UXCentric™

The Unhappy End of a Once-Vaunted Web Site

2013-04-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day in at least 17 years that Yahoo! no longer offers content specifically for children. Launched in 1996, Yahooligans! was a groundbreaking Web site, celebrated for its canny mix of entertainment and education.

But the years were not kind to this once market-leading property. By 2006, it was neglected and overlooked, but Lloyd Braun recognized the supreme value of building Yahoo! brand loyalty in children. Yahooligans! became Yahoo! Kids and for a brief time flourished with promise under a sharp product team (which I joined).

But multiple CEOs and reorgs took their toll. The Y!Kids team was dispersed and laid off until only I was left. With (now former) Yahoo! Movies Exec Producer Sean Phillips, we fought the good fight, arguing for Y!Kids' value to Yahoo! and proposing realistic plans for its rebirth.

But, alas, children don't have credit cards and the fertile youth market of the future was abandoned when I too was laid off last July. Y!Kids sat fallow, unchanged since my exit, like a corpse lying in the street, until it was mercifully brought down this week.

May it rest in digital peace at last.

Woof!

2013-01-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the hibernating blog of UXCentric, Inc. We're still in business, although most of our time is now spent as the Pack Leader of Digital Media for Cesar Millan Inc.

As TV's original "Dog Whisperer," Cesar Millan is likely the most UXCentric dog behaviorist and trainer on the planet, focusing not just on the dog but also on the human at the other end of the leash. For Cesar, it's the relationship that's important, the experiences the dog and human share. Yes, he's all about the user.

So when the opportunity arose to lead Cesar's digital team into a much more UXCentric future, I jumped at the opportunity. Keep an eye on us at CesarsWay.com during 2013 as we transform our approach.

And if you have any tasty projects that might call for a passionate UXCentrist, just drop me an email using the link in the right rail of this page.

We're in Hibernation!

2009-02-22T14:43:00.002-08:00

If you haven't noticed, UXCentric the Blog has been hibernating since I took a tasty gig at Yahoo! After years of getting projects started, I wanted to dig in for a long-term engagement to better understand my clients' experiences.

But if you have a tasty and challenging project that needs a passionate and skilled UXCentrist on the team, I'm always open to new opportunities. Just drop me an email using the link in the right rail of this page.

(DRM-free) Music to My Ears

2007-10-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to interrupt this hibernating blog to point you to one of the more important blog rants of the year, from Ian Rogers, VP of Product Development for Yahoo! Music. Aptly titled "Convenience Wins, Hubris Loses and Content vs. Context", this is a must-read for anyone frustrated with Big Music's stranglehold on digital music—and everyone passionate about user experience.

Save the Internet!

2007-02-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Watch. Act. 'Nuff said.

This Just In...

2006-12-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm certain I'm in the running for the "Don't do what I do, do as I say" blogging award in the "Practice What You Preach" category. Here I am, claiming to be "passionate about improving people's experience on the Web" while completely ignoring the people who read this blog.

Not to make any excuses (though I will), but I recently accepted a job offer that was simply too good to refuse. I'm now part of a talented and impassioned team that's reinventing a long-neglected site and determined to make it the best in its class while setting new standards for user experience. We're going to do it too—just you wait. Since we're still in beta, I'm going to keep the property under wraps for now. Suffice it to say that this is the project I've long awaited.

Meanwhile, a little shameless promotion...

First, I am delighted that Effective Prototyping for Software Makers (Morgan Kaufmann) has hit the bookshelves. I contributed the final chapter (a tutorial on digital prototyping with Adobe Acrobat) which I'm sure is motivation enough for you to buy the book (tongue firmly in cheek). All kidding aside, the book is a masterwork. Authors Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent and Nevin Berger produced a book that is not only comprehensive but extremely practical. If you do any type of prototyping for software or Web, this book belongs on your shelf. You can learn more (and read sample chapters) at the Effective Prototyping Web site. Buy it now from Amazon!

