Journal
Being different to be different
I was struggling with a design problem today at Jumpspeed Ventures. A founder was having a difficult time trying to express what was bothering him, and he kept coming back to just saying he wanted it to be different than the other businesses in this category. He wanted his product to look different than anything else out there.
UX or UI?
I was asked again this week, what’s the difference between UX and UI. On it’s surface, it’s pretty simple: UI, User Interface, is what you look at. The visual design of the app. The colors, look and feel, style. That’s all UI. UX, User Experience is the sum total experience with the product or app. If it was a house, UX is the floorplan, and UI is the paint job. What a lot of people- marketers, founders, and biz dev – may not understand is what that actually means
The One Question I Ask Every Startup
I mentor at the Siftech accellerator in Jerusalem, and I’m always looking to help startups be more UX-focused. Startups that are founded by technology, business and marketing people always think about their products the same way – handling things very differently than a UX designer would. I sit down with startups and they always explain the problem, and then how their solution solves the problem. There’s always one question I ask, the first question I ask, which will get them to think about things differently
What you can do to make your UX better without a UX designer
Startups: CEOs, founders, investors, developers and designers, listen up. I know there’s a ridiculous shortage of quality UX and product designers. But there’s still something for you to do to turn your product and company to be user-centric. I’ll tell you a secret: There are a few very basic things you can do to make your company light-years better, to get people to fall in love with your product
Throw Away Your First Solution
Design is all about solving problems. Sometimes you think you solved a problem really elegantly, and are pretty pleased with yourself. You debate the pros and cons with the team, and it seems like you've won. Here's what you need to do: throw the solution out and...
The Future of UX is Love… and Codependency
The past decade saw a public realization that user experience was important, and businesses focused on building easy to use software and web products. Usability was the rage for a while. Now, it’s simply a given. Usability is the baseline you start before really considering who’s using your stuff and what your UX Goals are.
Do you know who you’re designing for?
I am mentoring a Jerusalem startup, Datovo, on the user experience of their products. They’re still pretty early in their process, and I was talking with founder Yuval Wirzberger (great guy!) about who would be using their mobile app. Yuval’s initial pitch was that the app was for the “super mom”: an active woman managing her own business and the scheduling and finances of her family. We talked about all the various features of the app that would make her life easier.
Tevster Update: Issue 001
Marc Scibelli, writing for UX Magazine, tells us how to create a user experience team for the enterprise.
I Hate Users
That’s right. I hate users. “Users” is a technical word, as in “user error.” A user is the vague being that’s manipulating your precious machinery and software applications. They’re impersonal. They make mistakes. They get in the way. Designing for users means you’re really designing for anybody else except the people using your stuff. So stop designing for users.
Eating My Own Dog Food
Business was in the doldrums for a while, which was the real impetus for my website redesign. I hadn’t done any sales or marketing since I went out on my own, more than 2 years ago, and I had barely done any networking, and only 1 UX event in the past year. With our move across the world, and having a new baby (who didn’t sleep well for the first 9 months of his life), focusing on long term business goals took a back seat. But it was time to try and get some new projects, and pick things up.
Time for Something New
I did it! I flipped back to WordPress from Drupal – again! It was time for a fresh start – something new. I needed a new site, and I needed to do it fast, because as every designer knows, you never have enough time to work on your own website. I actually do like Drupal – you can do anything you want with it. The problem is it usually takes a long time, and upgrades can be a huge hassle. I also felt it wasn’t advancing as fast as WordPress is, and decided to give WordPress another go.
The Case for Usability
At a previous employer where I was tasked with leading up their new user experience team, it became apparent we needed to hire usability specialists. I was simply stretched too thin to handle it all on my own. I was already handling user research - which required...
What’s Your User Experience goal?
I find myself explaining what user experience is less and less, as people become more familiar with it. It’s a given in any technology company that UX is necessary. People know they need, “a good user experience,” but people don’t usually know what that means.
The problem is, a “good user experience” is not a goal. It’s vague and imprecise. “Good” can mean a lot of things – it might mean easy to use; useful; pleasant to use; fun to use; and many other things.
How to Pass the HumanFactors CUA Exam
I've been getting a lot of emails lately on advice for taking the HumanFactors Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) exam. I'm not sure why now, since I took the exam ages ago (has it been two years??) - but anyway. I thought I would post a brief heads-up about the exam,...
Taking the Leap
I did it! I quit my job! Some of you have asked, "Why, Tevi? Why??" Why would I leave CSG International and the Content Direct team? It's a fantastic company, with huge potential. I was working with some of the finest and brightest in technology, and some of the...