Usability Theory
It’s all about what we expect….
As humans, whenever we are about to experience a new thing. We automatically make assumptions on how the experience is going to go. This can create all types of feelings. Sometimes it can make us excited while other times we experience anxiety, maybe even fear. As designers we can not stop people from making these assumptions, but we can do our best to make sure that the experience matches what the user will expect. This is where usability comes in.
Usability is a hidden hero
Good design rarely gets recognized. In fact, if a product works exactly as a user expects it to, it will certainly be taken for granted. And that’s a good thing. This is especially true for digital products. If a user becomes frustrated with a website or software, they may not understand why they are frustrated, but they are almost sure to stop using it. Why? Because they can’t get done what they want to get done using the product. Their experience does not match their expectations.
How fast can we go?
Why does all this matter? Because the world keeps speeding up. And as the world continues to speed up, attention spans are sure to plummet. Users will have smaller and smaller tolerances for “hard to use” products. This is especially true if your competitor is offering a more simple solution. In other words, your product better work, and it better work right the first time.
This is where the fun begins!
As a designer, I have a passion for finding and fixing usability problems. I can remember, as a kid, my first experiences with products that frustrated me. I used to always think, “There has to be a better way”! The good news is that there is always a better way, and the solutions are always out there. We just have to go get them. But, how do we go get them? There is only one way. We have to talk to the end user before, during and after the development process. This is the ONLY way to make sure we release a product that meets the user’s expectations. It must be done in cycles and it must be done repeatedly.
