My Approach to Design
Design, Usability, User Experience, UI are terms often misunderstood, half understood or interpreted in different ways. Here are my thoughts and beliefs, formed after working on several projects with some of the best people in the industry.
Design is all about Solving Problems and Creating Desirability
Products and services are, primarily designed and built to solve user problems. Some obvious and some problems that users are not complaining about, till a solution is available !
A positive experience while using the product creates desirability.
Design thinking can and should strike a balance between solving user problems, Business and technology problems.
Increasing revenue and delivering good user experience need not be contradicting goals.
Identifying a problem is as Important
Identifying a problem is as important and probably more difficult than finding a solution.
Hire designers who have empathy for users and are good at identifying and articulating a problem.
Something I always believed ! Design is often percieved as making products beautiful. Beautiful products help create “love at first sight” .
Lasting relationships, however, develop based on how good the product works and effectively solves user problems!
The Macro and the Micro View
Product ideation and design thinking should happen at two levels. Conceptual design phase paints the big picture while detailed design optimizes for finer interactions, work flows, terminologies. Both provide opportunities to innovate. Disruptive innovation can happen in the conceptual stage, primarily driven by qualitative research , while lab studies, eye tracking and data drive incremental innovation during the detailed design and optimzation phase.
Don’t listen to your users, Observe them !
People often dont know what they want. People seldom do what they say or say what they do. They can tell you what they dislike but cannot articulate what they like. People cannot distinguish between what their wants and needs. Thats why it is very important to observe users in their daily lives and interprete their behaviors in actionable insights.
Great Experience Designs “Try Harder” and are “Seductively Functional"
One can achieve a good experience using sound design principles and reasonable effort. To achieve a “Great Experience”, an organization needs to try harder ! It requires lot of testing, iterations and optimizations to make the experience “Seductively Functional”. Converts desire for a product into need.Many organizations do not put in this extra effort.
User Experience and Design is Quantifiable !
Design is problem solving and there are often several solutions to a problem. How do you select the best one? The frustrating part is the one where design decisions are made and there is subjectivity around it. Having well defined goals and ways to measure impact of design can help remove subjectivity around decision making.
Rational, Emotional and Meaningful Design
It has been long advocated that "Form follows function” or “Beauty in design results from purity of function”. I believe that is no longer true. Design needs to push beyond the rational or intended use of the product and appeal to users emotions and feelings. Humans listen to their hearts first and use logic to justify their decisions. Often product design decisions are made first and data used to justify these. People also tend to recommend and promote products that they love.
