Lessons

Lesson Info

Why UX is Popular in the Tech Industry

while you X. Why now? Especially in tech wise, it's so popular. Digital product can be anything and everything. A lot of times we come across this question by maybe client or someone less technical. And they just ask, Can we build this to the developers? And then the developers always like, Yeah, we can vote anything, but you just need to tell it. You just need to tell us the specs. Of course we could build anything. Um, I think son can probably that test us hasn't developer, right. Like if we have, you are given. Look, the logic and the constraint around a certain feature, obviously is buildable but also comes down to Okay, well, what is your timeline? Because we can spend eternity on building this future, right? Or weekends, But we can We only have two weeks. Then we have to find some shortcuts around that feature. Um, right now, because when you look at smartphones, everything is so crust and so polished up, right? And then there are so many different APs in the marketplace. The com...

petition is high. So if you were working, let's say, um in them early, like the Route 90 East all of us only have the Beijing boxy computer, and then everything's pixelated. Most of us are on window. So if something crashed the blue screen of death Novick dio we just kind of wait it out. But then now, because there's all these competitions going around, um, if something crashes you on installed when you install another one, or sometimes what I do is I would and I would install, uh, two different maps that does the same thing. They're both three, right? I would test both of them out, and I have I'd like one done the other. I would uninstall the less fair but walk with less favorable one. And that's the reality of application. Design like this is a fierce, uh, competitive marketplace. And if your app is not good people install it. They're less likely to come back again because they don't care. They can always just go to another one. Or maybe tomorrow someone else will come up with another idea that that's the same idea but may be executed a little bit better a little bit differently, a little bit more delightful. Then your users will get pulled away, so I think that's why you x is so important now and then also because with the introduction of the new Apple products introduction of IPhone and the introduction off user centered designs, um, people have more awareness of us now. So even, um, the senior management level guys are the guys who are out there up there. Now they're thinking, OK, we we need to spend some money in, or we need to allocates on budget into knowing all users, as opposed to designing something and then writing a manual and then ship it out together. Like right now, they kind of have to be the same thing. And we do have the budget to build something that combines the same thing. Combining combines two in one. So what? What is the best experience possible? Race. So when you're designing application, you are just looking at What can I do to make it better? Not in maybe nine, this version, but maybe the next version. Maybe just in the next update. What? Can we constantly improve on this? There's something also that you might see when you are. Have you taken a closer look at, um in the app store whenever you are updating your application. There's also there's always, like a little brief description and some of the someone with a good abs take the time to write that description. So what I would say is, OK, we're sorry. These are some bugs that we fix in this version, but coming up, these are the feet, these air, the cool features that you get and they will listen out. So you would anticipate for the next one, or they would even communicate to the user and then kind of gives home feedback through that description. So it says, Okay, so here the bugs. But you have. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to email us. And throughout this process, it becomes very collaborative is not like furniture design, where if you design so father. So if I can talk to you, if you sit uncomfortable, you might just go back to the retailer. You can. I don't think you can even go back to the factory to some guy who designed the sofa and say, Hey, man, I think you should try this. But then the guy would say, Well, I already putting all this money on making this model then I have to, like, recast the more and it would take thousands of dollars. It's not that easy, but with digital product, you can actually do that. And, um, I think just with bigger, wider screens, there is an awareness of design now not only for the product team but also for consumers. If you look at see us or if you look at articles from TechCrunch is always showcasing like the latest shiniest, um, devices, there's the attention to detail. If you look at, um, think the latest IPhone, the camera lenses a little bit protruding out of the back, right, and then everyone's just getting around, just raging about it. It's like, Why can't it just be fled? So I think there is that attention to detail in the even in the consumer level, so last. Why, um, the experience needs to be crafted, and it needs to be refined. You can't just have you can just have someone slap something together and then ship it and pray that is gonna work because I think, um, the other competitors will be just taking over and swallow your AB together because