UX/UI Design vers. 1

User Experience Design (UXD)

Designing software, products and systems to be useful to a set of end users. It is a broad concept applied during the design process.

User Interface Design (UID)

Focuses on what users might need to do and ensuring that the interface has elements that are easy to access, understand, and use to facilitate those actions.

Interaction Design (IXD)

The design of the interaction between users and products. Most often software products like apps or websites. The goal is to create products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best way possible.

A/B testing

When you test two different versions of something with users to see which one they prefer.

Agile

This is a technique for incremental software development. It is an umbrella term for several different types of methodologies. It focuses on keeping code simple, testing often, and delivering functional parts of the application as soon as they're ready.

Backlog

A buildup of work that is due to be completed. The agile product backlog is a prioritised features list.

Beacon

This technology allows mobile apps to understand their position on a micro-local scale. It can send relevant contextual content to users based on their location. It uses Bluetooth Technology.

Breadcrumb Navigation

This is a secondary type of navigation that reveals your location in a website or app. Breadcrumbs trace the path back to your original starting point.

Iteration / Iterative Development

A way of breaking down software development into smaller pieces. In Agile development it is as set period of time (usually between 1-4 weeks).

Minimal Viable Product (MVP)

A way of developing a new product (e.g. a website) with acceptable features to suit the users. More features are only developed after feedback from the initial users.

Sprint Retrospective

When the team looks back on a Sprint to improve the process for the next Sprint.

Sprint Review

When the team looks at whether or not the Sprint Goal was achieved.

Scrum

An iterative agile software development framework for managing product development.

Sprint

A set period of time within which set tasks must be completed. Can last between 1-3 weeks depending on the project.

Waterfall

In this software development framework each phase must be completed before the next phase can begin. Unlike agile, it is not incremental.

Accessibility

The ease with which people can use and understand a website or app. Also refers to how websites and apps are adapted for those with disabilities or special needs. An example of this could be adapting colours to allow for people who are colour blind.

Card Sorting

A method used to help design or evaluate the information architecture of a site. In a \____ \_______ session, participants organise topics into categories that make sense to them. They may also be asked to label these groups. To do a \____ \____, you can use cards, pieces of paper, or an online \____ \_______ tool.

Competitor Analysis

This is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors.

Context of Use Analysis

Collecting and analysing information about the intended users, their tasks, the tools to support their goals, the physical environment that the product will be used in, the technical constraints and other factors that'll effect the user experience.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of visitors that complete a targeted transaction online.

End Users

This is the people who use a website/app or those who are participants or subjects of research studies.

User Engagement

Is about getting a users attention and keeping it. Anything that helps a user stay focused on a page or a screen (whether it be a button or a menu) is crucial.

Entry Field

Is where users are required to make text or data entries.

Ethnographic Research

This is the study of people in their own environment through the use of methods such as observation and face-to-face interviewing.

Fitt's Law

A mathematical model that predicts how long it will take to point at a target based on target size and proximity. The further away and smaller it is the longer it will take for user to interact with it.

Focus Group

This is a discussion with a group of participants, that a moderator leads through a set of questions on a particular topic. The idea is to obtain feedback about users, products, concepts, prototypes, tasks, strategies, and environments.

Hick's Law

Describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has. Increasing the number of choices will increase the decision time.

KISS Principle

Keep it Simple Stupid. It states that most systems work best if they are kept simple. Simplicity is a key goal in design.

Learnability

How easy or difficult it is to learn to effectively use a system or interface.

Qualitative Research

The study of human behaviour that focuses on context and observations rather than numerical data or statistics.

Quantitative Research

The study of human behaviour that focuses on numerical data and statistics. This can be done through polls, questionnaires and surveys.

Remote Usability Studies

Allows you to conduct user research with participants in their own environment by using screen sharing software. It allows you to record the face and voice of participants.

User Flow Diagram

The path a user follows through an application or website. Doesn't have to be linear, it can branch out in a non-linear path. By determining this path you can see possible turns through the route and can optimize the user experience.

User Story

Describes the type of user, what they want and why. Creates a simplified description of a requirement. Typically follows a simple template: As a < type of user \>, I want < some goal \> so that < some reason \>.

Usability

How effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily a user can interact with a user interface.

Affordances

Clues about how an object should be used. E.g. A toothbrush has a handle a little longer than the human palm. It affords gripping.