And second, my latest column just went live at gotomedia's December gotoreport. Entitled "On Beyond Tinkertoy," I make the outlandish assertion that usability is the Tinkertoy of Web design and that it's time we grow up and move on to bigger and better things. You'll have to read the column to see what those are. And many thanks to Kelly Goto for giving me such a bully pulpit for my thoughts!

Taking a Breather

2006-10-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

So what ever happened to UXCentric the Blog? UXCentric, Inc., that's what! It has been a very busy year.

I just completed IA work for a redesign of a venerable site of several hundred pages. The timeline was aggressive, the need great, the hours long, the team and results outstanding. It's definitely a project for the "keeper" file.

It also meant a daily two-plus hour commute on a notorious LA freeway. Thanks to NPR, I'm fully informed on news of the world, but the drive severely cut into blogging time. I've got a couple of weeks off before a likely return to the next phase of the project, so I'll try to get some long-delayed posts online.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted to announce that I've contributed a chapter to the forthcoming Effective Prototyping for Software Makers (Morgan Kaufmann, due December 15) and that it's available for pre-order at Amazon. Primary authors Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent and Nevin Berger have produced a definitive volume, one that Donald Norman calls "the essential guide to software prototyping." My chapter explains how to use Adobe Acrobat to quickly produce interactive low or high-fidelity prototypes.

UX Takes a Holiday

2006-07-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

That's the title of my latest column for the always-informative gotoreport at Kelly Goto's gotomedia. In it, you'll discover my pathetic habit of never turning off my UXCentricity, even during vacation. Please give it a read!

And don't miss the other excellent articles. Alissa Fleet describes how gotomedia used rapid cycles of usability testing and iterative design to boost the efficiency of Mexican-based AltiusPAR's hotel booking system and Leigh Duncan reviews airline ticket search aggregator Kayak.com.

The User Research Precipice

2006-07-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Chris Fahey of Behavior is in the midst of an excellent series of posts at graphpaper.com exploring the nature of user research. A sampling from the first, where he explains that Behavior uses research to:

...try to know as much as possible about our clients, their customers, and their competitors, and we use this knowledge to inform our design process.

Many web designers and consultancies, however, feel it's not enough to use research to inform their design process. They go further: they try to make scientific user research the very foundation of their design process.

I use the word "try" because I suspect that the ideal of empirical, science-based user-centered design is something that we aspire to but never reach.

He goes on to say he suspects that "a lot of user research in this industry is a sham" that is sometimes seen as a way to avoid the true responsibility of "being expert designers who draw on deep experience and good instincts."

Them are fightin' words, but he's right. Valid, scientific research is costly, difficult and requires specialized skills and know-how that often make it prohibitive. Most importantly, no research results (no matter now scientific) can do the work of design.

I do a lot of user research and work very hard at it. At the same time, I take pains to ensure that my Clients understand its limitations—that we must take its results with at least several grains of salt. I probably go overboard, but I'd rather err on the side of caution.

For me, user research merely opens the door into the mind, hearts and experiences of end-users. It's then my responsibility to mull it all over, look at it from various angles, question it and ultimately add my experience, training and careful inferences. That's what makes UXCentrists so valuable.

My first Client taught me this nearly 20 years ago. When she offered what seemed a very high hourly rate for an easy project, I protested. "You don't understand, Dave," she replied. "We're not paying you for what you do; we're paying you for what you know."

If you need to rely on supposedly "scientific" user research for your design decisions, you're not yet a UXCentrist.

A Call to Arms?

2006-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a busy couple of months. Heck, it has been a very busy year! Sorry for my silence here.

One of the themes in my thinking lately is that we UXCentrics are poised for a quantum leap in how we do what we do. No, that's not accurate. Actually, it's more like we're poised at the edge of a precipice with feathers waxed to our waving arms trying to fly—when what we need is a state-of-the-art hang glider or even a fighter jet. The growth of Web audiences and technologies is so vast that it's outstripping our toolboxes.

