How to Employ Design Thinking Into UX
People are social creatures, it is our nature to be social. We tend to not only reach out to the desired content but also to share it with others. From this perspective, allowing for greater social interconnectedness is a great idea to improve the user experience. When designing UX, ensuring photo/camera/social sharing with friends without having to leave the page is a perfect way to evoke user satisfaction with your product.
Our memory is not reliable, especially during cognitive overload. It is difficult for people to concentrate when the system is asking for the same detail again and again. As a result, it becomes challenging to direct user attention to the specific task. Luckily, there are several approaches designers can apply to solve this issue and create intuitive UX.
- Using associations. This refers to the positioning of information or objects in groups to suggest relationships (like phone numbers).
- Repetition. In a multi-step task flow, do not hesitate to repeat the instructions/information frequently.
- Always present the most crucial data first.
- Make distinctions. Use bold text, contrasting color scheme or highlighting ring distinctiveness to the most valuable information.
People make mistakes. You cannot change this. What you can change is your approach to the situation. Try to minimize the situations in which people can make mistakes. For example, you can ask them for confirmation before taking serious actions or simply break up the complex tasks into a series of smaller and easily manageable steps.
Currently, the practice of multitasking is trending in many industries. We often use it for the sake of productivity and with the belief that it will improve efficiency. However, when it comes to UX design, multitasking is quite counterproductive – it takes a toll on our brains. Hence, you should try to focus the user attention to one action at a time by minimizing all distractions. Ideally, a page should only require a user to do no more than one task.
- The concept of least effort
This concept stands for the principle that individuals will always prefer the way of least effort or resistance. In our context, this means providing the easiest and fastest way for users to achieve their intended goals. Here are several tips on how to apply this concept:
- Embrace the empty space by giving your product a breathing room.
- Make clickable elements look clickable. Use placement, outlines, contrasting colors, etc.
- Use visible and clear navigation with universally recognizable icons and wording.
- Use more visuals and less text.
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