Introduction to UX Design

What is UX Design?

UX = "User eXperience"

"the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience_design

Background

Don Norman

Why UX Matters

"the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product."

usability

increased efficiency

less frustration

fewer mistakes / accidents

better morale

broader market appeal

accessibility

pleasure

increased reach

brand loyalty

Poor UX

"Developer UX"

Basic Definitions

  • Affordances
  • Signifiers
  • Constraints
  • Mappings

Affordances

"An affordance is the possibility of an action on an object or environment."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance

or: "What can you do with it?"

?

?

?

Signifiers

"A 'signifier' is some sort of indicator, some signal in the physical or social world that can be interpreted meaningfully."

- Don Norman (http://jnd.org/dn.mss/signifiers_not_affordances.html)

  • Physical properties of an object (knob, switch, button, handle)
  • Label or sign

Constraints

"something that limits or restricts someone or something"

- Merriam Webster dictionary

  • physical
    (certain actions not physically possible)
  • logical
    (only a certain action makes logical sense)
  • cultural
    (we have learned that certain things should or should not be done)

Mappings

"the relationship between two
things, in this case between the controls and their movements and the
results in the world"

- Don Norman (The Design of Everyday Things)

UX and Digital Products

  • Affordances
  • Signifiers
  • Constraints
  • Mappings

Knowledge

  • What can I do?
  • What will be the result?
  • What is happening now?
  • What just happened?

What Can I Do?

What Will Be The Result?

What Is Happening Now?

What Just Happened?

Design For Humans

  • Require precise data
  • Deal with exact sequences
  • Have unlimited "memories"
  • Work in approximations
  • Get distracted
  • Have limited memory
  • Make mistakes

User Cannot Use It

=

User Is Wrong

Design Is Wrong

Key Question:

Would This Make A Satisfied User?

  • Affordances
  • Signifiers
  • Mappings
  • Constraints
  • Feedforward
  • Feedback
  • ...
  • Prototyping
  • User Research
  • User Testing
  • Analytics
  • ...

Thank you.

Intro to UX

By Michael Bromley