In one of my columns at gotomedia's gotoreport, I wrote this in response to all of the Web 2.0 buzz:

We have to break new ground.Surveys, usability tests, personas, card sorting exercises—they retain their value. But Web 2.0 calls us to reach deeper into the minds and hearts of our users. We're going to need new tools, novel methods and fresh perspectives. I know one thing: Brain science will become immensely important to user advocates.

Today, Todd Wilkens of Adaptive Path lays out the challenge before us more eloquently than I:

Essentially, I am calling for an end to the decades-old framework that HCI, information architecture, and interaction design have been using for understanding users. That's right, I say take a hike, task analysis! Good bye, user goals! These concepts are insufficient for the new kinds of systems we are designing. People do not live their lives in terms of tasks and goals; most behavior is not task-oriented nor goal-driven. The drivers for action are often complex, subtle, and closely tied to culture, meaning, and context. But it's nearly impossible to talk about meaning in terms of tasks and goals.

I like task analyses and IxD and IA and figuring out user goals and ways to help them achieve them. They're valuable tools, but Todd is right: They are no longer enough and do not provide an adequate paradigm/worldview for what we need to do as UXCentrics.

While Todd's clarion call for change is well worth your time, he does not propose a new model. And that's OK. It's going to take the contributions of all of us to grow our discipline into the future.

Who Controls the Internet?

2006-04-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

While in the car, I caught today's edition of Fresh Air on NPR—a fascinating interview with Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu, authors of Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World.

If you've heard a bit about the legal issues faced by Google and Yahoo! outside of the U.S. (particularly in China) and wonder what they mean to the nature and future of the Web, this interview is a great way to learn more. Goldsmith and Wu have some surprising ideas and conclusions that (dare I say it?) suggest that a completely unregulated, freewheeling Internet isn't necessarily the cyber-utopia that we Web idealists rhapsodize. It's must-listening for UXCentrists!

Being a Smart (Healthcare) User

2006-04-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

With all the effort we UXCentrists put into our work, it's easy to forget that we are not completely responsible for the ultimate online and real world experiences of our end-users. After all, users are talented, intelligent, gifted people who can/should/must bear a goodly chunk of responsibility for how they experience our sites, services, stores and what-have-you.

I think that's especially true for healthcare—but its complexity, seriousness and expense all mitigate against informed user-patients. We still have a long way to go, but things are getting better.

For example, a couple of weeks ago while at Costco, I spotted YOU: The Smart Patient—An Insider's Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment. A little paperback, it's by the authors of the bestselling YOU: The Owner's Manual—An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger. Other than a knack for long-winded titles, both share a somewhat irreverent approach and a very healthy dose of user friendliness.

Of the two, I found YOU: The Smart Patient by far the more valuable. With chapters on everything from choosing doctors and hospitals to dealing with prescriptions and health insurers, it's loaded with excellent guidance that shifts the balance of power more to the patient's side. Checklists tell you what to ask before you need to; references to online resources are plentiful—and there's a health journal form to get you organized.

It's a great example of how sharing a little insider information can significantly improve user experiences.

New at the gotoreport

2006-04-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

Just saw that my latest column for gotomedia's gotoreport is now online. This issue's theme is design ethnography—and having little experience with it, I muse instead about the challenge of avoiding possible distortion when observing and analyzing the behavior of end-users. Other articles include an interview with Microsoft ethnographer Tracey Lovejoy, a look at how the Converse site expresses its brand and how rapid ethnography and usability testing fit into the new world of mobile authoring. Check it out.

Are Payroll and a Great UX Mutually Exclusive?

2006-04-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Nope—not if you're a user of PayCycle.

Let me explain. When I incorporated UXCentric, Inc. last year, it meant I'd become an employee again (albeit of my own company). And that meant payroll checks. I wrote hundreds of them back in my youthful retail days, so the idea itself wasn't intimidating. But I'd always had a corporate office that handled all of the payroll tax chores. I just wrote the checks (by hand) and they took care of the rest.

So I figured it was time to search for a payroll service. I asked my CPA for some recommendations and, of course, surfed the Web for ideas. I even filled out a form at BuyerZone.com to connect directly with several services. I got lots of e-mails in reply, but none of the services really caught my fancy. They were generally the same, offering the same services at the same prices. And all required me to jump through various hoops.

