UX Axioms & Other Observations

Erik Dahl“UX AXIOMS AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS”

IxDA Grand Rapids | Hosted by Mutually Human

@eadahl@goinvo#UXaxioms

About MeErik Dahl of Involution Studios, Columbus

@eadahl@goinvo#UXaxioms

About this Talk:“UX AXIOMS AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS”

AXIOM No.01

IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE;

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE OBJECT

“UX AXIOMS AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS”GRAND RAPIDS IXDA — ERIK DAHL OF INVOLUTION STUDIOS, COLUMBUS

DECEMBER 11, 2012 — MUTUALLY HUMAN — GRAND RAPIDS, MI

OFFICIAL PRESENTATION:

"Our goal as designers of this thing, should not be to have this object be an end in itself. Happiness isn't going to come from engaging in this new piece of software. If by using this product, or owning this product, or coming into contact with this product, you see it as a window through which you engage more meaningfully with life then I think we've done the right thing. But you notice where that puts the emphasis, the emphasis is not on the product. The product becomes like a hole that you look through. It's a very zen kind of notion. It is in it's transparency that it fulfills its function."

-Joe Ballay




HAVE HUMILITY;BE HUMANE;

AND DESIGN FROM A PLACE OF EMPATY;




AXIOM No.02

UX IS NOT JUST ABOUT GIVING PEOPLE WHATTHEY WANT




AXIOM No.03

YOU CAN’T TRUST WHAT PEOPLE SAY; YOU NEED TO VALIDATE THROUGH

OBSERVATION.




AXIOM No.04

REDUCE THE BARRIER BETWEEN PEOPLE AND DATA, AND BETWEEN

PEOPLE AND INFORMATION




AXIOM No.05

PAY ATTENTION TO ALL THREE VECTORS OF

SPACE, WEIGHT, & TIME.




AXIOM No.06

DESIGN DOESN’T START OR END WITH THE PIXEL




AXIOM No.07

UX DESIGN IS AN ENGAGEMENT IN

SYSTEMS THINKING




AXIOM No.08

EVERYTHING IS DESIGNED AND

EVERYTHING IS A DESIGN CHALLENGE




AXIOM No.09

GIVE IT A NAME & IMBUE IT WITH

MAGICAL POWERS




AXIOM No.10

STORIES ARE THE WAY WE UNDERSTAND OURSELVES AND

THE WORLD




AXIOM No.11

DEVELOP YOUR COMMUNITY; YOU ARE

NOTHING WITHOUT YOUR COMMUNITY




AXIOM No.12

KNOW YOUR MATERIALITY:

PEOPLE, TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS, AESTHETICS




AXIOM No.13

MAKE NON-ARBITRARY

DESING DECISIONS




AXIOM No.14

UNDERSTAND CULTURE AND

CONTEXT




AXIOM No.15

CREATE AND CLOSE FEEDBACK LOOPS




AXIOM No.16

GET COMFORTABLE WITH AMBIGUITY;

UX DESIGN IS FULL OF IT




AXIOM No.17

EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND YOUR

EMOTIONS AND THOSE YOU ARE DESIGNING FOR




AXIOM No.18

MAKE STUFF; AND THEN KILL IT




AXIOM No.19

DEFINE A PRODUCT VISION AND

THEN USE IT TO DRIVE DECISIONS




AXIOM No.20

STAY LEAN AND FLEXIBLE; SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN FRONT OF YOU NOT THE

ONE BEHIND YOU




AXIOM No.21

DRIVE TO THE WHY; DON’T STOP AT THE SYMPTOM




AXIOM No.22

PAY ATTENTION TO LIFECYCLES AND NOT JUST

KEY MOMENTS




AXIOM No.23

TAME COMPLEXITY DON’T ABOLISH IT




AXIOM No.24

WHAT IF YOU THOUGHT OF THE PERSON USING YOUR PRODUCT AS A

COLLABORATOR




AXIOM No.25

THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL OF DESIGN:

PREPARATION, EXECUTION & REFLECTION




AXIOM No.26

GET STARTED NOW; DO SOMETHING




AXIOM No.27

EXPOSE AND CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS—YOUR OWN

AND OTHERS; CREATE HYPOTHESES TO TEST

ASSUMPTIONS




AXIOM No.28

BE CURIOUS AND CONSTANTLY EXPOSE

YOURSELF TO THE WORLD




AXIOM No.29

BE WILLING TO EXPERIMENT AND FAIL; BUT LEARN FROM YOUR

MISTAKES




AXIOM No.30

CREATE “YES AND” OPPORTUNITIES; DON’T

ALWAYS ASSUME “EITHER OR”




AXIOM No.31

STRIVE FOR “NOTHING LEFT TO TAKE AWAY”;

RUTHLESSLY EDIT




AXIOM No.32

SEEK OUT AND EXPLOIT PATTERNS




AXIOM No.33

THEORY ALLOWS YOU TO ABSTRACT, GENERALIZE, AND

APPLY PATTERNS TO NEW AND NOVEL SITUATIONS




AXIOM No.34

REFRAME CONSTRAINTS AS FORCING FUNCTIONS AND

FIND FREEDOM IN THE STRUCTURE




AXIOM No.35

THE DESIGNER AS FACILITATOR—FIGURE OUT HOW TO CREATE “SPACE” AND STRIVE FOR THE ASYMPTOTE OF

SHARED UNDERSTANDING




AXIOM No.36

SET AND MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. THIS APPLIES TO ANY INTERACTION WITH

OTHER PEOPLE OR PRODUCTS




AXIOM No.37

HOLD AND EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE AND THE DETAILS AT THE SAME TIME




AXIOM No.38

UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE CREATE MEANING AND

DESIGN ARTIFACTS THAT WILL RESONATE AND GENERATE

MEANING




AXIOM No.39

DESIGN FROM CURRENT AND FOR IDEAL EXPERIENCES; EITHER ONE ALONE ISN’T

ENOUGH




AXIOM No.40

DELIVERABLE DON’T MATTER AS MUCH

AS OUTCOMES




AXIOM No.41

CREATE MODELS NOT JUST

NARRATIVES




AXIOM No.42

CREATE MODELS NOT JUST

NARRATIVES




AXIOM No.43

ALLOW FOR REFLECTION TIME




AXIOM No.44

FIND “BRIGHT SPOTS” AND UNDERSTAND WHY THEY

WORK AND HOW THEY CAN BE APPLIED




AXIOM No.45

RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU ARE HAVING A UI

CONVERSATION AND WHEN IT SHIFTS TO A BUSINESS

CONVERSATION




AXIOM No.46

EXTERNALIZE YOUR WORK FOR YOUR OWN COGNITIVE PROCESS AND TO PROMOTE

COLLABORATION.




AXIOM No.47

TRUST IS FOUNDATIONAL TO INTERACTIONS; TAKE

RESPONSIBILITY, FOSTER TRUST AND RESPECT THE GIFT




AXIOM No.48

DEFINE THE PROBLEM AND BUILD THE RIGHT THING;

MAKE IT USEFUL AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE




AXIOM No.49

ULTIMATELY, UX DESIGN IS AN ORIENTATION TOWARD REALITY AS OPPOSED TO A SET OF TOOLS, A PROCESS,

OR ...




AXIOM No.50

THANKS




UX Axioms & Other Observations

Design

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