FIVE (5) RULES FOR A GOOD USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN.
UX Design has become a buzz word recently in the tech space and as a result, a good number of brand Identity designers are tilting towards User interface and User experience design. The question is, do you know what it really entails?
Don Norman, a cognitive scientist and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group Design Consultancy, defines it as an experience that encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Did you notice how this definition has nothing to do with tech, digital and definitely nothing about UX designers?
This tells us that, regardless of its medium, UX Design encompasses any and all interactions between a potential or active customer and a company. It covers all touch points of the brand therefore it is important to take note of these 5 rules when designing a product.
Let’s begin with the most important rule which is focusing on the user…
Focus on the user:
When you’re creating a product, you want to be able to represent the user because they are not going to be in the brainstorming room or with the top executives when making decisions. You want to be able to make sure that the user is represented throughout the whole product cycle, making sure that we don’t lose track of who the users are, what their needs are and how to make the product much more delightful for them
This should be the core of your objectives in user experience design.
Clarity and simplicity:
On clarity and simplicity, the core feature of your product should be clearly stated.
This is a crucial part of design. Streamlining all the concepts that should be in the design down to the core of why users come to your platform. E.g tone down on the number of pop-ups on your web platform when a user opens it for the first time, so they don’t get tired of the numerous pop-ups.
This might be a bit difficult at first because there might be lots of features you think you’re missing out on. Don’t worry, the users might not even bother much about it.
Once you’re able to get your objective right, you won’t get confused about the features to include.
Responsiveness and Feedback.
Responsiveness here means making sure that the system is providing the right type of feedback to the user at every step of the way, for easy understanding and operation.
A typical example is the signup process for a new user..
When you start typing your username in the input boxes, a message shows up immediately telling you “Yes, the name is great,” or “The username is available,” or “It’s not available.”. This is really important for users because the system is giving the user feedback real-time, saving them time and making the experience way more efficient for them.
Familiarity and Intuitiveness:
This means that when designing a product, it should be straightforward, don’t use ambiguous features that will be difficult to understand. For you to achieve this, you have to do a detailed research about your users, the language they understand, how you want the to interact with your product etc.
The concepts that you are going to put on that product as a designer should be very easy and familiar to them.
Consistency:
Users believe that the different words or the concepts used in your design mean the same thing. So, always strive for consistency and leverage platform standards.
A green button in your android design app should mean the same thing in your iOS and web app. Color scheme, font, patterns and images should be consistent.
For example, if you swipe right you mark as unread for an email or if you swipe left, you want to move it or delete it. This consistency in patterns and behavior is super useful for the end user so that they can easily familiarize with the product.
User experience can be effortless when you obey these basic rules.
