or an optical drive were “must-have” features for the longest time… until they weren’t (users started using wi-fi and most download their media).…
Keep context in mind Will it be at “normal” kiosk height or a table-based unit? Will it be in a store or another place, like a lobby or a mall? Understand the environment that the Ui will be in. Make…
In my career as a user experience designer and researcher, I’ve interviewed or tested scores of end users through the years, and I see a trend show up over and over. Users have often told me that they KNOW that…
One of the many things that occurs in the life of a User Experience designer is the need to justify our advocacy, and ask the obvious questions that come our way: Why is design important? Why should the experience be…
“You’re just an enabler!” Yes. Yes, I am. I am not an enabler that a Doctor Phil would shame on his show, an encourager of destructive behavior. I’m an enabler because I’m a user experience designer: I create software and…
One of the more interesting things I’ve been able to do in my career is establishing a user experience team’s design process. Obviously, there are standard phases and steps all UX processes share – some form of discovery and research,…
We live in a bubble. When I say “We”, I refer to my fellow travelers in user experience design. We read tech articles on new software releases, we look at design sites and study style guides from Apple, Amazon and…
I’ve been doing user experience design for more than a dozen years now, and I’m still learning. Part of why I’m still learning is the technology that users interact and engage with is evolving at a fairly rapid clip, and…
There are two big topics in technology right now: The Internet of Things and Wearables. While I have some very distinct opinions on the former, I’ll leave that for another day. Today I’d like to discuss the space called “wearables”.…
I was unable to make the deadline to contribute to the “UX Trends” article UX Magazine recently published due to other commitments (curse you, international business travel!), but I am never one to let good content go to waste. So,…
One of the big topics of conversation in UX circles the past few years has been “Lean UX”, an approach focused on minimizing and reducing design documentation in order to focus more on what is being designed instead of the artifacts. I’m…
The three are different, but not as much as you may think. Let’s talk about stories. No, not user stories… stories. We are wired to engage with and tell stories – it is a seminal part of the human species.…
First off, let’s discuss the term “UX Roadmap.” I’ve heard it used in a couple of different ways. Here’s one definition, from UX Game Changers: The UX roadmap defines the stages of the user delivery. And while demands can change…
As someone who has been in the user experience domain for a LOOONG time, I have had lots of conversations with many different executives. And, most of the time, these execs knew how to spell “UX”, but they didn’t know much…
As a UX professional I take inspiration from a great many things. Since I’m also a big pop culture geek, that’s been the biggest well I draw from. I’ve read a lot of entertainment biographies lately, and the latest was…
Yes and no. Big Data provides… well, big data. Lots of data. This data needs to be parsed, analyzed and understood. It is (potentially) a source for user insights and understanding that is unparalleled. It can provide a lot of…