User experience design is
The creation and synchronisation of elements that affect users’ experience with a particular company, with the intent of influencing their perceptions and behaviour.
These elements include things a user can touch hear and smell. It includes things that users can interact with in ways beyond the physical, such as digital interfaces (websites or apps) and people.
About UX Designers
To create truly memorable satisfying experiences, a UX designer needs to understand how to create a logical and viable structure for the experience and needs to understand the elements important in creating an emotional connection with the product users.
An app or website will strongly associate with one of four types:
Brand presence - constantly present online platform that facilitates the relationship between the company and a general audience.
Marketing campaign - a targeted site or application meant to elicit a specific and measurable response from a particular audience or a general audience over a limited period of time.
Content source - a store of information, potentially composed of several types of media, meant to inform, engage or entertain users.
Task based application - a tool or collection of tools meant to allow users to accomplish a set of key tasks or workflow.
Brand prescence design goals
Communicate the brand values and or messages
Provide quick and easy access to information
Present or explain a model or value proposition
Engage a set of primary user groups and guide them to relevant interactions, functionality or content.
Help achieve goals
Content source design goals
Present content that is the primary draw for first or repeat visits
Demonstrate capabilities
Support critical decisions among the user base
Increase knowledge
Support users seeking information in different ways
Task based application design goals
Enables users to do something they can’t do elsewhere or if they can do it better.
Support novice users with easy to access instructions and visual prioritisation of key tasks
Support intermediate and advanced users with access to shortcut features and deeper functionality.
Reduce the load on the user and make best use of system resources
Be designed and deployed with attention to the degree of change required of the applications users.
E learning applications
E learning applications are crossovers between a content source and task based application.
Common design goals for E learning applications
Set an understanding of the baseline knowledge needed to start a course and who it is targeted to
Provide content in manageable chunks paced for comprehension
Engage the learner in activities that simulate hands-on learning
Communicate preformance and progress
Common design goals for social networking applications
Focus potential users on the purpose and values of the network
Facilitate meaningful user interactions that support and are supported by the features presented
Protect the integrity of the site by ensuring those within the network understand how to control their information and respond to inappropriate behaviour
Harness and display the power of the community to bring forward features only possible with active members
Consider :
Flexible grids - that expand or contract content based on screen resolution
Flexible images - that decrease in size on smaller screens or increase to a set maximum size on larger screens
Media queries - which are elements of code that can be placed in a sites HTML and stylesheet.
With the constraint of devices, app designers have a greater degree of control over how their products are viewed and the interactions that result. The common app platforms iPhone and Android have guidelines to help ensure a greater degree of consistency in interaction.
An app is an easier method for monetising the product if that’s the goal. Purchasing an app is very easy for example when it’s part of a store like iTunes.
Mobile optimised websites bring:
A greater degree of reach - developing apps are often limited to one platform unless further developed.
In most cases it is more cost effective - one website can reach far more people, the cost can be substantially lower.
Mobile design principles
Immediacy
Mobile devices are readily available and ideally provide immediate access to information that meets the user needs.
Simplicity
Smaller screens of mobiles force a focus on a small set of clear options. Designing for simplicity allows users to treat their mobile device like a toolkit fitting unique needs when necessary.
Context
Mobile devices have context on a users location, communication history and past behaviour. These elements can work together powerfully to anticipate user needs and provide relevant information.
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