In recent years, social ecommerce has rapidly emerged across the world by leveraging social interactions to drive online sales. Examples include influencer-driven shopping on Instagram in the US, Line Shopping’s chat-based social ecommerce in Japan and Thailand, and Pinduoduo’s group-buying model in China.

What I’ve found most interesting is the group-buying model in ecommerce, which originated in the West, but has become extremely successful in the East, especially with platforms such as Pinduoduo. I’ve explored how cultural factors influence this space and why they result in such different outcomes in the ecommerce industry. In this column, I’ll examine how Pinduoduo leverages social elements to design user experiences that influence consumers’ decision-making. Read More

Many professionals who focus on User Experience (UX), Customer Experience (CX), and innovation describe the maturity of these practices within their organization as elusive muses that are perpetually out of reach. It’s challenging just to build awareness of these practices much less to bring them to maturity—that is, to get them to the point where they’re woven into the fabric of a company’s charter and business objectives.

At Rockwell Automation, we’re forging a path to UX, CX, and innovation maturity by using several tactics. One of the most impactful tactics has been cultivating communities of practice (CoP) throughout the organization. These communities of practice focus on design, innovation, and related best practices. Making our various communities of practice successful requires a concerted effort—a big part of which is establishing strong, dedicated leadership. Therefore, I’ve asked the following CoP leaders from Rockwell to join me in a Q&A-style discussion for this column:

• Krystal Thibault, Innovation Program Manager and Innovation CoP Leader
• Daniel Zinzow, Senior Lead UX Strategist and Design CoP Leader
• Magda Jagielska, Customer Experience (CX) System Manager and CX CoP Leader   Read More

Generative AI (GenAI) is already changing our digital world. From helping people to write or rewrite their email messages to creating images, GenAI is poised to influence a broad spectrum of product user experiences—even those that are not directly driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

GenAI can alter users’ expectations, shift the ways in which they interact with digital products, and introduce new behavioral patterns. The resulting changes are likely to impact how users engage with products in indirect, but meaningful ways. In Part 3 of our series on UX research (UXR) for GenAI, we’ll share our thoughts on why we think it’s crucial for UX researchers to start updating our approaches to UXR now, even if GenAI isn’t on your near-term product roadmap. Read More

Picture this: You’re starting a new app-design project, and instead of initially staring at a blank screen, you have AI tools at your behest that can generate wireframes that are tailored to your project’s requirements. These layouts aren’t random—they’re based on your users’ data, tailored to users’ preferences, and aligned with what’s working within your industry domain right now. Throughout your design process, an AI can suggest real-time tweaks that are based on user-behavior patterns, helping you refine a product’s design at lightning speed.

This isn’t some distant future—it’s happening now. AI is fast becoming a UX designer’s best teammate, helping us work faster, think smarter, and create more meaningful user experiences. Read More

In recent years, accessibility has come to the forefront in design, with a strong focus on accommodating visual, auditory, and motor impairments. While these efforts are commendable, there is another equally critical dimension of inclusivity: neurodiversity. Neurodiversity refers to natural variations in human cognition, encompassing conditions such as adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and dyslexia.

However, designers of digital user experiences often overlook the needs of neurodiverse users. As UX professionals, it’s our responsibility to address these gaps and craft product experiences that are not only accessible, but truly inclusive for everyone. In my new column, Inclusive User Experiences, I’ll explore the importance of designing for neurodiversity and provide actionable strategies for creating more inclusive experiences for neurodiverse users. Read More

Skeuomorphism, which imitates real-world textures and physical elements within digital interfaces, had its heyday in the early 2000s before falling out of favor with the advent of minimalism. Designers are now embracing skeuomorphism once again as a way of creating more comfortable, familiar, and engaging digital user experiences.

In exploring the long-term prospects of this revival of skeuomorphism, we’ll consider the origins, decline, and resurgence of skeuomorphism, highlighting its role in bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms in modern UX design. Read More

Have you ever heard your product team make any of the following statements? “We don’t need to test; we know what our users want.” This product is easy enough to learn and use, and we don’t have the time or resources for testing.” We’ve all heard such claims before. Unfortunately, this presents a typical dilemma: We race to meet deadlines at the expense of creating an excellent user experience because we’ve skipped the testing process. Fortunately, there’s a way to overcome these issues.

Testing is not something we should ignore. It helps us fail faster and get input from our users regarding our product’s usability. It also saves us time and money in the long run. RITE evaluation is a game changer in usability testing and iterative design that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of testing. In this article, you’ll discover how this revolutionary technique can transform how we verify digital products to deliver a seamless user experience from concept to execution. Read More

A clunky Web site or app user experience compromises an organization’s ability to engage their intended audience and generate revenue through their platform. Visitors explore a platform to seek answers to their questions or find viable solutions to their problems. Therefore, the best way to engage your target audience is to design a visually appealing, functional platform that facilitates their access to relevant information and functionality.

However, offering a seamless user experience might not be easy because you could encounter various challenges. In this article, I’ll discuss best practices for identifying and solving UX design problems. Let’s dive in. Read More

Voice user interfaces (VUIs) such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become some of the most useful products in common use. These products have become a very important part of numerous people’s daily lives.

These unique VUI devices and the powerful systems behind them enable users to easily interact with a variety of digital devices and apps using just simple voice commands. An efficient voice user interface can be easy to use, responsive, and even proactive.

If you’re still considering how these technological innovations can help human beings, continue reading this article to find out. Read More