your does your your flow. It's not thought out completely. And here is this visual example of how things were and then how things are right now. So what, You're looking at a book. So it's there to cover, unless you know what the book is. When you open it up, you have physical pages that you can flip through. So there is Ah, um, there is that afford ins? So there is a relationship telling you Hey, I am a book here, a bunch of pages on each page. Their words return on it in order to go through the entire pays. You cannot have a read of the chronological order flipping through the pages. If you want to jump to a chapter, you go to the front, to the table content. You look at the chapter you want, and you use page numbers as a guide to guide you to a right spot. So that's how things were before is very straightforward. A buck is a buck you can't turn it into. You can turn it into a notebook to write on all of a sudden, like the words don't go away All of a sudden, Um, if there is a typo in the book Soviet. That's life. Um, if the buck false a part of the spines falls apart completely right, none like you can either glue it back or you can buy another one. So that's it is very, very straightforward. But then when you look at the device, so let's say this is a reading app. Where are the pages all of a sudden? So that's why I think there there is this Before flat design, we have skew more FIC design, right? And then it's all about mimicking What Israel. So then you had, um, like the previous versions of the reading APS it It looks like a book, right? And then when I think maybe you can even mimic the texture of the page and then when you flip it has that animation of like the page flipping. Um, I think those are all perceived afford ins. So those are like me, and the other day is a piece of glass, right? But it makes you think is not a piece of glass. Hey, there's a little page Ah, corner that you can touch and drag your finger across the screen to mimic this page. Flipping motion is telling you Hey, I can be flipped rate. But then, actually, you can scroll through a bug. That's fine, but that's not what people are used to. So one. Sometimes when we were designing experiences while we have to think about what people were used to before, Um, if we are designing for an older audience, sometimes we do want to, uh, stay in the realm of their comfort zone. So what is an existing perceived action that's tied to tie to this terminology? Then we will try to craft experience closer in the comfort zone. But then, sometimes you find, um let's see, it was, I think the most recent one is probably mailboxes on the last few. You can scroll, you can drag the sale, left her right to initiate, like, another actions, and you can, like, archive it, delete it. And that's something new, because before we all thought OK, less views, a lust for you. So you scroll through the lest you find something, you tap on it, and then and then you do the action Afterward, I didn't know action can be associated together, right? So if you look at the other end of the experience spectrum you can do something completely new and inspiring to people race. So after one people did that list sliding action than that, everyone's doing it. Um after I think it was Facebook or Twitter invented the pull down refresh thing. Like now, like a bunch of people are doing it right so it can be cat. It can be caught on by the other people, too. But it just when you when you introduce a new experience, make sure it sticks with people. If not, then instead of finding a delightful people might find it painful to use because because they don't buy it. They're like, Wait, what I don't get that's right of you if you, um create something all of a sudden and you're saying OK, so this say you're supposed to be swiping, shaking, sliding everything or like even juggling your phone to get in action to happen. If it takes too much of an effort, then I think the user will not use it. Um, there is also another concept. I think this is something also in the traditional design wall, you always think Okay, let's just pretend our audience is stupid or our user is stupid. So we have to go through every single detail to make sure they get it. I don't think they're stupid when they're designing. Even so, let's say, for example, I am designing an internal tool for financial bankers. You know, those guys are smart when number. Sorry, I can't do that. Um, so those people were smart, But I think it is important to know that a lot of us are couch potatoes, so we're not stupid, but we're really lazy. If there's a shorter way to get to in action, don't make me take the long round because you're gonna lose my attention immediately. And if the Remo's over there, I don't want to walk over there if I could just, like, have in my hand, right? So when you're designing an experience, also think about what is the minimum effort a person needs to spend, too. Get an action who performed right. So, for example, the list view to archive the list of you to delete That's two clicks. But if I can just, um, dragon, slight left or right, that's one action. There's one click, and I think that's also that's just something that makes it that just makes it a little bit easier to use. But it makes the whole difference right? So, like instead of instead of moving your thumb three inches to the refreshing refresh button now I just drag down the let's