The magic formula: “Happy users make great websites.”
… but why not the other way around?
Because users must always come first, not doing so will only negate all the other aspects of your website.
I believe that UX is the association of a mindset + methodology + tools.
- The mindset is to have the user at the centre of the design process. Do not let anything to chance, use data and filter them through common sense.
- The methodology is again, to leave nothing to chance, but analyse, document, review and make informed decision based on those finding. It’s all about the understanding the overall view to craft the details.
- The tools are varied and all offers insight into the user behaviour. Personas, Card Sorting, Prototyping, Surveys, Usability Testing, Interviews, Focus groups, etc…
The idea is to listen to the users (actually watching them can be more relevant) to pay attention to their actions, reactions or lack of thereof. Find out who they are, what are their goals and needs and design around that.
Great users experience are the results of a user centered design, where no choice is arbitrary, but the result of a rational decision.
Why should we create frustration when we are trying to get something out of our users?
They are giving us (the website owners, the business, etc…) time and attention, and the reward: unpractical forms, wasted time with bogey application.
By including the user at the center of the design process, we will remove frustration and introduce happiness.
And that happiness is a sign of great user-experience, that’s what makes a great website.
So I’ll say it out loud: “Let’s embrace UX and makes our users happy” It’s simple.
