Each new project brings the same set of questions and the most common one is “Who is the target audience?” This usually is an easy answer, but what becomes more difficult to answer are the specifics such as technology knowledge about the individual user.
This Smashing Magazine article discusses the technology understanding of users and how those differences should have no affect on the design.
Courtesy of Amazon.com
I recently finished reading Steve Jobs and while I was a little taken back by how moody he was and how he could be a complete tyrant; I still can’t help but admire what he accomplished in his short life.
He changed the music and movie industry while revolutionizing technology and all of it was based on a single concept of how everything should be integrated and simple. Even though many competitors didn’t agree with his vision, they can’t argue with his success.
I’m an Apple fan girl. There it’s out and documented. The hardware’s design is sleek and simple, the software is easy to use, and all Apple products work well together. What’s not to love? When I heard this book was coming out, I was very excited to find out more about the man who designed these products that I loved so much.
As a web designer and usability consultant, I have always been taught to test with your users thus providing valuable information to help with the final design. Steve Jobs, however, never believed in that process. He said “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” This statement summarized my feelings regarding the launch of a new product in 2010 called the iPad.
After listening to months of rumors, I eagerly watched the Apple keynote address to find out more about the iPad. I had already made up my mind that I wasn’t going to purchase one because I just couldn’t figure out why I would need one. I loved my iPhone because I had everything on one device. My husband had immediately pre-ordered the device without even thinking twice about it, however. A few months after the frenzy, I walked into the Apple Store to look at the iPad because my husband hadn’t received his yet and it was LOVE at first site. It was at that moment, I realized I really wanted one. While it was technically just a bigger version of my iPhone, I could see the advantages to the larger screen when it came to reading and playing certain games. I was one of those people who didn’t know I wanted it until I did.
Even though there were many people criticizing its lack of certain features, it was still selling millions. The intent of the device was never to compete with a computer, it was to be it’s own device. And It didn’t take long before videos of toddlers using the iPad began popping up everywhere. For a product that didn’t undergo any outside user testing that’s pretty amazing.
Apple has proven even though they go against conventional design practices it’s works for them. The iPhone is still one of the top selling smart phones even though there are phones with larger screens and ones that have more features or more advanced technology. The iPad has had a similar experience as tablet makers have tried and failed in most cases to compete with both the hardware and software interface.
Steve Jobs may have been pushy and frankly down right mean to many people around him, but it seemed as though he knew exactly what he was doing.
UX Magazine recently posted an article discussing what the magic number of people should be used in UX testing. This is something I struggle with especially since testing is my least favorite part of a redesign or new site design. However, I do agree with testing and when done right it can provide valuable insight into the design and navigation of the site you are creating.
This article provides some very interesting perspectives on how to get the most out of your user testing.
Read the complete article: http://uxmag.com/articles/usability-testing-includes-users-as-stakeholders
“Designing the Obvious, a common sense approach to web & mobile application design” (Second Edition) by Robert Hoekman, Jr. is small book, only 282 pages, full of easy to understand concepts regarding web and application design. Keeping things simple is a main theme through the book, but keeping it simple needs to have a strategy.
Hoekman’s favorite quote “What follows, why” stresses the importance of understanding your customers and their needs and how this understanding can help you design the best experience. “When you start with Why, you get the right What.”
This is a great web design and usability book that everyone should have on their bookshelf whether you are a novice or an experienced designer.
Find out more about Robert Hoekman, Jr. @ www.rhjr.net