Then I stumbled across PayCycle through an offer in Microsoft Money. I was quicky intrigued when I saw that Paycycle had received the rare five points in a PC Magazine review. A little more exploration and I was a customer.

PayCycle is designed expressly for very small businesses—those with just a few employees. It begins with a friendly wizard that painlessly collects all of the data needed to set up payroll. It's not flashy—you could even call it stodgy—but it works. You can set up direct deposit, make electronic payments to federal and state (as applicable) agencies and even give employees access to online paystubs. Quick answers are usually just a click away—and for more extensive help, PayCycle's free tech support is superb. (They even called me back to be sure my minor issue had been resolved.) The service sends out routine reminders of key tasks (paydays, tax deposits, etc.) and integrates nicely with popular bookkeeping software. All for the same price as other, less-user-friendly traditional services.

Yep, this sounds like a paid endorsement, but I'm just a very satisfied customer. Even if you don't need a payroll service, check out PayCycle for an excellent example of making a monotonous task UXCentric.

And Now Returning After a Long Absence...

2006-04-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... What kind of a user-centered blog is this if it is never updated?

My sincere apologies. And my sincere excuses!

UXCentric, Inc. launched official operations on January 1, 2006—and was promptly inundated with projects. No complaints here, but things were so busy that even my "Dave's Research" mailing list (see the sidebar) fell to the wayside for the first time in five years.

The projects were great, the experiences many and I have plenty to share. So let's see if I can resume a more-or-less regular schedule of posting here in the coming weeks.

UX Defined

2006-01-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

Seen the definition of user experience over at the must-visit UXmatters site?

User experience (UX) encompasses all aspects of a digital product that users experience directly—and perceive, learn, and use—including its form, behavior, and content. Learnability, usability, usefulness, and aesthetic appeal are key factors in users' experience of a product. UX design takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to the design of user interfaces for digital products. It integrates interaction design,
industrial design, information architecture, visual user interface design, instructional design, and user-centered design, ensuring coherence and consistency across all of these design dimensions.

I think this is well put, and (as usual) have a couple of quibbles.

Although it's clear that the context of UXmatters (and UXCentric for that matter) is on the digital world, I'd rather not limit UX to the realm of 1s and 0s. That one word could be seen as shrinking the set of domains where we working in the digital world might look for wisdom, inspiration and guidance. I, for one, find that my best insights for digital UX usually come from the Real World. I'm sure that it's not the intention of UXmatters to narrow UX to the virtual realm alone—but the way we speak about our craft is important.

My second thought is related to the first. My favorite part of the definition is the latter half describing UX as multidisciplinary. That's what drew me to UX design in the first place and it's what gets my creative juices flowing each day. I realize that a concise definition can't include every possible influence on UX, but I miss references to filmmaking, set design, audio design and even theme park design. As UX expands beyond interactions on a distinct screen to perceived realities, we're going to have to add skills like these to our palettes.

But I'm nitpicking. UXmatters' definition is excellent and the discipline better because of it.

DIY UX

2005-12-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

Call me cheap, but I still rely on my old HP LaserJet IIIP printer, purchased in 1991. It's built like a tank, prints at a whopping (enhanced) 300 dpi and is so outdated that it isn't even pictured on HP's site.

In its first three years, it churned out more than 20,000 copies and needed service only once to replace worn parts in the paper path. With greatly reduced duty after that, it reliably printed until a few years ago when I had to lug it into the shop for repair.

I listed the problems and the technician added up the damage: About $150 to restore the printer to like-new status. At the time, new lasers with significantly better print quality were about $300. So I put the technician on the spot. "What do you think?" I asked. "Should I just buy a new one?"

He hedged, of course, reluctant to turn down work. "Well, that's up to you. But this one will last forever." He paused; an eyebrow raised. "Have you looked at the new ones?" His implication was clear: They don't make them like this any more.

I shelled out the $150, more out of nostalgia and loyalty than anything else—but I knew it would be the last time. And that IIIP purred happily along until last week when paper started jamming.