pulled on the lesson that roof rushes, right? So if I could just do that and stay in my little, uh, thumb zone, why do are you telling me to, like, move my hand? Because this is hiring, right? I don't want to do this. So it's also good to keep in mind that I think it's good to just keep in mind that the users are couch potatoes. I think no one is offended by that term. Yes, joy are we allowed toe like in some of these applications and Halliday's tohave to be able to do the same thing but two different ways so that there is the old way of doing things which could have been the two clicks that you're referring Teoh. And let's say someone doesn't know how to do effectively your finger motion or your hand motion to get the one click. Are we allowed to just say Okay, I'll have two ways of doing the same thing, but I'll have an indicator show up. If someone enables that such that if there waas a more advanced way of doing it or a simpler way, they get some sort of indicator or a cue that they could have done it the second way. Um, a great example of this is probably Were you looking at instagram feed? So will you double tap on the photo? It actually likes the photo, right? But then the traditional rounds like tradition in Facebook, we have a like button, right? So when you like something, it's like you endorse it. So that's there. So what they did do is you can either double tap on the picture itself where you can dio you can go back and tap the button itself. Um, I think this is something that definitely needs to be validated. There is no right and wrong answer. Depending on who you're targeting, right who your users is. If your users don't buy, it doesn't matter what I say here today. Um, so the first and foremost is if you are introducing a new action that you think it's better, you can definitely introduce it to them through coach marks or tutorials. Right? So when you open the app for the first time, the APP has a low message that shows you. Hey, if you want to like this photo double tap, right, and then it just reinforces the action into people's mind and then maybe show it to them. So if you don't, if they don't like it or if they don't like the action, there is a fullback method and it's useful if people do. You have if you in the analytics. You see that people are actually touching both places and you're like, OK, then I'll just leave it in there, right? But let's say if you introduce an action today and then you find that 90% of user don't not even using it right there are going back to the old way. Then I think EDS Logical t just removed the new the new action and just get the users to build. You just let them use the old right, right? It doesn't matter. Thanks. Yeah, before move on so joint. Earlier, you and I were talking about below the fold and that kind of older like you don't want designed below the fold on a website, And I'm a big fan of long scrolling websites. What is your strategy when you're working with clients and you there is a feature or that you really want to push and you feel like it might be tougher, you know, for users to learn it, but you really feel like it's going to be important. How do you have that conversation with clients is really hard? Um, there are data that shows people stew squirrel now, right? I think we're at a point where people are very comfortable with your smartphone or tablet that they do squirrel. Um, I think also the data shows that if you're interested, definitely look it up. I think there's Block Post returned about it with some supporting analytics that goes along with us off. Maybe the full doesn't exist anymore. Like there is no such concept as a fold. Um, people do scrawl. If there is an action that needs to be taken below the fold, it will be it will be done. The user will do it. Um, I think what's more important here is letting people know that Hey, there is something other. There are content available. Um, once you start scrolling and there are some indicators to do that. So one of them is a lot of times people will have an image and the soldiers show like a little bit right. I think that's also been done in newspaper to like, If there's an image, you just show a little bit just the top. And then and then the rest of it is cut off that you know, there's something beneath. So you will. Most are scrolling. Um, you can also cut off text as well whenever I'm setting maybe the padding of the elements I would always try. Teoh cut off a chunk of Clegg's just like right on the, um, right through the often right through the letters themselves to indicate that Hey, this this is cut off completely. I don't like to stop in between the line because they looks like it's just one flat screen. It's not school herbal at all. So, like there's little ways that you can low trick so you can do to indicate or just reinforced the the idea. Hey, I am scalable. Um, sometimes if you, if you're stuff, doesn't have image or text You can also do a little arrow to indicate that I this a scalable to just a follow up. So you might go out there and try and find somebody that's using the same experience that you want toe sell to your clients and try and collect data on that in orderto sell it to your clients? Um, yeah, I think so. Um, obviously, when you're designing a product, um, you want that prod? You will want that experience to stay true to your product right down. But sometimes we would also use other sites as