For someone conversant and interested in new technologies, it’s a whirlwind of terms. UX, IxD, CX, UCD, guerrilla research, emotional design, strategic UX, etc all seem to be fancy names for the name things. Keywords in resumes are getting more ‘cool’ and at the same time more complicated. This is the same when one talks about lean UX and agile UX. Many think that both these terms refer to the same end – the connection between design and product development. Both aims towards making designing faster, both implicate a broader user experience and both bring in tools that facilitate the processes. So, why are there two different terms for the same thing? Let’s check out the differences.

What is Agile UX?

The agile revolution is rooted in software creation. In the days of the past, design wasn’t as valued an asset as it is today. Consequently, less attention was paid to its form and less investment was made in designers. Software development was all about being able to deliver results – the look of the interfaces didn’t matter.

However, design gradually became important for a more functional product. It facilitated a better user experience, easier handling of interface, intuitive user interaction and consequently, a faster understanding of the product. Agile design concept followed a simple set of principles:

• Interactions and individuals against tools and processes
• Working software against comprehensive documentation
• Change response against following plans
• Customer collaboration against contract negotiations

These are still the golden guidelines that are being used to develop agile digital products. To be a fit for the new concept, UX (user experience) need to change focus and working techniques. Agile UX today, essentially unifies designers and developers to support a more intuitive and easy product development.

What is Lean UX?

The main difference between Agile UX and Lean UX proceeds from the ‘startup culture’. Startups, as businesses in competition, are expected to deliver products as fast as they can and develop better sales strategies for the business to survive. Thus, it is essential that a vast amount of knowledge in the form of data and information is gathered to serve the iterations of a product. The goal of Lean UX is to present the best way to develop a minimum viable product and push it towards the customers as fast as possible. Generally, the process involves bringing out the core product first, checking its market demand/acceptance and then bringing out newer versions/updates to realize a better adoption. The lean development process involves several learning loops, involving build – measure – learn.

It’s a lean UX if a product is being constantly updated by gathering customer/user feedback. Thus Lean UX requires better understanding of customer behavior, giving it the alternative name of “Executed UX”.

Which is better?

Agile UX bring out a more polished product from its onset but Lean UX would support several versions of product that is constantly being polished/refined. The method you choose would thus depend on the type of product you are working at.

Donald Arthur Norman has been a very prominent figure in the design world. Apart from that, he has founded several startups, is an author and more popularly, a very captivating speaker. He is best known by his books, especially the title, “The Design of Everyday Things”. Now, much of Don’s own design is centered on user friendliness. From doors to computers, he has been encouraging academics, creativity and technological innovation to refining existing products. His approach has always focused on designs that that have been able to simplify task structures, make things more visible, mapping things rightly, elimination of design errors, affordance, and exploiting the ‘power of constraints’. Let’s discuss some of his design tips that are applicable to our UI/UX industry.

1.     The principles of design remain the same

According to Don, the basic principle of designing remains the same. Though time is changing and technology is evolving, the main goal of designing has always been to make things simpler to use, see, feel and understand.

2.     Great products being a small part of the story

There could be an amazing solution to a specific problem but as long as the solution isn’t packaged well, it might fail to leave any consequences. User experience is the only thing that completes a product. The best example for this could be Apple – a company that based its products on user experience. If we begin to compare, the iPod provides the same functionality as the average walkman but iPod became more loved simply because the way it worked.

3.     User experience must be complete

The aim of design, be it products or websites should not be limited to just the user experience but the entire interaction it has with the end user. As long as design doesn’t support functionality, it is as good as being useless.

4.     Being late is better than being too early

Great designs might have integrated high end usability but it is also necessary to ensure that the end audience is ready for the new revolution. If you don’t have a strategy to be able to change the way a user interacts with your product/service/website, it is better not to lead the design innovation. Reception holds the clue to the success of your revolutionizing UI/UX.

5.     Design isn’t the absolute necessity in MVP

If your products/service can offer high value to its customers, UX/UI won’t matter too much. However, this would only apply to the first iteration of the product. At later iterations, design will hold the key to adoption. So, if you are a startup business, don’t spend too heavily on UI. Focus on your core services and once you start making money, design would be the key in encouraging your customers to stay with you.

