10 ways to bake UX into your company culture
With all the talk about UX these days, it's sometimes easy to get it confused with user-interface (UI) design. For example, someone might say, "Hey, I like X's website better than Y's because it has a better UX". Translation: 'X's website is more visually attractive'.
But here's an important point to consider: User-Experience is everything about your product/brand that a user experiences.
That might seem really obvious and not-too-insightful. Here's what I really mean by it; Your Chief Financial Officer doesn't impact UX whatsoever because customers generally has no idea what the financial status of a company is (excluding publicly traded companies, of course) and even if they do it has to be very poor for it to affect their choice to use your product.
This is what really goes into a user-experience. And it can't be done by one person, your entire team has to live and breath UX. This post isn't meant to explain UX methods, like research or testing. Instead, it's meant to discuss all of the different components of a company that affect the experience a user has with your product.
We work with a lot of companies and organizations at Headspace. For many of them, the process goes like this: Sadly, this is the way economics work for these organizations. But there's a better way. Instead of blowing your entire budget on just the website relaunch, spend 50% of it. Then spread the other 50% evenly across the next 3 years so that by the time the 3 years are up, your website isn't in too bad shape. This leaves many website owners left wondering: What the heck do I do after the website is launched? Here's a check list: There's a ton of stuff you can be measuring every day or every week. Google Analytics contains a wealth of information about your website traffic. Don't just focus on traffic alone, although this is an indicator of how your website is performing. Look at…
I gave an hour presentation at the Professional Development Summit on April 29th regarding UX design, and just wanted to share the presentation for all those interested. Enjoy and leave any questions or comments below!
Many business owners and marketing professionals are used to hearing the term "UX" (short for User Experience) thrown around a lot in recent years. Some may think it's just an industry buzzword with no real meaning. Well, I can say it's not. Here's all you need to know to get the gist of UX: User Experience Design is not web design or usability. It's not information architecture, nor is it business and content strategy…it's all of those things combined. UX takes into account a user's total experience when they interact with your product or brand. It is not strictly tied to websites - it could also apply to a storefront or exhibition. However, it's most commonly linked with interacting with digital experiences. There are several sub-disciplines of UX, basically split into two main categories: UX Strategy and UX Design. Image Credit: Taken from Killer UX Design by Sitepoint UX Strategy is all about the very high-level aspects of a project. It asks questions like: I still remember back in design school, one of the very first lessons we learned during a cut paper project was that professional designers are anal-retentive perfectionists. When we mounted work, it had to be perfect. Our mat board couldn't have any tears, our printouts were cut with a metal ruler and exacto blade, our sheets centred perfectly on the board (measured two or three times). No knicks, scratches or glue bubbles were permissible on the project. This lesson was beaten into us (not literally, most of the time) for a reason: We had to give a shit about our work. If we were that obsessive about just mounting a printout to hand in to our instructors, we should be even more attentive with work that the world would see. The kerning of letters had to be adjusted just so. The spelling had to be accurate. Things that were supposed to align had to align precisely. If you were to lurch behind a good designer and watch him or her work, you'd probably see him moving objects on the screen pixel by pixel with the arrow key, fine-tuning the typography, or sliding the opacity…
View the excellent post from Smashing Magazine showing 9 Common Usability Mistakes In Web Design. Some of my favorite mentions in there are “Pagination used for the wrong purpose”. I hate it when articles are split up between multiple pages - it is just another barrier to reading the post. The point was made in the article that the only reason people still do it is when they want extra page views to count towards their impressions—a pretty selfish motive if you ask me. “No way to get in touch” is another pet peeve of mine, especially for banking and government websites. Contact is one of the primary purposes of the average website, so making it difficult for users to find the information they need, be it an email form or phone number is inexcusable. Two things I learned about are using google search forms on a website (I usually use one that is based on custom scripting) and using 301 redirects to point old links to current pages. Very useful stuff! Usability, part of the long drawn out series,12 things you need to know before commissioning a website. In many cases, if you’re commissioning a website, it is not because you don’t have one, it’s because your current one isn’t working. Problem is, many don’t know specifically why they’re current website isn’t working. Perhaps it is just plain ugly or has outdated information. But what if you actually paid for a good website only a year ago, and it just isn’t helping your bottom line? That’s where usability testing just might come in handy. The term ‘usable’ generally doesn’t have great connotations, as if we’re content with merely being usable (eg: “How do you like that new Mercedes?” “It’s usable”). However…
When you first decide to go through the drive-thru at your local fast food restaurant, what is it that motivates you? No doubt a number of things; TV or billboard advertising, past experiences eating there, or the dire need to eat something before you pass out. Maybe this particular spot is all there is close by. Either way, when you roll up to that plastic sign, and yell over the muffled speaker, the choice is yours. No one forced you to go there. And other than the usual promotional signs that are in front of you advertising the new mushroom-melt — very little “selling” is needed. Ronald’s already got you. In a lot of ways websites are like fast-food drive-thrus. Visiting a website doesn’t take long and it should be equally fast to get what you want from it. Whether it’s information, downloads, or to sign up and become a member - you are at a site for a reason. Maybe you just want that Transformer that comes with the kids meal. On the other hand, when you watch a television spot, or when you see a print ad - it’s mostly an unwelcome intrusion. Your mind was elsewhere, and…
I launched my new site, now what?
Measure
Presentation on User Centric Design from PD Summit
UX Design - a real thing or just a pretentious buzzword?
Questions we ask
Is design perfectionism possible on the web?
9 Common Usability Mistakes In Web Design
Usability, different from being passable
Why the heck would I want my site just usable?
Make it a combo today?