Jakob Nielson
Nielson co-founded the Nielson Norman Group ‘NN/g’ with Don Norman. They are a UX research and consulting firm that are usability advocates and provide guidance on user experience. They do this by studying real users of apps and websites to find out which designs work best. This enables companies to improve their designs and create a better user experience. They have worked with companies such as Google, eBay and Sony.
He established the ‘discount usability engineering’ movement which involved the improvements of user interfaces quickly and cost effectively. A technique he used was the ‘simplified think out loud’ method. This involved having users carry out tasks on a system while openly saying what they were thinking. I think this is a great and unique way to identify any usability issues.
I decided to look further into what he says makes up a usable interface. I found that there are 5 components. These include:
- Learnability: When using the design for the first time, how easy is it to achieve goals?
- Efficiency: When they know how to use it, how quickly can they achieve tasks?
- Memorability: Is it easy to remember how to use it after a period of time?
- Errors: How many errors do users make?
- Satisfaction: How enjoyable is it to use the design?
Knowing these, I will be able to take this knowledge into my own work and designs.
After looking more into his articles and videos, I think the work he is doing is extremely beneficial. I watched his press conference on convincing companies to take UX and accessibility seriously. He said that ideally, companies would have an interface that works for everyone. For example, blind users having audio of the website. These systems would also be tested by these users.
He talked about ways we can convince companies to be more accessible. There is the more logical approach, meaning that they will gain more users if they are more inclusive. Then there is the more emotional approach where they are shown how their design is wrong by seeing users having issues with it. This will encourage them to change. Not only is he increasing awareness of accessibility, but he is also enabling companies to build their reputation and trust between themselves and clients.
This has shown me how important it is for interfaces to not only be accessible, but that they are tested by real users. It is easy enough to think you have a solution for all users, but if it isn’t tested, you will never know if it works properly, is effective and if it’s easy to use.
John Hicks
John Hicks is a designer; he has his own website ‘Hicks Designs’. I decided to look further into the work he does.
He recently worked with ‘The Interactive Health and Safety Company’ also known as ‘iHasco’ to recreate their logo. Below you can see their previous logo.
Here is the redesigned logo:
Some of the changes made include:
- The yellow triangle was moved from the group to highlight the ‘health and safety’ triangle. It also adds more dynamic.
- The letter A has the shape of the triangle in it
- The ‘C’ leads the eye smoothly onto the ‘O’, whereas before, it ended quite abruptly
I found it interesting seeing the thought process behind this and seeing how it could be improved.
He also worked with ‘DuckDuckGo’ on some illustrations telling a story of why you should use their search engine. One of these are shown below.
Looking at different projects by John Hicks taught me many things. It showed me that by making even small changes to something can drastically improve the look and feel of it. The font chosen is also important. For the iHasco logo, Buenos Aires was used. This added simplicity and it is easy to read. I think the illustrations he created were quirky, eye-catching and added an element of humour. These are great tactics to grab the audience’s attention. His work has inspired me to think outside the box and try out his style.
UsTwo
UsTwo are a company who “design and build digital products and services that make a tangible difference to peoples lives”. I decided to look further into the work they do as it always has a meaningful impact.
I found a case study on a meditation app they worked on called “sway”.
This is different than many other meditation apps as it teaches users how to be mindful in everyday life. Their goal was to help people “improve their attention and gain focus”. So they set out designing an interactive meditation app.
This interested me as the app went beyond physical screen interaction. Users could put their phone in their pocket and “be mindful” wherever they are. They did this by having calming audio to block out distractions and have a more focused mind. Users could also make mindful movements by walking or moving their arms and the app would track these.
The app is easy to use and requires no instructions or training. I think it is important for all apps to be like this as more people are likely to use it. It is more accessible as it can be used anytime and anywhere.
I think this is a unique approach to meditation and it inspires me to think outside the box with my own designs. UsTwo are very inspiring as they create digital experiences for millions of users that “add value to their daily life” which is what I aspire to do with my designs.
I also really appreciate their colour scheme and choice of typography. The purple colours are visually appealing and peaceful which suits the app. I like how the ‘S’ represents a calming wave whilst still being readable. This reinforces to me how important these design choices are as it will attract the audience to the product.