6.     Focus

We all know how too many cooks can spoil the broth. Similarly, too many designers engaged in the same UI/UX blueprint will provide inconsistent products. Stick to a dictator of a chief designer and let him challenge himself!

Write in with your comments on which of these will be a part of your next UX Design project

UX defines whether your customers perceive you as a helpful, smart and efficient brand or an outdated, cluttered and inconvenient experience. In this age of smartphones, wearables, and Internet of Things, convenience is the only factor that takes brands, products and services to higher levels. The implication is quite simple but at the same time incredibly crucial for success.

UX or user experience hasn’t just become the foundation for brands but also present new opportunities across verticals. Gone are the days when there were just a few service providers and brands like Ford could afford to say that they “can sell a car in any color as long as they are black”. Today, the customer and end user rules the market. Any degree of inconvenience will come to strike back badly.

It has been for enough reasons that 84% of global companies were committed to a customer experience goals in 2014. Today, more companies are joining the bandwagon and investing to make their brands more customer-centric. Here are the latest trends in this regard:

1.       Invisible UX

The concept is similar to an iceberg – 10% visible and 90% surprise. The latest app development concept has been termed “Slippy UX”, wherein user interactions are mostly invisible and non-distracting. This UX trend compels developers in creating scenarios that eliminates all unsafe and unwanted attention to the app, thereby increasing its usability. From smart homes to wearable devices, everything is being integrated with the “Slippy” experience to cut back the problem of information overload and giving end users an incredible experience.

2.       Material design

A Google initiative, Material Design is aimed at developing usability and graphic standards to work across a variety of devices including smartphones, wearable, desktops, smart TV, etc. Material design will support new input methods like gesture, voice, touch and mouse that simplify usability and integrates an element of ‘fun’ into the purpose. Material designing is also moving towards the concept of skeuomorphism that makes digital screen behave as physical objects.

3.       More of physical experience

It has been said time and often that the only limitation of digital experience is not being able to match up with real physical processes. Shopping for example has gone digital but many still prefer a first-hand feel of products before they pay for it. Well, this problem would be solved soon. In 2015, we already see a rise in Internet of things, wherein the line between digital and physical experience gets thinner and blurs out.

4.       Security and Privacy

Lastly, the biggest challenge and development in the lines of UX has been security and privacy. Everything is being processed and done through information – information which could be stolen. We are certainly making progress in the field of data encryption, stricter access, regulated logins and identity safety.

These are just the beginnings of a new era in UX. UX has and will continue to amaze and surprise us. Write in to us and let us know which element of UX will be your key success factor in the near future.

With the web constantly evolving and encompassing newer aspects of human life, those using it for professional needs find it daunting to cope with the huge changes sometimes! The constant evolution in web design have been drastic in last few years. Just to discuss an instance – for businesses, having an online presence is no longer enough; they need to understand user needs better and mould their services and products accordingly. This is where UX or user experience steps in.

Busting the key prevalent UX myths

The term UX is often misunderstood and misinterpreted at many levels. UX design emphasizes ease of access and use for the end user of a website. It is not merely about design elements and features. The aim of UX is finding the right balance between business goals of the entity, and user needs and expectations.

Below are a few common misconceptions about UX that you need to know:

Myth 1: UX is distinct from web design

A lot of business owners still have the misconception that User Experience design is same as web design. The truth is UX development doesn’t merely encompass making some changes in design of your website. UX stretches beyond entire design process. It covers web design for sure but it also deals with how and where a business connects with its clients.

Myth 2: UX is only about improving usability

This is another prevalent myth about UX! There is no denying usability is integral part of UX design but it also includes analysis of business principles and targeting users. You have to study behavioral and emotional reactions of your target customers to specific designs. Once these are analyzed and well understood, you will be able to use a design both as branding tool and weapon for revenue earning.

Myth 3: You know what your users like and need

This is one big mistake businesses make about assessing customer mindset and preferences and it extends to UX design too. It is natural that you will love your company’s products and services but that may not always be the case with your clients. Without extensive research about customers by studying market trends and analyzing changing customer expectation, decisions in UX should not be made.

Myth 4: Flawless design translates into great UX

To develop quality UX, flawless design will be required but an aesthetic looking website alone cannot guarantee revenue or increase in number of visitors. Even when your website looks superb, testing it for performance issues is mandatory. Aspects like cross browser compatibility, consistency in desktop and mobile sites and rendering anomaly should be checked in detail. UX is enhanced when you achieve a balance between design and performance.

