Process: User-Centered Design

When Microsoft launched Windows 8 in 2012, I installed it on my computer and used it for a while, then spent the next three days trying to revert back to Windows 7. Windows 8 boldly did the unthinkable: it removed the Start button from the Windows desktop after it had been a fixture for nearly two decades. The Start menu and button had been mainstays since Windows 95 in the ’90s. Despite that, Microsoft’s design leads decided to retire them in favor of a new approach.

Windows 8 greeted users with a full-screen Start screen, comprising colorful, dynamic tiles, as shown in Figure 1, instead of the familiar Start menu. Microsoft believed a touch-first, mobile-inspired user interface (UI) was the future and, thus, made a huge gamble. Internal telemetry data had suggested that users were relying less on the old Start menu, which emboldened the design team to scrap the traditional Start button in hopes of streamlining navigation with a modern user experience across the desktop and tablets, even if it meant breaking one of computing’s most ingrained visual conventions. Read More

As UX professionals, we have a great many analytical and descriptive tools available to us. In fact, there are so many that it can sometimes be difficult to decide which tool is most appropriate for a given task! Hierarchical task analysis (HTA) is an underused approach in user experience, but one you can easily apply when either modifying an existing design or creating a new design.

This technique has applications across a range of different problem domains, including time-and-motion studies, personnel selection, or training, and provides a broad and deep understanding of task performance. While there are core principles that guide a hierarchical task analysis, it’s possible to adapt the basic approach in a huge number of ways to support the needs of any domain under consideration. In this column, I’ll examine one approach to hierarchical task analysis that enables UX designers to quickly understand both what a system does and how its capabilities translate into the system’s user experience. You can also use this approach to support the UX development process. Read More

According to IBM’s research, design thinking can cut development expenses by around 75% on some projects. Design thinking is all about solving problems by keeping users at the center of the design process and can reshape the entire product experience, whether a mobile app, Web platform, or software as a service (SaaS) tool.

With thousands of apps, Web sites, and services competing for users’ attention, we must exceed their expectations. User behaviors are shifting faster than ever, so keeping up with the marketplace can feel like a never-ending sprint. Imbibing a user-centered mindset through UX innovation can bring clarity and focus in the midst of that rush. Focus on what real people expect and value to avoid wasting time coding features that would fall flat. Start putting users first.

Design thinking sparks fresh concepts in UX design and each step of the process—research, prototyping, and feedback—can result in greater user engagement and a much better user experience, truly connecting users to your product. Let’s explore how a user-centric approach can encourage new ways of thinking about product design. Read More