Blog

   Most people have been cautioned that everything they do online and on their phones leaves a cyber breadcrumb trail, where your internet searches and activities are logged. That is because all of these interactions that people engage in with technology every single day generate data points. As technology continues to play ever more important roles in our daily lives, it only makes sense that the amount of data that is being created will continue to increase. The sheer quantity of data that exists out there is getting bigger, and as follow, big data metrics and analytics are becoming more and more important.

       It seems obvious that when designing a product or app, you should have a clear understanding of who you are designing for. Who is the product or app made for and how will that individual use it? It might seem easier or more cost-effective to just try to make a “one-size-fits-all” type of product, however, that is not addressing user specific needs and wants. As more and more products flood the marketplace, users are looking to find product and content that is specific to them and their needs. In order to make designs successful for users, it is important to understand the people who are going to be the users.

     Competitive Intelligence (CI) is something that is often thought of as a great concept but is not always implemented as a business tool, even though it should be. CI is a useful and critical a business tool that helps business to stay competitive within their fields. Let's start with what it is; Competitive Intelligence is the process and action of collecting, identifying, analyzing information about products, customers, and competitors within a specific industry.

      Last week we discussed the difference between current-state and future-state journey maps.  To recap, current-state journey maps focus on capturing an already existing users journey and addressing the various pain points that may arise throughout that journey. A future-state journey map focuses on creating a new type of journey for the user, rather than adjusting an old one. Where current-state journey maps are fact-based and data-driven, future-state journey maps are based on imagination and innovation. You can think of the left brain and right brain analogy- current-state journey mapping is on the calculated left, whereas future-state journey mapping falls on the creative right side. But how exactly does one carry out a future-state journey map?

     Let me ask you a question. Have you ever asked yourself, "where should I connect with my users to get the feedback I need?" After deciding how to proceed, did you get the answers you were seeking? If not, perhaps where you met the user wasn’t the ideal place.

     At KLI, we help our clients identify the most ideal venue based on a number of factors: the type of questions they have, the type of data/observations they seek, the amount of time they have, and their budget.

       Pretty much everyone in the UX industry has come across a customer journey map at some point or another. A customer journey map is a useful tool that helps to outline the customers’ journey, from start to finish. It covers the customer's initial contact with the product, through their process of engagement and even covering longtime usage. Customer journey maps help provide useful insight into a user’s feelings, motivations, and questions when interacting with that product. Customer journey maps are usually carried out in similar ways and then presented as an infographic. However, there is a new and innovative take on the customer journey map that can offer ingenious insights into the customers’ journey and can help to create a brand new experience.

      We’ve discussed various design processes such as design thinking and design feeling, but we have yet to discuss the design process that focuses on the user from beginning to end. While this may seem silly to state, often time the design process is focused on trying to convey a certain message or goal, and the way in which the user can interact with that sometimes falls secondary. This isn’t for lack of interest in the user, this often time happens because the design process is fueled by peoples creative ideas and creating emotionally meaningful concepts. So how do we effectively tighten the reins on this creative process to make sure that the user remains the focus?

          Call to Action buttons are something we often use and implement but, we rarely talk about what exactly makes them effective or ways to improve them. To start off, call to action (or CTA) buttons are buttons that are used on websites, apps, or landing pages that’s goal is to help guide users towards completing the task you have set out for them. CTA buttons are the buttons that your user needs to click in order to take the action you want them to take, whether it be signing up for your newsletter, or completing a purchase.

         A few weeks ago we explored the concept of Design Thinking and how that can be carried out in order to better understand a users pain points and learn how to effectively address them. During the design thinking process, there is a brainstorming phase in which all the ideas surrounding user opinions, user needs, and design issues are brought to light. This can be a pretty overwhelming portion of the design phase, and brainstorming is something that can occur even outside of the design context. However, brainstorming can often become cluttered and overwhelming if there are too many ideas being thrown around. So, how do we organize all the great ideas we have so that we can figure out the best ones?

Experts can be very helpful during initial design efforts for a product, sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with a development team to guide their understanding of user requirements. After all, they understand everything in the domain so well and know a ton of skills, some of which they can perform without breaking a sweat. But what if we told you that expert influence on early design decisions can also introduce biases if not adequately checked?