Robert Surrency: UX Designer

I wanted to thank everyone who was able to come out to Max Miner’s and I’s Skillshare class UX: What Not to Do. It was a great night of knowledge sharing and collaborating. Additionally, we were able to donate some of the proceeds to Project H Design. As discussed before, below is our presentation, class notes and resources. If you weren’t able to come out, no worries. We will be teaching future classes soon so be on the look out! If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out.

UX: What Not to Do

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TEACHERS

Robert Surrency – hello@rsurrency.com | @robsurrency
Max Miner – maxwell.miner@gmail.com | @MxMnr

WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE?

UX designers work to createexperiences that are “useful, usable, desirable, and differentiated.”
David Armano – EVP, Global Innovation & Integration at Edelman Digital
Source: http://www.inspireux.com/2008/09/10/provide-an-experience-that-is-useful-usable-desirable-and-differentiated/

WHAT NOT TO DO

1. Don’t make me think

Example: Facebook Privacy Settings
Provide clear calls to action
Give easy to understand instructions
Keep options focused
Do the heavy lifting for the user
Example:

Google – http://www.google.com
Weather.com iOS App – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-weather-channel/id295646461?mt=8

2. Don’t overload content

Example: Serene-Naturist – http://www.serene-naturist.com/
Provide a clear hierarchy
Make content easy to scan and digest
Only show what’s needed
Let the users have control
Example:

Type@Cooper – http://coopertype.org/

3. Don’t confuse the navigation

Example: DrugStore.com – http://www.drugstore.com (older design)
Make labels clear and distinct
Limit the number of navigational items
Structure navigation based on the user’s needs
Keep interactions subtle
Example:

Southwest – http://www.southwest.com
The StartingBloc Fellowship – http://startingbloc.org/fellowscampaign/

4. Don’t complicate workflows

Limit the number of steps
Show the steps
Indicate user progress
Make it easy to go back
Example:

Yammer – http://www.yammer.com
NikeiD – http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,nikeid

5. Don’t forget user feedback

Example: SFBay Craigslist - http://sfbay.craigslist.org/
Always provide users a way to give feedback
Make it persistent and easy to access
Be proactive – ask for it
Listen and respond
Example:

UserVoice – http://www.uservoice.com/
Pocket Muni iOS App – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-muni/id360069862?mt=8
Dropbox iOS App – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8

6. Don’t hide Help & Contact

Provide multiple help and contact calls-to-action
make them persistent and easy to find
Provide a robust support center
Give several ways to get in touch
Example:

Apple Store – http://store.apple.com/us
Squarespace – http://www.squarespace.com (footer)

7. Don’t deceive your users

Example: Hidden Cost Dark Pattern - http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Hidden_Costs (ticketmaster example)
Be ethical – don’t user “dark patterns”
Be transparent
Explain why user information is needed
Remember the Golden Rule
Example: