Configuration Hell- The Case for the Plug and Play User Experience

By Frank Spillers

on July 29, 2021 - 6:31am
A brown man with glasses interacts with his mobile phone

Summary: Users are not usually successful at configuring software, websites or devices and the configuration experience can be a major source of frustration. Instead, we need to move toward a world where everything is auto-configured and user experiences are "plug and play".

You know the drill: You download or install a new piece of software or open a new piece of technology (e.g. mobile phone, laptop, VR system) and you have to "configure it" to get something to work or work the way you want it to...

Defining Configuration

I refer to configuration in its broadest sense: A user must perform some advanced action in order to get some desired result from software, a website or a product experience. Typically the term configuration means to adjust or change settings- hiding, activating or altering useful features and system behaviors.

Inclusive Design Workshop

By Frank Spillers

on May 18, 2021 - 8:31am

Inclusive Design Workshop 

3 hours-(group activities, 1:1 access to Frank Spillers)

June 25th, 2021, at 4:00 PM UTC; 8:30 PM IST; 8:00 AM PDT; 11:00 AM EDT

Agenda:

Inclusive Design celebrates universal access by deliberately adjusting and adapting to the needs of underrepresented communities and users. However, to do inclusion right, it needs to be default in your design and development process. It needs to be automatic and not a sideline effort or something the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) team handles or champions.

In this workshop, Frank Spillers will cover the following topics:

Prototyping product-service experiences

By Frank Spillers

on May 11, 2021 - 10:53am
man holding hands in a square improv

Summary: Prototyping intangible experiences involving services or product-service systems requires the use of Physical Mockups, Improvisation (improv), and role-playing.  Also called experience prototyping or service prototyping, getting physical with your prototype scenarios lets you see gaps, breakpoints, and emotions. 

Prototyping is the art of creating a quick-and-dirty mock-up of a proposed design direction. We previously captured 50 reasons why prototyping saves you time, concentrated on wireframes, but what about intangible experiences?

WEBINAR: Inclusive Design

By Frank Spillers

on May 11, 2021 - 8:24am
inclusive team

Inclusive Design webinar- FREE

Inclusive Design: How to bake inclusion into your process and experience

1 hr 15 min JUNE 3rd 2021 at 8:00AM PST; 11:00AM EST; 4:00 PM UTC; 8:30 PM IST  

GET A RECORDING OF THIS WEBINAR INSTEAD (add your details to this list)

REGISTER FOR THE LIVE EVENT

AGENDA:

1. The business case for Inclusive Design

2.  Why Inclusive Design? What exclusion looks like

3. How to bake Inclusive Design into product & service design and delivery 

4. Q & A

Why UX teams are pivotal to Inclusive Design efforts

By Frank Spillers

on May 10, 2021 - 8:56am
inclusive team

Summary: Inclusive Design is the process of ensuring representation in your design, your team, and your design and development process. Inclusion is core to User Experience (UX) efforts. UX professionals are uniquely positioned to help drive inclusion in design teams, projects and processes. 

User Advocacy is a core skill

First of all, UX Design (UXD) and UX Research (UXR) are rooted in user advocacy. In fact, UX could be termed “UXA” (user experience advocacy) since we’re always advocating: advocating for a better experience, advocating for users' needs, advocating for designs that empower users. Next, note that most UX work, discussions, and decisions are colored by advocacy. Advocacy is critical for inclusive design work, in particular reaching underrepresented users such as users with disabilities. 

WEBINAR: How UX Designers can help solve Sustainability Challenges

By Frank Spillers

on March 29, 2021 - 6:48am
How UX Designers can help solve Sustainability Challenges

When: APRIL 22nd 8:00AM PST; 11:00AM EST; 4:00 PM UTC; 8:30 PM IST 

90 MINUTES 

Cost: $4.58 (cup of coffee pricing)*

REGISTER HERE

User Experience Design is making a wider impact in business and government overall than it has in the preceding 40 years. Critical to "updating" the UX field with the global challenges facing 2020-2050, UX needs a clearly articulated role in the problem-solving puzzle of sustainability. UX Designers need a tangible role and set of tools and skills to be "useful" to addressing sustainability issues. 

Why Confusion is a Valuable Tool in UX Design

By Frank Spillers

on March 23, 2021 - 7:32am
woman confused at laptop- ux designer

Summary: Most IT professionals including UX Designers logically run away from confusion. All too often confusion is perceived as bad or the thing to avoid. Instead, confusion offers an opportunity to explore, learn, and deconstruct poor user experience, allowing designers and decision-makers to create better experiences for users. 

Confusion is how we learn

Without confusion, we would not be able to understand user behavior, problem-solving, or issues that arise with service and product experiences. TED Talks Founder, Richard Saul Wurman, and the first to get us to think about designing for understanding through information design and visualization provided the term 'Information Architecture' to explain this art form, back in 1976. He famously nailed the gift of confusion in the following phrase:

LIVE MasterClass: Getting Journey Mapping & Personas right

By Frank Spillers

on January 25, 2021 - 9:11am
people walking with covid masks- online UX event

3 hours-(group activities, 1:1 access to Frank Spillers)

DATE/TIME:  February 24th 2021 at 2:00 PM UTC; 6:30 PM IST; 6:00 AM PST; 9:00 AM EST

Format: Zoom

Agenda:

Core to UX research and UX design is understanding who you are designing for and why you are supporting them. In this live Zoom MasterClass, Frank Spillers will cover the topic of Journey Mapping and Personas: "Getting Journey Mapping & Personas right- tested tips and techniques on how to better design and deliver these vital deliverables". Journey Maps and Personas sit underneath all product and service UX design. How you create them and how you use them determines your success levels with evidence-based UX decisions.

Ethics for UX Design crash course 

By Frank Spillers

on January 15, 2021 - 4:03am

As we move into a new AI-enabled world, the role and decisions of User Experience designers become increasingly important. User Experience Design is at a crossroads with emerging technology, IT business models, and societal trends and needs. Human-centered Design and user advocacy are being challenged by algorithm-driven and manipulative interfaces (think social media) as well as business, and technology models that clash with user control and civil rights. New strategies are required for us to reduce bad, unethical, and embarrassing user experiences.  

In this webinar, we will explore what causes ethical issues in UX, how to turn this around and start practicing 'UX with Ethics' in our day-to-day work. This webinar aims to provide practical understanding, tips, and techniques to help you educate your team (a copy of the PPT will be made available) as well as to take a more influential role in your organization or design decision making role.  

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