Myth 5: UX can be enhanced by newer technology

Remember UX design is not about implementing new technology. Ultimately, it’s about what your clients want and how your business can address those needs and exceed their expectations. If implementing new technology gels seamlessly with existing methods and does not create confusions for end users, it is fine.

These were a few UX design myths that you need to protect your development expertise against. Let us know if there are any other myths that you would like to dismiss.

Mobile navigation designing offers unlimited flexibility and opportunity to designers to show their creativity. While there isn’t a select few ways to create mobile navigation design, some patterns have proved to be more user-friendly and workable than others. One should understand that the whole point in coming up with interface designs is to make it intuitive and save users the complicacy in requiring to learn the navigation. Controls need to be familiar enough but look unique and customized. Further, interface designing also needs to adhere to utmost consistency, wherever the users choose to move to. Here are some of the top picks when it comes to mobile UI patterns for mobile navigation.

1.       Sliders

Sliders have been integrated to take advantage of the ‘touch’ feature in modern smartphones. However, if viewed as a means of navigation, they have been relatively underused. Sliders seem to be perfect tools if you have a limited number of elements to browse. Complimented with gesture control, they are also fun and feel natural. Mobile designers have been using sliders to help users navigate through progressive and closely linked pages. It is a practical solution that doesn’t complicate the design yet make it feel unique.

2.       Pictorial icons

Pictorial icons to navigate are a practical solution if you are looking to save screen space. Intuitively, the picture will be self explanatory about the space it would link/take to. While these icons check the requisite of familiarity, they can even be used creatively to bring out a unique interface design. The uniqueness here would depend on the arrangement of the icons, the style of the icon and even icon animation. A great example of this UI pattern would be the ‘Circle Map’. Pictorial icons can even be integrated with the slider feature to beef up the space and make it a much more interactive process.

3.       Card grid

The Card Grid patterned interface is on the rise as its attaches more adaptability and simplicity to the design. Smart phone users will often encounter menus split into a grid of buttons wherein users will have to touch / press / select the relevant card to go to the required page. The best example would be the Microsoft Lumia screen which even integrates a vertically dropping slider to accommodate all options. Cards can be either of images or text or both. The crucial point is that they can be used to create a coherent and organized interface of available options.

4.       The Spinner Wheel

A little heavy on the coding part, spinner wheels are just like the spinning wheels in a casino. You can use gesture and touch to rotate the wheel and choose among the variety of options attached to each section of the wheel. A design advantage of the spinner wheel is the ability to attach continual repetition of option. Unlike sliders that have an end, spinner wheels are continuous and this engages the user in a more fun interaction.

The type of mobile UI pattern one chooses depends on the exact balance that he/she wants to strike between creativity and simplicity. Its best to find a mid point as excess of any is damaging too.

Here is some great news to share! GoodWorkLabs, the leader in UX design and product development, has been has been shortlisted for the Best UX Design Studio Award 2015 and named in top 10 of India’s best UX design studios by the design focused POOL Magazine

What is significant is that we were chosen by study and survey conducted with about 100 industry experts + online survey conducted with Designindia community with participation of over 500 professionals.  Know more about the awards and other design categories here on the POOL Magazine post.

We are perhaps the youngest company in the list of UX design firms, and this nomination is the testimony of our innovation and design thinking. The last year has been a phenomenal journey for us, as we worked with top firms across the globe to craft simple, aesthetic and highly efficient products with great user experience.

We thank our clients and partners for the wonderful opportunities they entrusted us with to work on some incredible products and challenges.

Kudos to the GoodWorkLabs team! And cheers to a great journey ahead!

Recently, one of the most interesting developments in the field of wearable smart technology took place when Apple released their much awaited Apple watch. Excitement has already been sky-high about the impending release of this device, with Apple CEO Tim Cook fueling the fire by saying that this gadget will “change the way you live your life”.

This new, exciting piece of advanced wearable technology coming from the Apple stable has already had Apple enthusiasts waiting, and its release has caused a lot of excitement and fanfare. After teasing the Apple watch for the first time last year, Apple provided us with a detailed preview of the device this month, and has confirmed that the device will be available in stores sometime in April. Developers around the world have already prepared themselves to launch their own apps for the Apple watch platform, and there is already a steadily growing accessory market related to the product.

