The value of UX Your poor UX is costing you $4m per week in lost sales Like it or not big scary numbers are a great way to get attention (at the beginning of a presentation for example). You might not like it because big scary numbers don’t often bear much scrutiny – and are based on a bunch... More
Interaction Mode types I’ve been thinking of Interaction Modes as something that software can provide. Ways a computer might behave. Polite ways – considerate of the user’s (stated or implied) interests. If they want to read, activate a ‘reading mode’ for them (or when requested by them). I.e. Show them text-only – in a lovely font. If they... More
Content variables to consider Here’s a list to consider. You might find it useful when creating a content inventory/analysis. Or you might work with these variables to identify interaction modes that are so similar that they can be combined… Or once you’ve nailed down the modes you need for a site/app, setting values for these variables can help you... More
Music box metaphor Imagine that you’re playing a music box. Winding it’s little handle, you let its perfect little melody fill the room. You speed up the winding, the melody speeds up. You slow, it slows. You like it so much you end up playing it over and over. Now imagine that instead of one music box melody,... More
UX is negotiation If you were to say that someone was a good UX practitioner, you could mean a great many things. For example, you could be thinking of their ability to run a workshop, an interview or a testing session. You could be thinking of their prototyping, visual or interaction design skills. You might be thinking of... More
Respecting participants I had the pleasure of running a UX away day last week. A day for all the UXers at Nationwide to get together, share experiences and techniques. A safe place to explore stuff. Fun and useful. We had a UX quiz, a speed-dating exercise and (my favourite bit) a bunch of short workshops / talks... More
Too much design I am having to re-mortgage at the moment. Always a fun mixture of gah! and arghhh! It has been interesting though. Some of it easier than expected, some unnecessarily painful. The most interesting moments were the phone calls I had with two different Mortgage Advisors. One was a very human and rambly conversation. The other... More
Cognitive fusion and Experiential avoidance When faced with stress, we tend to go one of two ways: 1. We lock in to our current approach, becoming rigid and inflexible, or 2. We do whatever we can to avoid whatever is causing the stress, if necessary at great cost to ourselves or others When design collaboration becomes stressful, this plays out... More
The UX of Authentication I’m working on an authentication / authorisation type project at the moment. Thought I’d try to learn from the master by watching this talk. Here are some key take-aways: No-one talks about authentication or gives it the focus it deserves. We don’t teach it. We don’t hear talks about it. Yet it is in almost... More
Keeping things simple I questioned the need for a piece of functionality this week. It was a casual thought. Do we really need that? Perhaps we could have it in a later release? Is that a must-have or a should-have? This meant being willing to re-do a little of my work in the UI and being willing to... More
