UX Design: the What, How and Why.

Great presentation on UX (user experience) design. It's very simple but it's a great overview for anyone unfamiliar with the field.

Great metaphor on slide 15 that shows that the visual design should only account for 10% of what goes into the design process and that 90% of the time should be dedicated to the rest of the process. yes 90%! I'm still shocked at the importance people put on visual design. If the aesthetics are pleasing but there isn't function, users will not be happy, there will be little satisfaction, conversion or adoption. Visual design should be the last step in the design process, at the top of the pyramid. Every house needs a solid foundation and structure before the paint and decorations can be added.

When UX Design is implemented correctly, the savings are astonishing (see slides 29-32) Check it out!

iPad UX Guidelines

For all UX designers, interaction designers and engineers out there...Apple published its first iPad Human Interface Guidelines Read them when you have a good chunk of time to dedicate to them because it's not light reading material. :)

Or need a summary? Check out UX Mag's concise outline or ZDnet's first look at these guidelines.

Updated March 4, 2010

Definitions: What does "Usability" and "UX" mean?

Here are my simplified definitions of the two terms. I know the UX definition is long so should I rephrase and say "Here is at my attempt at simplifying my definitions...

Usability is a term that defines how useful (whether it's practical and needed) and how usable (whether it can be used efficiently) something is.

User experience often referred to as (UX) or (Ux) refers to how the user experiences, interacts with and perceives an object, system, artifact, process or service. The UX and interaction designer's goal, for the most part, is to provide positive experiences (except when using reverse psychology to shape behavior). The designer does everything in his or her control to reduce and improve any negative interactions the user might have. User experience design is therefore the design of a whole system, how the system is connected and how the users responds to it emotionally, physically and mentally.

There out various definitions on the web and in the printed world that attempt to define the terms as well. The fact that the terms don't have one solid definition makes the field so much more interesting to me because the field is constantly evolving and being redefined which is consistent with the field's practitioners work method.

The one concern to keep in mind is that because of the presence is multiple definitions professionals in the field need to make sure there are clear boundaries between job descriptions and that within a work group individuals are sharing the same definition to achieve defined goals.

Here are some other definitions:

• A definition of "user experience"


• Top Eight UX Design Definitions


• 10 Most Common Misconceptions About User Experience Design