The Ten Commandments of User Experience

User experiences are your everyday experiences—anything from operating a car, to making a pot of coffee, to ordering a pair of shoes online. User experience is the result of your interactions with a product or service, specifically how it’s delivered and its related artifacts according to the design.

In this presentation Nick Finck and Raina Van Cleave will explore the ten characteristics of a great user experience. They will cover all aspects of user experience design such as user research, information architecture, information design, technical writing, interaction design, visual design, brand identity design, accessibly, usability and web analytics. Nick and Raina will also explain how following the ten commandments can boost your web sites, web app, or mobile app’s ease of use, appeal, conversion rates, and more.

Transcript

1. The Ten Commandments of User Experience Nick Finck & Raina Van Cleave March 13, 2010 SXSW Interactive 2010
2. Use #UXsxsw on twitter
3. ? What the hell is UX?
4. “User Experience is a focus, a thread that runs through all of our disciplines, and which no discipline owns or controls.” - The UXsters Explain UX
6. • Accessibility (GAWDs) • Information Architecture (IAI) • Information Design (IDA) • Interaction Design (IxDA) • Technical Writing (STC) • Usability Engineering (UPA) • User Research (HFES) • Visual Design (AIGA) • Web Analytics (WAA)
8. The First Commandment The User is always Right
9. “You are not the user. Neither is your boss.” - Jessyca Frederick Director of Product Management,ThisNext
11. Customer (or User) Needs Business Objectives Technical Requirements Sweet Spot Finding the sweet spot
12. The Second Commandment Understand the User
14. Photo by Andrea Wiggins http://www.flickr.com/photos/anikarenina/550438755/
15. The Third Commandment Avoid Solutioneering
16. Identify & fully understand problems before finding solutions
19. The Fourth Commandment Form follows Function
20. “Form must play within the general realm of the familiar for easily understood functions.” - Thomas Vander Wal Principal, InfoCloud Solutions
22. Photo by Jason Hoover http://www.flickr.com/photos/surrealize/3366780929/
23. Photo by Thomas Hawk http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/2671536366/
24. Photo by Andreas Adelmann http://www.flickr.com/photos/adelmann/3302583508/
27. The Fifth Commandment Content is King
28. “Design is about communication, and it takes more than pixels to communicate.” - Derek Powazek Content & Community Genius
29. ! 95% of web users do not read 80% of your content!
30. This doesn’t mean that your content isn’t important, it means it’s more important.
31. The Sixth Commandment Innovate, do not Imitate
32. Pedometer Nike+
37. The Seventh Commandment Access is for Everyone
38. Photo by Jenny Morros http://www.flickr.com/photos/13799732@N08/1411680967/
39. Photo by Dirk Borchers http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirkborchers/495659224/
40. Photo by Rion Nakaya http://www.flickr.com/photos/rion/47437262/
41. The Eighth Commandment Plan before you Design
42. “With our users in mind and the right vision we can plan, and develop successful applications” - Aaron Irizarry Principal, Solv
43. Photo by Roxanna Salceda http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxsm/1210497131/
44. Photo by Effie3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/eclennox/181224204/
45. Photo by Luann Hopkins http://www.flickr.com/photos/luannhopkins/2156607113/ Photo by Paige Adams http://www.flickr.com/photos/phadams/2642717270/
46. The Ninth Commandment Understand the Goal
47. “Executives can no longer afford to formulate strategy without embracing user experience” - Peter Morville Principal, Semantic Studios
48. Photo by Howard Gees http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberslayer/952953634/
49. If your website could do only one small thing, what would that one thing be?
50. The Tenth Commandment Learn from Failure
51. “Failure is success if we learn from it.” - Malcolm S. Forbes
53. ! Michael Jordan failed to make his varsity basketball team Albert Einstein's teacher described him as "mentally slow" Walt Disney went bankrupt several times
54. Thank you!
55. The Ten Commandments of User Experience Nick Finck @nickf nick@blueflavor.com http://blueflavor.com Raina Van Cleave @rainaterror raina@spindriftdesignworks.com http://rainavancleave.com