As UX Designers, we should always have goals in mind. Our own and the user’s. Unlike UI design, your UX skills (or lack thereof) are measured by how well you achieve those goals. So today we will introduce the idea of:
Designing with Intention
(Just starting the User Psych Crash Course? Start here.)
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The next 5 lessons in this course combine the fundamental psychology we have learned so far, into intentional design.
You want users to do something.
Users want to do something.
Those two somethings might not be the same.
As a UX Designer, it is our job to make them the same. When the user completes their goal, we should also complete ours. That means we’re not just designing random artwork; we have intentions.
Stores intend to sell stuff.
Social networks intend to create registrations and social interactions.
Porn sites intend you to… well, you get the idea.
A visual designer — like a UI designer — designs the interface itself. That’s important, but everyone has an opinion about how it looks. A lot of those opinions might be cryptic and useless, but still.
A UX designer designs how something works. i.e. — The behaviour of the users. You can’t see behaviour. But you can measure it.
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UX design is not a matter of opinion.
One of the biggest new ideas when you get started with UX is the idea that you are now an active part of the design. You can predict & control what users choose, click, like, and do.
UX is the science of design. It’s all about results. But to get good results, you need to motivate users to be more effective.
(Never force anyone. Always motivate. Good advice for both UX and dating.)
This also means that one UX design can be “more right” than another, regardless of which one everybody likes better. And we can prove it. Sometimes even the users prefer the wrong one! (covered in lesson 24).
That can be a hard thing to accept, for many people.
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Over the next 5 lessons we will learn how to make people fight over imaginary things & drool when you ring a bell, how to make things “go viral”, how to create addictive games, and how to create trust in your designs and content.
Tomorrow we will learn the foundation of training any dog or human: Rewards & Punishments.