The Ridiculous Truth: Good UX Can Be Bad
On at least three occasions you’ll want to abandon UX, shifting your focus away from good UX to bad. What should you focus your attention on? The right UX. The right UX isn’t the same thing as a good UX. Here’s the most obvious question: Why on earth would anyone do that? Why would UX professionals, designers and developers abandon something that makes proven financial sense? Because users expect you to. Because it’s the right move to make. That’s right. [pullquote]Good UX Design at the Wrong Time Becomes Bad UX Design[/pullquote] At certain times users expect you to make a bad UX decision on their behalf. Not only that, they’ll complain loudly, demanding that you fix things on their behalf. Secretly though, they’ll be happy and satisfied with your decision. Because they’ll know they can count on you to make the right decisions. You’ll have their complaints (and their trust). Here’s why: Good UX Design at the Wrong Time Becomes Bad UX Design. Sometimes users need bad UX. Okay, let’s put this to the test. When would you ever need bad UX design?1. Ignore Good UX to Disqualify Users
Have you ever run into a long form that looks something like this?![form_example](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2017/07/form_example.jpg)
- Users who will share in-depth website or app feedback
- Customers who will spend more money
- Users with a major but unknown problem
- Users using unsupported versions of your software
2. Your Users and Usage Data Don’t Agree
In 2014, Snapchat rolled out a major update. They gave users the ability to text and video chat with friends inside the app. Were Snapchat’s core users (teens) excited about the update? Nope. In fact, Business Insider mentioned they could only find one teenager who actually liked the update. Harsh, right?![snapchat_comments](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2017/07/snapchat_comments.jpg)
![snapchat_growth](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2017/07/snapchat_growth.png)
3. Users Demand That You Hurt Them
When it comes to security, users are difficult to please. They don’t care about security until it’s too late. They’re not really interested in doing anything to protect themselves, they prefer someone else to handle it. The most important part? They don’t want to be involved at all. How do I know that? Passwords. Users know how to create a good password, but they absolutely refuse to do it. A quick glance at the never-ending stream of data breaches shows we’re still using the same, terrible passwords (e.g. “123456”, or “password”). Savvy designers and security conscious developers know better. They demand that you choose a longer password, with different characters, cases, symbols and numbers. They create error messages to gently scold you when you refuse to do it.This really isn’t about passwords. It’s about protecting your users. Doing whatever it takes to protect and care for your users. Even when they find you irritating, annoying and difficult. Because contrary to popular belief, they don’t know any better. What does that look like? Microsoft. Remember how they pushed Windows 10 on us in 2016? Users were greeted with an update that looked like this:
Microsoft is getting a little pushy now.
Okay not really, but close enough.
They strongly encouraged the world to upgrade to Windows 10. Then they forced us to upgrade. Then they blocked updates to Windows 7 and 8. I don’t think the forced upgrade was purely out of the goodness of their heart, but there was one thing it helped us avoid, at least temporarily: Ransomware.
Ransomware swept through the UK’s National Health Service, shutting down services and hospitals and clinics throughout the UK. The cause of the attack? Windows XP.
90 percent of the NHS runs on Windows XP. The NHS may have a valid reason for holding on to XP but their attackers obviously don’t care. It’s just another example of users valuing convenience, the UX, over security.
Your users are the same.
They value the UX—their convenience—over safety. Which is exactly when you ignore good UX design in favor of safety.
[pullquote]Users trust you to be the adult in the relationship[/pullquote]
Why? Users trust you to provide them with the care, guidance and protection they take for granted. Users trust you to be the adult in the relationship.
Does this mean you abandon UX completely?
Absolutely not. I’m saying you ignore, not abandon good UX. So what does that mean? If UX is the volume dial on your radio, you turn UX down when the situation calls for it. You don’t turn UX off, you simply turn your dial from 7 to 2. So when do you ignore UX?- When you need to disqualify users: Bad UX can be used to flush out motivated users, scare off terrible users and focus your attention on the details that matter.
- When your user and usage data disagree: Customers may tell you they hate your new features. But what does their behavior say? Usage data tells the real story.
- When you need to protect your users: Your users need protection from themselves, from outsiders. While they expect you to be the adult in the relationship they won’t always be happy with you.
Good UX Design Can Be Terrible
As designers, we’re told that good UX is a must-have. Want your website or application to be successful? Make the UX your focus. Good UX design at the wrong time turns into bad UX design. The vast majority of the time, good UX is a must-have. Handled well, your users will reward you with more time, money and access. There’s a time and place for everything.Andrew McDermott
Andrew McDermott is the co-founder of HooktoWin.com. Want an unlimited supply of free leads for your freelance business? Download your copy of The Dragnet Method.
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