How To Rethink UX!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 7:48AM I had written a piece of software back in the early 80s that my mom hated because it was hard to use. This was my introduction to UX or User Experience. I realized I had learned some of this in art and photography classes. I added to this my study of psychology and received a great title, Senior Software Engineer of Human Interface Design. Today UX is bigger than ever but you'll never see the benefits if you are not looking for it!
Here is a really simple example: You buy chocolate milk for $3.39. It is easier for you to give the cashier a five dollar bill. Great user experience so far. She hands you back a dollar, your receipt and the coins on top. Here is the problem as small as it is. The user now has to make sure the coins don't fall off the stack while separating the dollar from the receipt to put back in your wallet. The UX solution is simple. hand back the coins first, then the dollar, pause and ask if you would like the receipt in your bag.
Notice the very subtle change that created a whole new and better user experience. Here is another: My built in scion GPS. To program in a location I first put in the address number, then street, then city and state. This is just like any user would do in filling out a form that asks for address. The user is very familiar with this and thus many GPS adopted this as a User Friendly interface. The problem I have encountered is "No such address or street or city". My Tom Tom’s rethought interface asked me to input an address in the reverse. It starts with State, then as I am typing in the city it shows me what is available, same with street and finally number. Although backwards to what I am used to I quickly picked it up and am a lot happier.
Here are a few tips on how to rethink UX:
1. Throw away any preconceived notions. There is the story told of the newlywed who made a pot roast. When asked why she cut off the ends of the roast she said, "My mom always cut off the ends". Her mom was then asked the question and gave the same answer. The grandmother was asked and answered, "My pan wasn't big enough to hold the whole roast."
2. Watch children. and how they solve a problem a great way to solve UX problems in the adult world. A truck had driven into a Tunnel but was slightly too big and got stuck. They tried every which way to extract the truck from its predicament. Nothing worked. A little girl watching all this said, “Why don’t you let the air out of the tires?” Many times there is a simple solution.
3. Ask a typical user. Not necessarily the decision maker. A high school had a problem with the girls restroom mirror being cover with lipstick marks. The school board with all its education could not find a solution to this problem. The person taking the minutes said she had an idea. The board would not acknowledge the young women. A week later the problem stopped. The board was stunned, what had happened to make the teenagers stop kissing the mirror. The young secretary explained, “I went into the bathroom where the students could see me clean the mirror with water from the toilet.” The users know best.
I have been at a loss as to how to conclude this blog for week. UX has fascinated me for decades prompting me to read books on human behaviour and market research techniques. This is an area that can make a tremendous difference in your branding and sales. It can be used in every industry and aspect of your life from parenting to being the most effective CEO. Get a free consult from...
Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred
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