This time I was prepared. I pointed my browser to fixyourownprinter.com. In one click, I diagnosed the problem and in two ordered the part. It was shipped the same day. Following the color photo-illustrated instructions, I fixed the printer in ten minutes.

Cost: Twenty bucks. Bonus: A great user experience.

Announcing a Bouncing, Baby... Company!

2005-12-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have been away from UXCentric for a few weeks. A number of year-end projects have kept me hopping—and I have an exciting project of my own.

On November 22, UXCentric became more than a blog. Give a hearty welcome to UXCentric, Inc.! Business has been good and it was time to take advantage of the benefits offered by the corporate structure. And the change will spur me toward some exciting things in the future.

The process was remarkably user-friendly thanks to the always UXCentric assistance of Nolo, a leading provider of "do-it-yourself legal solutions for consumers and small businesses." I especially recommend Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants. And How to Form Your Own California Corporation provided wonderful step-by-step guidance, checklists, forms and advice.

For the heavy lifting, I turned to my CPA and the services of BizFilings.com, a leading Web provider of incorporation services. The process was smooth as silk.

Now I'm surveying insurance and payroll providers, jumping through the usual federal and state hoops and beginning work on a new business and marketing plan. I love this stuff, so reminiscent of my long-ago retail management days.

So things may be lean here at UXCentric the Blog for a few more weeks. But I'll be back in 2006!

Virtual UX

2005-11-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

Trying to get a jump on the competition for the next couple of decades, I read Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, with an eye on the future of user experience design. Given his mind-bending projections, what might we UXCentrists be doing in the next ten, twenty and thirty years?

While the question is outside the lines of Singularity, Kurzweil gives a tantalizing clue:

"Virtual reality environment designer" will be a new job description and a new art form.

While Google didn't find any job listings for "virtual reality environment designer", both the University of Colorado at Denver and Eastern Oregon University already list it as a career choice. The less restrictive "virtual reality designer" yielded 412 hits on Google. If the future isn't yet now, it's not far away.

A little context will help clarify what Kurzweil might mean by "virtual reality environment designer." Computers at the beginning of the next decade will be truly ubiquitous, he says, woven, embedded and enmeshed in the physical environment around us. "These resources will provide high-resolution, full-immersion visual-auditory virtual reality at any time. We will also have augmented reality with displays overlaying the real world to provide real-time guidance and explanation"—including mapping, real-time translations and virtual assistants.

By 2030, "[n]anobot technology will provide fully-immersive, totally convincing virtual reality," Kurzweil continues. Nanobots positioned near "every interneuronal connection coming from our senses" will be able to intercept and replace signals from our actual senses and "replace them with those that would be appropriate for the virtual environment... Our brains will experience these signals as if they came from our physical bodies." He continues,

The Web will provide a panoply of virtual environments to explore. Some will be re-creations of real places; other will be fanciful environments that have no counterpart in the physical world... We will be able to visit these virtual places and have any kind of interaction with other real, as well as simulated, people (of course, ultimately there won't be a clear distinction between the two), ranging from business negotiations to sensual encounters.

Utlimately, says Kurzweil, "As we enter the 2030s there won't be clear distinctions between human and machines, between real and virtual reality, or between work and play."

One thing is certain: This spells the end for wireframes! Creating complete worlds will require new tools, new metaphors, new ways of thinking. I'll muse about these in upcoming posts.

Shameless Fraternal Promotion

2005-11-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

If you love jazz, poetry, fine art and/or great design, have I got a book for you. The fact that my brother, Paul Rogers, is the illustrator has little to do with this recommendation. (Uh-huh.)

A collaboration between Paul and jazz virtuoso Wynton Marsalis, Jazz ABZ : An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits is a unique alphabetical journey through jazz in pictures and poetry. Inspired by Paul's vivid images, Marsalis wrote poems in forms that expressed the character, music and rhythms of each jazz great. The combination of art and text is sparkling, made more lively by the book design of Paul's wife, Jill von Hartmann. And like DVD extras, the book includes capsule bios of each jazz maestro penned by jazz guru Phil Schaap, explanations of the poetic forms and even a recommended discography.

