Lauren Martin

What does it really take to create something great? A product that inspires, delights, amuses and still and serves a purpose. It’s a tough question, and one that elicits many different responses. However some patterns continue to persist over and over again. Below I have listed 9 principles I believe are vital ingredients in the creation of a great product.

1. Innovation and invention. Contrary to the definition, most inventions are actually based on the inspiration of someone else’s design, or lack there of. It is important to remember to observe and brainstorm with out boundaries. Encourage your team to come up with impossible ideas, original ideas, goofy and wacky ideas. Sure, most will be ridiculous, but one, or two combined may make something no one would have ever considered before. Think about this, Thomas Edison didn’t actually “invent” the light bulb as much as he successfully modified an idea from 50 years earlier and found a way to make it practical.
2. Design for the future. When you limit your designs to fit within current technological constraints, then you’re doing just that. Limiting your designs. Think out side the box. What if it could do this? What if that existed? Let technology come to you and never take for granted what your developers can come up with. If you have an idea, odds are they can come up with some way to make it happen. Though most won’t admit it, developers can be amazingly creative with technology.
3. Fail. Fail and be proud of it. You just discovered a solution that doesn’t work, and that is a success. Learn from your mistakes and failure will lead you to a solution. Celebrate it. A culture that isn’t given the opportunity to fail successfully isn’t given the opportunity to succeed. Read the rest of this entry »
   

Recently I attended a great presentation by Spencer Gerrol (Human Factors International) in Atlanta entitled “Beyond Usability: The Science of Persuasive Design”. Gerrol discussed how important it is to not only make our websites easy to use, but to make people want to use them. He then discussed 6 key principles we can use to persuade our customers as well as some important persuasion tactics to keep in mind. The presentation began with a brief discussion of the difference between usability and persuasion.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems Microsoft is finally jumping on the bandwagon of user experience. Know primarily for their operating system Windows, it has long been thought that Microsoft was behind pace when it comes to their user experience. Apple has always been the one leading the pack. However it seems Microsoft is making some major changes in their corporate strategy as they move to put a much higher importance on increasing the usability of their products.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the core principles of good design is clarity. Interactions on the web shouldn’t make your users guess. As Steve Krug’s first law of usability states “Don’t Make Me Think!”. Anytime a “guess” is brought into the equation you are adding unnecessary thought bubbles above the users head. The more challenging a website is for a user to use, the less likely they will use it. 

This is such a core principle, that I am always completely and utterly amazed when I come across interactions like the one I outline below. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Simplicity vs. Features

Many of us have come across the KISS principle at some point in our lives. The KISS principle is basically an acronym for “Keep It Simple Stupid”. This principle goes hand and hand with Occam’s razor which is often summarized as “All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best”.

These ideas can be brought into usability and design in multiple facets, but are primarily valuable in the area of feature creep. Added features can become added complexities to a design. It is important to keep a solid focus on the end goal for what you are designing, to make sure that the bells and whistles or added features, don’t get in the way of the primary task.

Occam’s razor reminds us to introduce the least number of assumptions possible. It is important not to assume you know what the user wants and not to assume that they want every cool feature you can build. Instead choose a design that uses the fewest assumptions and take advantage of user research and usability testing when deciding on additional features to add if any.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jumping on the bandwagon I was one of the many to download Google’s Chrome browser the day it was released. I was immediately impressed, then somewhat disappointed. I gave Chrome 48 hours to impress me, but I wasn’t willing to give up IE… yet. I will blame this on the psychology of change and my resistance to learn a new browser and accept the idea that it could actually be a quality one.

Read the rest of this entry »

This article discusses some of the generalized definitions and critiques of different types of usability design methodologies. Generally people tend to advocate one type or another (User Centric, or Task Centric). However, most designers will tell you that while they may have strong primary preferences, going too far to one end or the other of either spectrum will limit the quality of your design. A good design focuses on all aspects of design in one way or another.

Read the rest of this entry »

Much can be learned about usability through video games. Computer games, unlike computer programs are often chosen much more than required. Many users of large software applications use those applications out of need; many of these applications have few if any competitors. This lack of competition can cause usability to suffer as users will suffice in order to meet their need. With computer games, the industry is much more competitive. Users not only have a choice between what game they want to play, but they also don’t play out of need as much as enjoyment. Therefore if a computer game presents a hard to learn, confusing, un-enjoyable interface, the gamer will simply look elsewhere. This competitiveness has brought computer games to a higher level of usability, providing us with a great resource for inspiration.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many types of design methodologies: Behavior-Centered Design, Task-Centered Design, Goal-Directed Design, etc. However the two most popular methods are User-Centered Design and Activity-Centered Design. The key goal of all of these methodologies is to create a usable, efficient, effective design. Each method has its own unique approach for creating the design. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently attended the 2008 UPA conference in Baltimore Maryland where I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Jeff Patton. Patton’s name is well known in the Agile community where he focuses on improving UCD within Agile environments. You can read more about him and his ideas on his website AgileProductDesign.com.

Jeff started out the session by providing a high level overview of the history of Agile development. Including a brief overview of it’s many branches (SCRUM, XP, FDD, DSDM, Crystal, etc). He then discussed the main values and principles of the practice of Agile development. Read the rest of this entry »