UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
October//12//2018
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.https://www.nngroup.com/articles/user-interviews/
User Interviews. Another pertinent article from the Nielsen Norman Group, focused on User Interviews. The article goes into details regarding the differentiation between user interviews and usability testing. It’s a very pertinent article, as it sheds light on a tool that is about probing and gathering insights, versus one which at its core is focused on observation and documenting behaviors. Highlight of the article includes:
“Note that neither user interviews nor usability tests are guaranteed to tell you whether people will actually use a design. Asking users “Would you use this?” prompts them to rationalize their answer and potentially ignore certain aspects of the reality that are likely to affect their behavior but may go against their response. And a usability test encourages participants to engage with a design more than they might normally do (as they complete different tasks); in doing so, they may discover features or qualities that can ultimately affect their willingness to use the design. A word of advice: don’t choose to do an interview just because you don’t know how to do a usability test or because you can’t stay silent while a participant uses a design. Almost anyone can [learn how to] do a usability test.”
2.https://blog.nomnom.it/the-3-elements-of-great-ux-writing-7639e7ad22f4
UX Writing. Interesting article from author Sofia Quintero, focused on UX Writing. She focuses on such core features such as usability, motivation and personality, as traits that allow the content of any product to resonate with users/consumers, and hopefully generate the delight that drives retention and adoption. Highlight of the article includes:
“Great UX writing helps your users, but it also helps define your brand’s voice and the character of your product. It’s no longer enough to just create great products; you also have to clearly define your brand and what it stands for if you hope to appeal to today’s increasingly discerning consumers.”
3.https://www.cmarix.com/10-creative-ways-to-use-animation-in-mobile-apps/
Animation in Mobile Apps. I’ve highlighted in the past articles that detailed the usefulness of micro-animations to produce customer engagement. This article showcases 10 different ways animations can delight users in mobile applications, namely using progressive loaders, navigation cues and transitions as the user further uses the application, to name but a few. Highlight:
“Mobile app users are extremely restless and hectic these days. They have the least patience for anything taking too long to load. It is mainly because they have too many choices to opt from. They also have faster internet and expectation of a highly sophisticated user experience. Naturally, there is too much fuss about loading speed among the developers. But even the fast loading speed is not always enough. The restless audience needs something to chew on while the app is loading. An interactive animation that visually shows that the app loading is progressing can serve the purpose. The user while seeing the moving animation referring to the progress of app loading actually keeps users engaged for some fleeting seconds.”
