UXD is a collection of methods applied to the process of designing interactive experiences. It encourages the interactive designer to make the quality of the users' experience the prime concern. The logic behind this approach is simple. In UXD terms the product of a design is only a success if it meets the needs of the client who commissioned it and provides a good experience for the intended users. Products or services that offer poor user experience, or fail to keep up with the expectations of users will sooner or later be replaced by improved designs.
It is natural for designers to resist constraints imposed on their creativity when designing for others. Even when the needs of the users are carefully considered, the designer must also take account of the context in which the design will be used.
A UXD approach requires that a potential users of a new interactive design are considered early in the development of a project, throughout and prior to delivery and continually once the project is active.
No project can take place without learning about the intended user and their context. There are a number of ways to find out about the audience or user e.g. surveys, interviews and generative approaches.
Experiences can feel good or bad. It is difficult to predict exactly what emotions an experience might provoke. But it is possible to understand some factors that influence our emotional responses, and the way these can enhance or undermine an experience.
When things go wrong and people have negative experiences, it is tempting to blame the user. But errors are more often the result of a design that misleads, confuses or distracts the user, or which motivates inappropriate behaviour.
Competitive advantage is a term used to describe the characteristics of a product or service that make it more likely to be selected than others in the same market. The characteristics that give products or services competitive advantage include price, availability, design and function. In a market where there is strong competition, products or services that have been around for a while will have reached a point where gaining additional competitive advantage is difficult.
Simplicity is a virtue beloved of designers in all disciplines. When applied sensitively and intelligently, simplicity eases the load on the user's memory and attention.
Challenge is a highly subjective part of an experience. A colouring book represents a challenge to a child, because their manual dexterity and colour perception is still developing and their chances of success in the endeavour are as likely as failure. Satisfying experiences are those that recognise and accommodate evolving skills of the user, and in return present them with appropriate and achievable challenges.
Experience is continuous. An experience is different an experience has a beginning, a middle and an end. In order to define recount and evaluate experiences, we need some way to delineate these from the constant flow of sensory experience.
A constraint is a consciously engineered part of an interactive experience that is designed to limit or influence user behaviour. Constraints may protect the user against harm, or error or they may be part of the 'instruction' required to make sense of the experience,
Layout is the strategic arrangement of the elements in a visual design. It is the harmonious placement of type, image, line, shape, tone, colour, imagery and space. Layout can be applied to books and magazines etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment