As designers, our focus is on improving systems for our users. It’s easy to forget, though, that these same UX process can make other aspects of our lives and jobs better too. I learnt a lot about this during my first year of working. Here, I’ll highlight how you can apply some of what I learnt to start evolving your own mindset.
If you’d like to see out my full presentation from UXSA, you can check it out here. I also wrote about my experience previously, which you can see here.
Key Insights- To get the best out of a user, don’t give them the answers you think you need, rather prod them to uncover new learnings.
- User involvement is key! They want to give feedback – you just need to give them the opportunity to do so.
- To create the best experience from start to finish, it’s crucial to take a step back and understand where your users are in the process.
- Just like a product or online tool, you want to create a great in-person experience for users so that they ultimately come back to use your platform again.
- Thinking beyond the product means thinking past the constraints of the virtual/online product.
- To help evolve your UX mindset:
- Take a step back
- Collaborate
- Read suggested books
- Have a learning buddy
Resources:
Books:
- Don’t make me think by Steve Krug
- Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal
- Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp
Websites and Blogs:
- UI breakfast - Jane Portman (sign up to the newsletter, it really helps push you to learn more)
- UX magazine
- Creative Bloq
- Fluid
Podcasts:
