Crea%ng  Awesome  User  Centric  Interface  Design  

Opera%on  Successful,  Pa%ent  Dead  

So=ware   development   teams   o=en   focus   on   just   the  func%onality   and   claim  victory  when   the   so=ware  does  what   it  claims  to  do.  User  experience  is  o=en  forgoDen  or  else  patched  on  top  of  the  func%onality  as  an  “add-­‐on”.  This  is  akin  to  a  doctor  saying,  the  opera%on  is  successful  but  the  pa%ent  is  dead.    

                             If  Func%onality  is  King,  Experience  is  Queen  !    

Basic  UI  Philosophy  

UI   is  a  map  that  helps  you  understand   the   territory.  The  map,  however,   is   not   the   territory.   UI   is   not   the   real   func%onality.  Differently  put,  UI   is   just  a  window  to   the  actual   func%onality.  The  key   insight   is   that  the  window  impacts  your  percep%on  of  the  actual  world.  The  art  of  UI   lies   in  choosing  a  window  that  portrays  the  actual  func%onality  in  its  fullest  effect.    

Observe  the  UI  of  Everyday  Things  

These  pictures   reveal   something   interes%ng  about  UX  design   from   the  everyday  world.  Users  make  use  of  things   in  unexpected  ways  because  the  design  ‘affords’  those  unexpected  usages.  This  is  called  “affordance”  in   design   lingo.   Examples:   Many   of   us   hang   coats   on   a   fire   hydrant.  Washing  machines  are  used  to  make  Lassi   in  Punjab.  Who  hasn’t   seen  clothes  hanging  on  a  gym  equipment?    

Observe  the  design  

Here  is  something  we  have  used  in  our  daily  lives  :  A  Bicycle.  

Let   us   try   to   answer   a   few   ques%ons   now  about  its  design:  a.  What   is   the   ideal   user   experience   for   a  

bicycle?  b.  Is  this  design  good?  c.  What   design   improvements   would   you  

make  to  improve  it?  

Think  for  some%me  before  proceeding.  

Think  About  The  User  and  The  Usage  

Those  were  trick  ques%ons  !  If   you   tried   to   come   up   with   a   beDer   design  without   asking   for   more   informa%on,   you   are  making  a  mistake.    

Some   key   ques%ons   you   have   to   ask   before  aDemp%ng  to  redesign:  1.  Who   is   going   to   use   the   cycle?   Kids?  Men?  Women?  Athletes?  2.  What  kind  of  cycle   is   it?  Mountain  bike,  City  bike,  Casual  bike?  

Remember,  UI/UX  decisions  should  evolve  from  the  user  and  the  usage.  

More  Daily  Examples  There   are   cars   where   the   window   controls  are  closer  to  the  gear  box.  Why  do  you  think  the   designers   chose   to   put   the   controls  there?   Maybe   because   if   you   put   them   in  the  center,  the  passenger  can  also  control  it?  Now,   what   are   the   downsides   of   that  choice?   The   interface   and   the   object   are  separated  and  can  cause  confusion.    

This   is   another   classic.   We   have   all  experienced   this   one.   There   are   8   switches.  Which  one  turns  on  the  fan?  We  can  learn  this  only  through  trial  and  error.  This  approach  may  not  be  feasible  in  mission  cri%cal  applica%ons.    How   do   you   solve   this?   Using   labels?  Diagrams?  Placing  the  UI  close  to  the  object?  

Constraints  Drive  Design  Decisions  

Design   should   take   constraints   into  considera%on.   In   a   Formula   1   car,   the  driver   is   zooming   at   crazy   speeds   and  cannot   take   his   hands   off   the   wheel.  Hence   controls,   mostly   buDons   and   flip  switches,     are   within   the   reach   of   the  thumb.    

Here   is   an   example   from   the   so=ware  world.   If   the   bandwidth   of   the   users   is  poor,   you   cannot   afford   to   have   super-­‐rich   graphics   in   your   design.   You   are  forced  to  think  of  simpler  alterna%ves.      

Simplicity  :  The  Nirvana  State    

As  the  complexity  of  the  system  grows,  so  does   the  complexity  of   the  UI.  The  challenge   for   the   designer   is   to   keep  the  UI  simple  even  when  the  system’s  complexity  soars.  Google   homepage   is   a   great   example  for   brilliant   simplis%c   design   which  masks   the   underlying   complexity   of  the   system.  Click  wheel   of   the   iPod   is  another  example  that  comes  to  mind.  

                 The  Goal         UI  Complexity    <    System  Complexity  

Speak  in  the  User’s  Language  

We  have  all  been  subjected  to  this.  Many  a  %mes,  messages  are   machine   readable,   not   human   readable.   Feedback   for  user  ac%ons  should  be  friendly,  %mely  and  ac%onable.    

Be  Tolerant  to  Errors  

To  Err  is  Human.  System  designers  should  keep  this  in  mind  and  protect  users  in  case  of  a  failure.  

Million  Dollar  Ques%on  

        Are  designers  born  or  made?