But don't leave it to this (biased) reviewer. Check these out:

A great NPR interview with Marsalis, including excerpts from the book. The page includes four poems, images and additional readings.

Steven Heller's review in the New York Times.

And a sneak peek at many of the images.

One more thing: Don't let the "children's book" categorization fool you. This is a book for all ages.

Book Review: The Singularity is Near

2005-11-08T17:05:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near : When Humans Transcend Biologyawhile back and settled in for a good long read. And that's what it takes, as Kurzweil leads us through a thick wood where, if you don't pause for reflection, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

According to Kurzweil, we're approaching the time when nonbiological intelligence will emerge and advance so quickly that "unenhanced human intelligence" will be unable to keep up. This is the Singularity—a "profound and disruptive transformation in human capability"—and Kurzweil expects it by 2045. That's the premise for The Singularity is Near.

The first chapter—The Six Epochs—is a delightful summary of Kurzweil's thesis where he introduces us to the exponential evolution of technology (the bedrock for his later predictions). Indeed, he sees evolution itself as a "process of creating patterns of increasing order," and later suggests that the ultimate end of evolution is not biological or chemical, but intelligence. That he sees the sixth epoch as a time when the universe "wakes up" and is saturated with the intelligence "derived from its biological orgins in human brains and its technological origins in human ingenuity" is a clue that some metaphysical adventures lie ahead.

Great, stimulating reading thus far, but like all journeys that begin with enthusiasm and energy, challenges soon set in as Kurzweil fleshes out his theses with several detailed and heavily documented chapters. He examines technological evolution, the latest findings in brain research (hardware and software), the revolutions in genetics, nanotechnology and robotics. All are signs, he says, of our inexorable progress toward the Singularity. It's heavy going, even pedantic at times, but fascinating nonetheless.

It's when Kurzweil describes the likely impact on human bodies and culture that the questions begin to set in. Sure, it's wonderful to dream of a time when technology and intelligence have progressed so far that disease, world hunger and poverty are abolished. These are the visions of futurists of all eras. Yet the thought of nanobots replacing our blood, tinkering with our DNA to keep us disease, age and defect free while our slow electro-chemical brains are rewired by lightning-fast nanotechnological wonders gave me a mild case of the willies that grew as Kurzweil described moving ourselves into other "substrates"—not necessarily biological. To his credit, Kurzweil discusses the dangers inherent in such technology and addresses the major criticisms of his theories, but in the end I found something hollow in his depiction of the glories of the Singularity.

Kurzweil has been accused of being a reductionist and I find that critique at least in the ballpark. Despite the wonders of the human brain and intelligence that he vividly presents, Kurzweil skirts the issue of the nature of consciousness and spirit. I'm assuming he sees them merely as other manifestations of the incredible intricacy of our brains—but one reason I'm UXCentric is that I see humans as more than just an amalgam of biochemical reactions that produce intelligence. (In a future post, I'll examine what Kurzweil's vision might mean to user experience.)

Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed The Singularity is Near as a marvelous description of the latest research, a brain-and-spirit stretcher and a genuine discussion-starter with friends and colleagues.

Why I'm UXCentric

2005-11-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, as a contribution to a now-defunct book project, I wrote about how I had been captivated by user experience and how it had become the signature of my career. I stumbled across the essay today while looking for my "personal" definition of UX and thought I'd share it here. So why is UX so important?

To answer that, a little history. For most of the past two hundred years, scholars saw experience and emotion as dubious ways of understanding the world. That began to change in the second half of the 20th century, as people recognized that reason alone fails to address the existential questions of life. Neglected ways of "knowing" reemerged—myth, narrative, spirituality and, above all, personal experience.

This popular movement became so strong that experience invaded the marketplace. Joseph Pine and James Gilmore dubbed it "The Experience Economy," asserting in the Harvard Business Review that "leading edge companies—whether they sell to consumers or businesses—will find that the next competitive battleground lies in staging experiences." I'd go so far to say that experience will be the lingua franca of the 21st century.

