Getting to the crux of user experience design

We’ve just come across a great article on user experience (UX) design by Leisa Reichelt giving her views on why the web isn’t an ocean of UX goodness. She highlights that the fundamental issue at fault is corporate culture and not the techniques used by the designers or developers.

Her main points are:

• You’re not making decisions (so you force the people who use your product to make them instead)
• You think your opinion counts (unless you’re the end user, it probably doesn’t)
• You don’t measure it (you’ve probably not even defined metrics for ‘good experience’ let alone tried to gather data for it)
• You don’t really care (companies who really care shape their organisations, their accounting systems, the culture around their customers)

Her argument that the iPhone is the result of Apple caring about the customer experience has been underlined recently with the tales of their obsession extending to the packaging.

It highlights the challenge for outside agencies that have little or no influence on the business culture of their clients, and why we should treasure those who are aiming to make their companies focus on their customers’ needs.

A highly recommended read.