The Journey of the Apple Watch

The Apple watch was teased last year during the launch of the much-awaited iPhone 6. Eager fans had to wait for quite a while before the second, detailed teaser came this month, along with the launch of the new 12-inch model of the MacBook. The device is scheduled to hit the stores in major countries in the month of April, about six months after Apple provided us with a first look at it.

Competitively priced and coming in various designs, the Apple watch is set to enter an already competitive market currently full of Android platform based devices. The specifications and feature set on offer, along with the value and quality of the Apple brand makes this device an attractive choice for Apple users around the world.

Features and Specifications

For people who are accustomed to wearable technology coming in fairly generic, unimpressive designs, Apple has solved the problem by creating multiple designs for the Apple watch. The three basic varieties available are –

• The basic, entry level Apple watch
• The Apple watch Sport, which comes with a ruggedized body and reinforced glass on top
• The Apple watch Edition, built for those with discerning fashion tastes

There are also choices based on color, packing cases and dial sizes, with a number of cosmetic and functional customization options.

With the UI, Apple has tried to address some of the problems people have when trying to work through icons on a small screen. The new Digital Crown technology uses the dial on the side to navigate the device, zoom in and out and also acts like the home button in Apple devices. The device can also recognize the force and pressure of the touch input and respond accordingly.

Apple has also incorporated a new notification system that enabled the watch to tap or nudge your wrist to alert you about important notifications. Most Apple device apps will be able to sync with the device, send notifications and present you with mini previews of their information on the watch display. The Apple watch is also set to contain a number of health and fitness features, and be perfectly compatible with Apple’s virtual assistant Siri.

Will you be ordering the Apple Watch soon? Write in to us and let us know.

The concept of Design Thinking has been gaining momentum these days, mainly due to the fact that it offers a very structured yet simple way to meet design challenges effectively. The methodology of problem solving stays the same in its inner core irrespective of the industry vertical being served.

Blending creativity in solutions construct, with customer understanding and iterative learning is what Design Thinking is based on. To help you out more in this regard, we have broken down the concept of design thinking into 8 vital steps. Let’s take a look at how these different steps or phases of design thinking can prove to be overall useful for designing a new IT solution.

1. Find the Purpose– It is the feel that one gets when something new should be introduced into the market and it has huge potential as a concept. The same feel or desire can fuel your vision as well as mission to bring that product or idea into the market.

2. Get a Closer Look– This step is about understanding the potential customers for the idea or product that we are going to bring into the market. So, market research companies can prove to be helpful in this regard. They will provide a clear picture of the probable future of your idea.

3. Find your Targeted Customers/Audience – Once you figure out who your targeted customers are, it is the time to understand them more closely, which can be done by diving deep into their world or environment. This process will help you know the blind spots.

4. Interact with your Targeted Customers/Audience – Once you get into the environment of your potential customers and analyze their behavior, it is the time to collect direct inputs from them.

5. Assimilate the Ideas – Your idea of building a product and its application on the actual ground is a complete different thing. So, based on the inputs received from your potential customers, you have to modify your product or idea accordingly. No doubt, numbers of brainstorming sessions are required in this case, and I feel that this is one of the most important steps, as it allows you a last major chance to bring up any significant changes before your product or idea finally rolls out in the market.

6. Integration – Based on the results obtained in the above step, now you should start building the first model or the prototype. The prototype should incorporate the inputs from design, marketing, development and intelligence department.

7. Test your Product/Service – This phase is about testing your prototype in the real environment.

8. Strengthening– From the last step’s result, we can get a little idea about how the idea or product should be promoted in the market. Dealing with the competition is something you have to plan out in this very step.

To wrap up

Following the above mentioned steps of Design Thinking can surely help us in rolling out a product or idea in a better way, with immense potential of achieving successful results.

‘Design Thinking’ is at the core of our DNA at GoodWorkLabs, and we practice it for every single product or a feature we craft. Our UX Design studio has been successful in creating path breaking products in software, mobile apps, and games arenas because we true follow ‘Design First’ philosophy and everything starts from the design perspective.