That's why I'm so passionate about user experience.

A definition: User experience is the totality of an individual's interaction with and response to a business, product or service in any and every medium. It can be intensely sensual, like a stroll down Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A—an environment crafted to appeal to all five senses and evoke a particular response. It can be that tingle of cool when using your iPod. Or it can be a simple sense of satisfaction when making a purchase from an e-store. What does this tell us?

First, user experiences are intensely personal. Pine and Gilmore note that they exist "only in the mind of an individual who has been engaged on an emotional, physical, intellectual or even spiritual level."

Herein lies the challenge and the thrill of UXCentricity. User experience must begin and end from the perspective of the end-user. What are her needs? What does he want from our product, service or Web site? Is it enough to satisfy those needs or must we also meet intangible goals and aspirations?

One thing is certain: We can't answer these questions from the viewpoint of the executive suite. Experience design isn't another arrow in the marketing department's quiver. We have to get out of the corporate echo chamber! Techniques like contextual design, ethnographic research and focus groups help—but only when driven by a consuming absorption with our users.

User experience is greater than the sum of its parts. There are no heuristics for UX, no rules of thumb, bags of tricks or formulas for "Six Sure Ways to Guarantee a Great User Experience." It's not just a matter of assembling all the right elements in a certain way.

That's another reason I love UX: There are no answers. Sure, there are prerequisites (for example, your software had better work as expected), but there's an unexplainable mystery, an alchemy in a great UX. It emerges from an emulsion of user analysis, creativity, design skills, psychological insight and more—all doused with a big splash of humility. The fact that we don't have the answers is the answer. I love a good paradox.

A great user experience is captivating. The current UX buzzword is "engaging." That's too weak. A great UX does more than engage you. It captures, entraps, tempts and seduces. It grabs you by the lapels, sucks you in and won't let you go (not that you want to go). It raises your heart rate, deepens your respiration. It is everything you want it to be, does everything you want it to do—and a whole lot more. Remember your first time at Google?

User experience is everything you do. Say your company is redesigning its Web site. "I want a great user experience," says the CEO. So reinvent the company. Management firebrand Tom Peters calls this Re-Imagining—the willingness to reconsider common business wisdom and the courage to put into action whatever you discover.

UX will do this to you because it calls into question everything you do. It's not just your Web site. It's not just your retail stores. It's the way you answer the phone. It's the paper and ink of your business cards. It's the people you hire, the driving of your truckers, the working conditions of your overseas workers, your environmental practices.

If you're serious about providing outstanding user experiences—and today, that should be a given—fasten your seat belt. Few aspirations have more potential for turning the world upside-down. Imagine a UX-obsessed government. A retail giant fanatical about the life experience of its employees. An airline zealous about its passengers' flying experience. A Web site you look forward to visiting time and again. A call center that cheerfully solves your problems.

That's why I'm obsessed about user experience. And that's why I write UXCentric.

What I've Been Doing

2005-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. The pickings have been slim here at UXCentric. Mea culpa. I've been busy with the usual project stuff (including some stimulating user research for a corporate portal) and some extra-curricular activities.

For example, my latest column—One Size Fits None?—is now live at Kelly Goto's gotoreport. It's my rant about those hopelessly extravagant job descriptions for information architects—you know, the ones that require everything but the kitchen sink (although plumbing experience would also be welcomed). My point? I wonder if such job requirements (and our acquiescence to them) do a disservice both to our end-users and our young craft. Give it a read and I'd love your comments.

And while you're there, don't miss the other great articles in this edition of the gotoreport.

I also edited a new addition to gotomedia's site—a resource center listing the best books and Web sites on Web design. All modesty aside, I think this is an outstanding source of great information about our passion and discipline, culled from my six years of reading and scouring the Web.

Finally, I recently finished reading an advance copy of Ray Kurzweil's provocative and predictive The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. It's a truly fascinating look into Kurzweil's vision of the future, jam-packed with reports of astounding technical breakthroughs. I'll soon post a thorough review of the book as well as reflections on what Kurzweil's predictions may mean for user experience.

