Intro to UX Design talk I gave for a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee design class.

1. it’s a thing now

2. Housekeeping
• Your session (not mine)
• Interactive
• Ask questions!
• Keep in touch
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3. About Me
Hi, I’m Gretchen
• Group Director, User Experience
@ Bader Rutter & Associates.
• Founded UX practice in Nov 2012
• Also started UX group at
Hanson Dodge Creative (2007),
UX Strategy practice at
Johnson Controls (2010)
gretchen@gretchen-thomas.com
@gretchen414
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4. About Me
my background
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•
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UM ‘91 BA, Psychology. Minor in
Communications
Wendy’s Cashier > Telemarketer > Waitress >
Agency Intern > Car Rental Agent >
Administrative Assistant > Music Journalist >
Technical Writer > Digital Project Manager >
DJ > UX Designer > UX Strategist > UX Trainer >
UX Director

5. About Me
brands I’ve worked on
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6. About Me
my UX team exists to
Bring businesses closer to their
customers, in order to
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Help them gain competitive advantage
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Improve their communications, products and
services
Improve human experience

7. About Me
because I believe
The purpose of a business is to
have and serve a customer.
…and profits are proof of that service.
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8. in five slides

9. The term “user experience” was coined around 1992.
We don’t design
interfaces, we design for
the user experience!
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10. And then people forgot about it for a while.
…until the internet showed up.
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11. By 2000, things were getting complicated.
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12. UX emerged to help make sense of it all.
1997
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2013

13. And we’re still trying.
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15. User Experience (UX) Design
A design methodology that focuses on
the person who will be using the
designed product or service.
Sometimes simply called:
User Centered Design.
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16. Why UX Design?
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17. What’s a user experience?
A user experience is how a person thinks
and feels when using something.
Kind of fun
Confusing
Irrelevant
USER EXPERIENCE
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18. What’s a user experience?
If you think about it, everything has a user experience.
ENT
ELL
XC
E
IFIC
ORR
H
Some companies design for it, some don’t.
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19. What’s a good user experience?
USEFUL: it has utility in people’s lives
USABLE: people can easily complete tasks
PLEASANT: people enjoy it
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20. What’s a good user experience?
Value > Pain
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21. What’s user experience design then?
Using specific design techniques
to offer the best
experience possible.
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22. What’s user experience design then?
It’s a lot like being a
good host.
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23. User Experience Design is Not
• A user experience
• “UI” or User Interface
• Usability
• Graphic design
• Making it pretty or “skinning”
• Easy to do
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24. But it involves may of these things.
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25. User Experience Design is also Not
• A miracle maker
• A silver bullet
• Going to save the day
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26. We can’t (easily) perform miracles
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27. UX
Hierarchy
of Value
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ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS
COST, PLANNING, EFFORT
VALUE TO USER
Because of this

28. But we can make improvements
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29. it’s not all sunshine and lollipops

30. What UX Designers Do
• Research & Discovery
• Information Design
• Interaction Design
• Visual Design
• Design Validation
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31. Case Study: Sauder
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32. Research & Discovery
Discovery
Report
Design
Strategy
Project
Scope
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33. Research & Discovery
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34. Information Design
Site Map
Users
Content
Context
Navigation
Design
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35. Information Design
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36. Interaction Design
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37. Visual Design
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38. Design Validation
1. …….
2. ……..
3. ………
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!@#$%^&

39. Design Validation
UX During the Process
Information Des
ign
Research + Discovery
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40. things to consider

41. Are you a UX person?
Do you have:
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Good listening skills
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Nerdy attention to detail
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Curiosity
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Patience
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Incurable empathy
Good communication skills

42. Further Reading
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43. until we get answers