Wed 10th June, Royal College of GPs, Euston
In this interesting, informative and, yes, fun talk, Mark reminded us of why a good user interface design is so important and then gave some pointers on how to get it right.
Just how do we live through all the frustration that everyday devices and systems subject us to? From the earliest days, designers have thought about human factors in the use of a device - sadly, often not well enough! Examples of poor UI's are common: look at most lifts, remote controls, road signs and self checkouts (one example even needed a sticker to explain an overlooked function). Some could be accused of being deliberately confusing...
A fact: Any system or function must benefit the user or it will be subverted or not used.
What can designers do?
- Think big and small, communicate, listen and have empathy
- Don't jump to a solution but understand the needs first
- Aim to produce low anxiety and give delight, with a user-centred design.
There are some key questions to be answered:
- Who I are the users? What are the goals and the needs?
- How do we solve their problems?
Mark brought out a great point: Talk to the right people; not the bosses (HIPPOS) - don't ask their opinion, they'll only screw it up.
I heard about some unusual prioritisation and planning methods:
- Use cards in a group workshop with "As a .. I want .. because.. So that.."
- Planning Poker (?)
- Or vote on it
Sketching out the ideas is crucial, easy and cheap. Develop personas for the typical user to give life to the thoughts. A user journey diagram will make it clear for key people to review.
To solidify the experience, we could use wire frames, then turn into a prototype with tools such as Azure. It's far cheaper to test the concepts out now than later on (once real development has started). Find out early if people love our hate your product!
So now all we have to do is design great user interfaces or at least, try to influence the designers.
Let's make the world a less frustrating user experience!
Thanks to Mark for this insightful taster.