Why can't user experience be designed and how to design it for user experience?

Many designers have recently started to talk about user experience (UX ). We try to please users and even provide some magic so that they will fall in love with our websites and applications.ProgramAnd the startup interface. User Experience is a very vague concept, which leads many people to have a wrong understanding of it. In addition, many designers believe that they can create a user experience through their products. However, the user experience does not only depend on what we have designed, but also on many other factors. In this article, I will try to clarify why user experience cannot be designed.Damndigital.com

Different interpretations of user experience

Recently, I visited a design company website. Their website looks great, and the company has been mentioned many times. I'm sure they deliver a high-quality product. But when it comes to user experience work, the company seems to equate user experience with information architecture (IA): website maps, frameworks, and everything. There may be no essential errors in this understanding, but the scope of the original user experience has been greatly reduced.Damndigital.com

This perception may not represent our industry, but it shows that the user experience is interpreted in different ways and often treatedIndustry terminology(For more information, see the description of Hans-Christian jetter and Jens Gerken.Article"A Simplified Model of user experience for practical application ). However, user experience is not just about human-computer interaction (HCI), availability or information architecture, although availability may be the most important factor to measure user experience.Damndigital.com

Some research points out that there are differences in user experience. Compared with the traditional HCI, everyone agrees that the user experience gives computers and humans a broader way of communication (see the Effie Lai-Chong Law et al article "understanding, scoping and defining user experience: A survey approach "). However, human-computer interaction is based on task solutions, ultimate goals, and achievement rates, and the user experience is far more than that. User Experience also takes into account other factors, such as emotional, happy, aesthetic, emotional, and experience changes. In general, availability can be measured and evaluated, but other variables in the user experience are hard to be measured.Damndigital.com

Hassenzahl user experience Model

Hassenzahl's "User Experience model "(The image is reproduced, edited, and translated by damndigital)

Many user experience models have been proposed, and some of them are based on Hassenzahl Model. This model proposes that each user will assign certain attributes to a product or service. As we can see, the attributes assigned by each user are different. The user experience is the result of these attributes and the product running environment.

These attributes can be divided into four categories: operability, identifiers, irritation, and adequacy. These categories can be divided into practicality and entertainment at a higher level. The practicality is about the actual usage and product functions, and entertainment is about the psychological well-being of users. Understanding the differences helps us better understand how to focus more on User Experience in product design, and also clarify why user experience cannot be designed.

Manipulation operability

Hassenzahl uses a hammer metaphor to explain what is happy and practical. The practical feature refers to the function and the way we use the function. However, a hammer can also have a happy feature; for example, when it is used to communicate with professionals or cause a memory. (Figure: Velo Steve)

In this model, practical attributes are about software operations. Essentially, operations are about the core features of the product and the ways in which these features are used. We associate these attributes with availability. One result from practicality is satisfaction. If a user uses a product or a service to achieve a specific goal and the product or service can accomplish this goal, the user will be satisfied.Damndigital.com

Typical attribute instances of websites (and products) are "help", "valid", "clear", and "controllable ". The purpose of a product should be clear, and users should know how to use it. Therefore, operability is generally considered the most important attribute in user experience.Damndigital.com

Identification

Although a product is very operational, it also has other features. The first type is known as recognition. Think about it: the items associated with you around you now may let you know who you are and what you care about, some of them are even more important or descriptive than others. The second function of an item is to allow you to communicate with others. Therefore, if you want to complete this function, you need to allow users to express themselves.

The growth of social media can be interpreted as this recognition feature. At first, we used our personal websites to show our hobbies and pets to the world. Now we use social media.

Facebook, blogs, and many other online services help us to show more people who we are and what we are doing. As a result, products that meet the need for identification emerge. MySpace, for example, uses this recognition feature to allow users to customize their descriptions and descriptions to better express themselves. WordPress and other platforms allow bloggers to choose their own themes and express themselves through content, just as users update their status on Facebook, Twitter and all other social platforms.Damndigital.com

Stimulation irritating

Gmail notifies users when they forget to add attachments to emails.

According to the principle of "80%-20", 20% of available resources generally come from of operations. As a result, some people question that functions in traditional availability projects should be retained because most of them are rarely used.

This is not the case in user experience, because uncommon features can satisfy entertainment features, which are called irritating. Uncommon features can stimulate users and meet the needs for continuous development and skill improvement. These objects can help us deliver insights and surprises while completing our tasks.

From this perspective, the uncommon functions in the software should not be discarded. If these functions are retained, it may surprise users and provide a positive user experience one day. Therefore, the user will think "how talented this application is !" And then fall in love with it.

In fact, this is how I feel (My tweeting) When Gmail reminds me not to forget to add attachments to emails ). If you search for "Gmail attachments" on Twitter, you will find that many people feel the same way.

In addition, when Super Bowl Sunday (or Valentine's Day), YouTube uses its logo to highlight the festive atmosphere, which I think is "very cool !". When the monkey at mailchimp whispered, "Hey, Helge, I heard some rumors, okay?", then I can click on YouTube. The Bananarama song link found something new. There are many such examples, but the best "Irritating" features are probably those that are not expected but still very popular (like Gmail's reminder feature ).Damndigital.com

Evocation adequacy

Souvenirs may not have any practical functions, but they often evoke a unique memory. (Figure: Meddygarnet)

According to the hassenzahl model, the fourth feature of the product is attention, which can arouse people's memories. We are always happy to recall good things (even yesterday's), and we hope that things can help us to recall things. However, the strange thing is that souvenirs with no practical use (very low operability) are enlightening because they can help us call out memories.Damndigital.com

In the design, we can certainly give a website a classic visual effect and feeling to arouse our memories of childhood, high school, or even the 1960s s or 1930s S. However, even if the design of a website is modern and concise, it is equally disruptive. For example, when you see so many old photos of Facebook and Flickr (uploaded by users or their friends), do you not recall the past?Damndigital.com

Therefore, the user experience cannot be designed.

The words of monkeys in mailchimp may attract more users.

After talking about this, why can't the user experience be designed? Because the user experience is not only dependent on the product itself, but also the status of more important users and users who use the product.

 

 

 

 

You cannot Design Users

Users are different. Some users can successfully complete their tasks through a website, but others are not. The stimulation provided by the product to users depends on the user's past experience in using similar products. Users' expectations for different websites are different. In addition, they have different goals, so in the product or website you design, they will adopt different models to achieve the goal.

Think about it: When you rate the food and service of a restaurant, you will always compare it with the restaurant you visited. They constitute your experience. And your friends will compare them based on their previous experience, which is very different from yours. This is also true for software, websites, and applications. While everyone has a unique past and memories, and all disruptive changes are even greater.Damndigital.com

You cannot design the status

The user experience also depends on the situation in which the product is used. The situation is unpredictable. It determines why the user wants to use the product. It can generate user expectations.Damndigital.com

In some cases, you may want to find out the rich features in WordPress. In other cases, some features may be too complex for you. Sometimes, you may think that the monkey in mailchimp randomly tells you that "some places are 5 o'clock now" is cool, but sometimes you may think that is strange or even annoying, because you use this application in different situations.Damndigital.com

In addition, the user experience will change over time. Maybe the first time you use an application, you will be confused and have some negative experiences. However, they gradually get used to this application and find some useful functions. They will try to learn and master this application and even start to like it, as a result, the user experience has become more and more active.

We can design for user experience

A roller coaster is interesting, thrilling, exciting, or just thrilling? This is hard to say. (Figure: Foilman)

Many designers have labeled themselves as "user experience designers", which means they are confident in their own strength and believe they can design a user experience. But as mentioned above, we cannot. Instead, we can design for user experience. When we design a product or a service, we can imagine a specific user experience. However, we cannot guarantee that our products will be used by users as we designed (again against hassenzahl's model ). We cannot shape user expectations or create product usage.Damndigital.com

As Oliver reichenstein pointed out that there is indeed a way for users to operate products as we designed them. Movies and brands confirm this.:They always predict certain experiences and achieve their goals.

However, because of the physical environment (the situation creates a user experience), watching a thrilling movie at a cinema may be more terrible than watching it at home. Similarly, the effect of an advertisement always depends on its consumption background and consumers' decision-making consciousness (users' experience ). Commercial advertisements are designed to give rise to a specific consumption experience. However, the level of success they can achieve is not solely dependent on commercial advertisements.

The differences between user experience design and user experience design are very subtle but crucial. It helps to understand and remind us of our own limitations. It helps us think about the user experience we want.Damndigital.com

For example, it has been suggested that user experience should be a collection of certain elements, such as entertainment, emotion, availability, motivation, shared experience, and user participation (for details, see Marianna Obrist and Others Article "evaluating user-generated content creation using SS contexts and cultures"). On the contrary, when we design a user experience, what factors need to be addressed depend on how we feel the products we want to design. If we want an app to be interesting, we need to add entertaining features; a joke, a challenging quiz, an interesting video, A competitive scene or other elements. However, we need to keep in mind that as designers, we will never be able to really predict whether users are interested in this application. User standards vary, and sometimes they do not even want to be taken into account.

Reading more: how to design a user experience

Peter morville's "User Experience elements." (figure: Semantic Studios. The image is reproduced and edited and translated by damndigital.)

Understanding user experience (UX)

If we want to provide a better user experience, we must fully understand what the user experience is. For example, to understand which variables may be advantageous when a user determines a product, the hassenzahl user experience model can be used.Damndigital.com

Like Peter morville's "Seven Elements of User Experience", other models are also proposed. Here, the user experience is divided into applicable, available, desirable, easy to find, easy to access, reliable and valuable. You may find that these elements are very consistent with the hassenzahl model: applicability, availability, ease of searching, reliability, and accessibility are all practical (pragmatism and availability-related ), consensus and value are entertaining (about happiness ).

As mentioned above, user experience is also seen as the sum of some specific factors. Other models have also been proposed. Some models are linked at the end of the article.

Understanding users

Based on this, we need to understand our users. Some traditional user research methods are also applicable, such as observation, interview and questionnaire. Similarly, creating a role is also suitable for user experience design. Smashing magazine has published an article Round-up of methods.

Beyond Expectation

Finally, give the user the desired -- but a little more. In addition to allowing your users to use it effectively and efficiently, they must also sigh, "This is really a genius Application !". Beyond users' expectations. If you do this, they will always use your website or applications, not because they are forced to do so, but because they cannot help themselves.Damndigital.com

This article involves many professional terms that help people who have entered the industry to understand the foundation of interaction. senior personnel need to correctly understand the true meaning of user experience and have great reference value for the project process. picture party is cautious!

 

By Helge fredheim From smashingmagazine.com

Translation & Editing: damndigital. (For more information, see the source of translation, respect our efforts)