Comment Changes

2005-09-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Comment spam has finally arrived at UXCentric. To spare us all a potential flood of links to porn and other questionable sites, you'll have to complete the usual "word verification" step to stymie automated commenting systems. Not very user-friendly, but preferable to garbage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

UX and Disaster Relief

2005-09-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

I live in Southern California. Seismologists tell us there's an 80-90% probability that a great quake of 7.0 magnitude or larger will strike the region before 2024—and "could cause the level of destruction and disruption seen...on the Gulf Coast."

I'm better prepared than most. Even so, after that quake I'm still going to need the vigorous and effective resources that only the federal government can provide. And given the appalling federal response to Katrina, I can only pray that our Big One is much delayed.

The tragic disaster of Katrina will be teaching hard lessons for years to come. I'm no expert on disaster relief, but I do know a bit about user experience—and given what I've seen in New Orleans, FEMA has a lot to learn about UXCentricity.

As I read and listen to the stories of survivors and evacuees, I note three common themes—themes that suggest ways to improve the human experience FEMA and other government agencies offer in times of disaster.

Speed. That thousands were left to fend for themselves for days in the wake of Katrina is one of America's most shameful moments. Over and over again, survivors (lacking food and water) repeated the number of days they had waited for assistance. And with each day, the cries grew more desperate. Why? Because people are reasonable. In the midst of disaster, they are more than aware of the tremendous challenges faced by relief agencies. They know it will take a couple of days to get things rolling. But when little is done for four, five or six days, anger is to be expected.

Here in SoCal, we've been told that we need to be prepared to care for ourselves for the first two or three days after a major quake. I imagine that New Orleanians had been told something similar. Yet they had to wait far longer. For the people massed at the Superdome and Convention Center, that's especially inexcusable. When people are facing the loss of everything they own—and the lives of those they love—a speedy initial response is as UXCentric as it gets.

Anticipation/preparedness. A characteristic of natural disasters is that they are unexpected. Yet in Tornado Alley, people expect tornadoes. In California, we expect earthquakes. In New Orleans, people expected a hurricane that could flood the city. It is unconscionable that Homeland Security apparently views the chance of a terrorist attack (of which the nation has suffered few) as more likely than natural disasters (which occur with regularity). To be caught so flatfooted on the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast despite long-range forecasts and last year's eerily prescient New Orleans FEMA drill is ridiculous. We're all told to be prepared; our government should be too.

I offer this suggestion—one that will also help speed initial responses: Station "rapid relief forces" in disaster-prone regions, ready to fly at a moment's notice. Stocked with MREs, water, medical and sanitary supplies, these could be staffed by trained National Guard or active-duty troops to provide vital necessities quickly until more substantial services could be established. Imagine the difference in New Orleans if two or three such forces had flown in to the Superdome on the day after Katrina.

Tell the truth. While FEMA seemed frozen in place, the mainstream media poured into New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The world saw the tragedy first-hand—so when the federal spinmeisters tried to weave their spells, we saw the distortions. We cheered Mayor Nagin as he vented his anger on the air. We jeered George Bush's assertion that the government didn't expect the levees to fail. We applauded Kanye West for speaking his unscripted and understandable opinion. An Everyman (on our behalf) cursed at Dick Cheney's doublespeak.

People are reasonable. In a disaster, they know things don't run smoothly—and they may very well know more about the situation than those offering assistance. So tell them the truth, even when it's difficult. Don't make promises that can't be delivered. Don't evade the questions. If you don't know the answer, say so. Above all, don't bullshit.

Like all UXCentricity, it comes down to respect for the people who need and use your goods or services. A rapid response shows respect to those suffering, signaling the nation's concern regardless of class or color. Anticipating a disaster (even one that may not come for years) by maintaining readiness communicates the government's value of citizens. And telling the truth demonstrates a high regard for people—that they are reasonable even in dire times.

A little UXCentricity goes a long way. Here's hoping that FEMA includes it in its much-needed overhaul.