an example of what we want to achieve. So if if user testing is not available because of time or budget, sometimes we would, uh, look at an attraction on a really big site and go OK, so if they're doing it, I think it's OK. We use that to because they have. They have a user base already, and if they're using that feature and they're not pulling it off the side, I think their data is probably showing something true. And then we can also grab it. Or we can used similar interaction and probably expect we can expect it to not flop because there is a baseline that we're going for. But I think if given the time and budget available, uses still test your designed to make sure it's OK. Yes. Is there value placed on user discovery of features that there are no kind of tutorials or accuse for? For instance, you mentioned the Instagram before I was just schooling one day and accidentally hit it, and it came up and I was like, Oh, wow, that's cool. I could do that. Is that something that is kind of plan for? And there's value to those kind of moments or is that generally kind of? You plan against those accidental, you know, finding of features? No, I think, um, usual ways explore. He's usually always think outside the box. Um, but I think that's also given what is the objective? Great. Because when you look at instagram, it just a series of photos after photo, and then you can either like it or comment on it, right? So I think there is an opportunity there to innovate on the like actions like how do we make it better, Right? Why do they need to move their thumb away from the photo self when they don't have to. Maybe I think I'm just speculating here. But maybe that's why they start thinking about OK, how do we make the like feature better? Then they start innovating. Um, there is also a concept of M V P in the tech industry, especially in startup. It's stand for minimal, viable product. So it's pretty much what is the minimal that you can do to get a product to launch and test it out in the wild? Right? So you don't have to spend all these money and energy to designing something on that might that people might not like in the end, right? So when you're doing EVP, maybe that's not the right time to, um, have all these new actions in there. But maybe once you get through that, then you can say, OK, users really like the archiving feature. How do you make it better? How do we innovate? Or we or create a brand new or even better archiving experience, right, until maybe you would start exploring that transitions or maybe archive like the page votes itself into a corner or you maybe this is like a new male up. And then when you archive it, you just like Swipe, bub, and it just goes into, like, a little, uh, your email folder race. So then that's I think that's when you can start really play around with the idea and test it out and see which one of these action was. Stick to the user than you launch nothing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just wanted to know. I believe there's a term and user experience where you can add, like, little delightful moments within your op that users don't really know about but don't affect really the functionality. So, for example, if you're you know, if you swipe down, you have, like, a use an app called lift right. It's like a habit formation, not pull down gives you like a daily quote, Um, and then if you, if you achieve a certain goal, gives you like a high five, everything's these type of little moments. I just wanted to like, you know, there's a term within user experience where you add those little surprise moments that you make people fall in love with your product, but don't really affect the functionality console. Navigate your up about it I don't have a terminology for that. But I definitely know what you're saying. Like when you when you are using you think Do you know up when you get to em boxy early, actually Show you a smiley face and say, Hey, you're done. Enjoy the rest of your day, right? Yeah, I think that's something you you always want to, uh, strive for, right, Cause if u s a even in a internal business tool, like when someone logs in, maybe it will give you a little indication that you're logged in, right? So when Daniel walks and I will say hi, Daniel great. Instead of just say, Daniel be early, daniel c dot like last name like that's had a boring and that just is very, um, in human. Great. Like, what are the ways that you can make the interface more personal, Or maybe just spice it up of a low? But like you can add a skin to the platform like change different colors to make a truly yours, Um, or you can even indicate. I think when you signed up for, uh, flicker, it gives you, like, a little hollow and, like differently languages or when you like, When you have when you buy a new IPad and when you're setting up for the first time, it tells you different types of, like, welcoming languages, right? So they is those low things that make it the life or is just how do you personalize it? If you feel like the machines talking to you, that's great. Raise like Wizard of Oz again knows your name like you don't have to know is like someone in the bag running the machine with bicycle in hamster wheel as long as it like. It tells you like high Zane. And you're like, How do you know my name? I think that's like the delightful trigger. Yeah, you just call it delightful Triggers just came out that