The UX Axioms

December 31, 2014December 31, 2014 Usman User Experience User Experience

I came across this interesting list of 26 user experience axioms. Thought I’d share.

The UX Axioms

1. It’s all about people, it’s not about the object.

2. Focus on the experience, not on the function.

3. Stories are how we understand and shape the world.

4. Pay attention to patterns.

5. Problem finding before problem solving.

6. Expose and challenge assumptions.

7. Explore the big picture and the details at once.

8. Know your materiality: people, technology, business, aesthetics…

9. Open your eyes; don’t trust what people say.

10. Create models not just narratives; use frameworks

11. Reframe constraints as a forcing function.

12. Tame Complexity; don’t simplify

13. Make non-arbitrary design decisions

14. Set and manage expectations

15. Everything is designed and everything is a design challenge

16. Break silos; your role is bigger than you think

17. Say ‘yes and’; don’t always assume ‘either or’

18. It’s about the journey, life-cycle, and transition; not just key moments

19. Externalize your work for yourself and others

20. Create and close feedback loops

21. Make stuff and then kill it

22. Context, context, context

23. Focus on a single thing and then do it really well

24. Understand and play with emotion

25. Engender trust

26. Collaborate with others

Video (28:13):

5K Zombie Run, Tampa FL

November 15, 2014November 15, 2014 Usman art, Lifestyle 5k, 5K run, GoPro, Tampa 5k zombie run, Tampa zombie run

This run was a lot of fun. The zombies didn’t show up for a little bit. After .3 miles blood hungry slow, fast, young and old zombies were serious about taking the flags.

There’s definitely not just one type of zombie (slow ones), some of the zombies were sprinters and it took a lot of fast running and dodging to get away from them..

Flags were the lifeline. I made it through the finish line with one flag and survived the zombie apocalypse.

Video (7:01 sec) :

5K Zombie Run Tampa, FL from Usman Aleem on Vimeo.

Cognitive Disabilities and Dealing With Web: What we can do to Improve Usability?

July 29, 2014 Usman Usability, User Experience, Web Accessibility Cognitive disabilities, Web Accessibility

According to Hudson, Weakley & Firminger, “those with cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties, appear to have slipped through the cracks to a large extent when it comes to website accessibility.” (6)

U.S. Census reported that nearly:

17 percent of people 21 to 64 of age had some level of disabilities.
50 percent of adults 65 and older had some level of disabilities. (1,5)

Accessibility is a complex issue since technologies are always evolving. Regardless of all the guidelines published by the government and companies mandating usability as part of their requirement, it is greatly misunderstood. A lot of times people think of usability and accessibility being the same. Whereas, usability is the “ease-of-use ” for the user as defined by Nielsen Norman (3) and accessibility is if you can get there at all or “the measure of a web page’s usability by persons with one or more disabilities.” (7)

Example:

An app or a website that has a great consistent visual design and user experience however missing “alt” tags for images or missing tab function may have good usability but would be completely inaccessible for someone who is visually impaired or is unable to use a mouse.

“Easy-to-use software doesn’t just happen. It requires focusing on the product’s potential users from the very beginning, and checking at each step of the way with these users to be sure they will like and be comfortable with the final design.” (2)

Conclusion:

Accessible design does not just help people with disabilities, it helps everyone. For example, a handicap automatic door opener button at mall doesn’t just help people with disabilities, it also helps people with small children and strollers.

Ultimately, whether you are just working on usability enhancements or simply improving your application, usability considerations for people with disabilities will go a long way.

Nielsen Norman Group’s report “Based on Usability Studies with People Using Assistive Technology” states “Considering that current Web designs are three times easier to use for non-disabled users than for users with disabilities, there are huge benefits to be gained for companies and organizations that emphasize accessible and usable design on their websites and intranets. Employee productivity will skyrocket for employees with disabilities, but productivity will also increase for other employees, since many of the guidelines are helpful for all user”

References