What is UX?

We are kicking off a new series of workshops introducing concepts of user experience: UX Basics.

This first session will be a discussion of what is User Experience? Join us, and mark your calendars for future dates of UX Basics.

The Elements of User Experience (PDF) - Jesse James Garrett

Notes

User Experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interactions with a product/services/etc.   Stanford UXers tends to deal with web-centric products but there is interest in the general experience feeling, such as physical feeling in a space or even communications/branding.

Example: GSB has their own registration system based upon physical processes that turned into web-process that still retains hold-overs from the physical process. For the user experience, do the hold-overs need to be retained for the benefit of the user? 

User experience is a broad thing that encompasses many disciplines....interface design, interaction design, information architecture, visual design, content strategy.  Many people at Stanford have roles that encompass many facets of user experience. 

The elements of user experience has many layers:  site objectives/user needs, functional specifications, information architecture/interaction design, interface design, visual design.  

Disciplines

Information architecture

Dealing with the content model (simple: the Dewey Decimal system)

• Example: scholarly journal: title, publish location, related taxonomy
• Behavior: Make it findable

Information design

How you present your information that the design of the information (future friendliness, atomic units)

• Example: data visualization, infographics, information hierarchy 
• Behavior: Make it understandable

Content strategy

Coming up with a content plan based upon business goals, audience goals, communications/marketing

• Example: GSB Web redesign content plan
• Behavior: Get people to take action

Design Research & Usability

Design Research - Getting to know your users, Usability - determination of the ease of specific tasks (how simple is it to use)

• Example:  Ethnographic studies, stakeholder discovery, contextual inquiry
• Behavior: learn about your users

User Interface Design

Design for structural elements

• Example: 
• Behavior: How it works

Visual Design

The "art" is design, visual hierarchy

• Example: A site design 
• Behavior: How it looks 

UX Design

The holy grail...i.e., The Unicorn!  All disciplines flow into UX Design

What UX People Do ("Deliverables")

• Site objectives
• Content strategy
• Content inventory
• Information architecture 
• Task flows
• User needs
• User personas
• Research
• Wireframes
• Prototypes
• Mockups
• Style tiles
• Testing plans
• Success metrics / analytics