Intro to UX Flashcards
What is UX?
UX is a problem solving discipline; great products solve user problems and generate positive emotions.
Why does experience matter?
Negative emotions out weigh design with a multiplier effect. The negative emotions will override all designs need for great products: functional, aesthetic and experience designs.
Product integrity
The experience designer must represent the product, keep sight of what’s best for the product, the business and the user. Do features damage the product or the business?
Obstacles can come within the organization, from various stakeholders/roles (Legal, marketing, branding, sales, ect). Each stakeholder will feed requirements into the design without thinking about the user.
UX is a state of mind
It’s not about money. It’s about spending time to consider the little details that matter most to our audience to make our product stand out from the competition.
Functional design
Determines what a product is built to do, the engineering of a product that gives its capabilities
Aesthetic design
How a product looks, personality, what do its looks say about the product’s brand?
Experience design
What does it feel like to use a product.
How responsive is… How smooth is… How easy is it…
What are details of experience design?
Details deliver experience Details don't happen by accident Details are not left to the end Details are not there for fun Details solve problems
What are the 3 ingredients of product desirability?
Viability (business) - does it make/save money (less than the cost)
Feasibility (technology) - is it buildable at a reasonable cost and time
Desirability (customer) - does it solve a problem and create a positive feeling
How can you ID product desirability?
Ask:
- Is there a problem?
- Is our product solving the problem?
- Is the experience great?
How can you make a business case for user experience?
Communicate the benefits of design by distinguishing the inputs (user testing, research, wireframes, ect.) from the outputs (revenue) of designs. Convince your organization that the money spent on the UX project will increase revenue or reduce costs by the same amount or higher.
What is the UX process?
High level process: Research > Design > Build > Test
Refined process: Research > Define > (Design > Prototype > Validate) > Build > Test
What is Research in the UX process?
Start with research by engaging with end users to understand the problems we are trying to solve for them.
What is Define in the UX process?
During the research phase, data has been collected that needs to be analyzed to clearly articulate the precise problem, or set of problems we are trying to solve.
What is Design in the UX process?
Design is where we solve the problem, design a solution we think is going to work for our users.
What is a Prototype in the UX process?
A mockup of our solution we can test with users.
What is Validate in the UX process?
Testing our designs/prototypes with users to see if we have solved the problem.
How does UX fit in Agile?
Squeeze all the steps of the UX process into a more compact timeline. Instead of solving the big problem up front, start solving elements of the big problem (smaller problems) piece by piece.
What are the dangers of features?
More features:
- More controls which make a product less intuitive, crowded
- Adds more cost and complexity
What 3 questions should you ask before adding a feature?
- Does anybody need it?
- What is the trade off?
- What is the cost?
What is engineering culture?
- Designing for themselves
- No customer research
- Leading with technology (not customer led)
What 4 bad habits has engineering culture created?
- Focus on features vs goals
- Failure to follow the process
- Failure to produce high-fidelity designs
- Failure to prioritize
Humans are not machines
Computers are fast, error free and predictable, humans are opposite. Friction occurs when humans clash with the machines. UX job is to make the machine behave polite, expect human qualities without punishment.
Features vs Goals
People are using products to accomplish a goal. Features can get into the way of the user’s goal.
Taking shortcuts
Technology is complicated by taking short-cuts; research, analysis, design and validation are avoided. Number one reason for failed projects.
What 3 things can you tell stakeholders to avoid shortcuts?
- Understand the nature of the problem we’re solving to reduce the risk of designing the wrong thing.
- Define the solution before building - like designing a house before building it - to reduce risks and costs.
- Build the solution
What are 3 perks of producing a low-fidelity design?
- Reduces ambiguity
- Gives time and space to validate
- Reduces risk
How should you priortize features?
- Top priority: Things most do, most often (80% used)
- Secondary: Things some do, somewhat often
- Edge cases: Things few do, infrequently (20% used)
What 3 things do you look for to find a design target?
- Specific goals user has in mind
- Specific context where users are using product
- Specific behaviors user do when using product
What is the theory of paradox of specificity?
If you focus on a small number of the most important use cases, it’s easier to design and it’s a better/more specific product. Secondary use cases end up being accommodated too.
What is a mental model?
The idea a user has about how a product works.
What is a design model?
How the product actually works.
What is a benefit of aligning a mental model and a design model?
It avoids friction between the user and their use of the product.
