Understanding value
All relationships have their foundation in values. It’s about what you bring and what you expect in return. Though each relationship is different, they depend on these values to be truly healthy. For instance: My dog brings me happiness, daily exercise, and a feeling of responsibility and caring. In return, she gets exercise, food, shelter, and — most importantly — love in return. My clients get an agency-like quality delivered without the bureaucracy. They’ll get it on-time and mostly without revisions. In return, I get long-term engagements and clients that adapt to my way of working. Also, I don’t have to chase new clients! Facebook brings me updates from close and not-so-close friends. It really is a great experience and although there are things that could improve, the positives outweigh the negatives. The value it brings me in my daily life verify its worth. In return, I bring Facebook content and engagement. It might seem trivial, but it’s not trivial for Facebook.What does this have to do with UX Design?
When people ask what a UX Designer does, one thing I tell them is that I help companies align their product’s value with the expectations of their users. They certainly don’t want their users to expect too much and end up disappointed. Honestly, even giving the user more than they expect can leave them feeling overwhelmed. This is why aligning values and expectations is so important. It’s the first step to building long term relationships with your customers. Stable relationships thrive on balanced values. Each one of the examples above may be different in the values given/received, but without a balance, one side or the other will suffer.Time vs. attention: everyday experiences have a cost
Like many of you, I attend my fair share of conferences over the year. In fact, The Conference in Malmö is one that I’ve loved attending yearly. However, this past year, I decided not to go. No, it has nothing to do with the speakers, the topics, or because my calendar is full of client work. It’s because I’ve come to a revelation: I simply can’t concentrate for an entire day — and I bet you can’t either.If I’m too busy to take something on, I shouldn’t say “I don’t have the time”. In fact, I often do have the time. It’s not that hard to squeeze in some extra time for someone. What I don’t have – and what I can’t squeeze in – is more attention. Attention is a far more limited resource than time. — Jason Fried
While I may have the time for more projects, conferences, and other random stuff, I don’t have the attention for it. Other projects or my personal life would suffer from borrowing attention from them. I’m less and less willing to make that sacrifice. A conference, meeting, or app require effort. Sure, I could squeeze in 7 meetings a day, but my attention only will allow 3 or 4 of those to be productive.
What does this have to do with UX Design?
You need to look at the experience you’re crafting — a conference, app, or a store — and be able to understand the attention span it requires. I can keep my attention focused at a conference for around 4 hours, but I don’t even last an hour browsing Facebook. Just as it’s important to align your values for your user, it is equally important to understand their attention span. Many product owners can only measure their success as “time spent on site”, but I’m not sure if that is really a good metric. Is longer better? Does that really mean they love browsing your site? Or are having a hard time finding what they’re looking for?Learn to create valuable UX
Designing for user experience is a lot more layered than we give it credit for. It’s far more than just understanding how button placement can affect a user’s decision making process. It’s understanding how your user values the experience you are presenting to them. It’s as if that experience respects how the user is going to use it and not be demanding, or neglectful, of their attention. It’s about finding the user’s measure of “just right”.Anton Sten
I enjoy making digital products work. I am a major proponent of understanding the human element of design and how people interact with it. This seems to change daily and is a rewarding challenge to stay on the forefront of good practice in UI/UX design. Visit me at antonsten.com
I have just launched my first book called User Experiences that Matter.
Read Next
3 Essential Design Trends, December 2023
While we love the holidays, too much of a seasonal theme can get overwhelming. Thankfully, these design trends strike a…
10 Easy Ways to Make Money as a Web Designer
When you’re a web designer, the logical way to make money is designing websites; you can apply for a job at an agency,…
By Louise North
The 10 Most Hated Fonts of All Time
Remember when Comic Sans wasn’t the butt of the jokes? Long for the days when we actually enjoyed using the Impact…
15 Best New Fonts, November 2023
2023 is almost over, and the new fonts are still coming thick and fast. This month, we’ve found some awesome variable…
By Ben Moss
Old School Web Techniques Best Forgotten
When the web first entered the public consciousness back in the 90s, it was primarily text-based with minimal design…
By Simon Sterne
20 Best New Websites, November 2023
As the nights draw in for the Northern hemisphere, what better way to brighten your day than by soaking up some design…
30 Amazing Chrome Extensions for Designers and Developers
Searching for a tool to make cross-platform design a breeze? Desperate for an extension that helps you figure out the…
By Robert Reeve
Exciting New Tools for Designers, November 2023
We’ve got a mix of handy image helpers, useful design assets, and clever productivity tools, amongst other treats. Some…
The Dangers of Doomscrolling for Designers and How to Break Free
As a creative professional, navigating the digital realm is second nature to you. It’s normal to follow an endless…
By Louise North
From Image Adjustments to AI: Photoshop Through the Years
Remember when Merriam-Webster added Photoshop to the dictionary back in 2008? Want to learn how AI is changing design…
By Max Walton
3 Essential Design Trends, November 2023
In the season of giving thanks, we often think of comfort and tradition. These are common themes with each of our three…
30 Obsolete Technologies that will Perplex Post-2000s Kids
Remember the screech of dial-up internet? Hold fond memories of arcade machines? In this list, we’re condensing down 30…