Session slides from Future Insights Live, Vegas 2015: https://futureinsightslive.com/las-vegas-2015/ As UX designers, we love to dive right into new technology, from navigating through a new UI or parsing jargon-filled instructions. But to many of our users – especially the less tech-savvy ones – adopting new tools and changing workflows can be a stressful experience. It’s important to remember to design for the users – not for ourselves. Users like Justin’s mom, Donna, who's been running creative businesses online since 1995. In this session, Justin will leverage his experience as his mom’s webmaster and share his strategies for designing interactions and writing copy that will work for users of any skill level. He’ll look at common pitfalls that less-than-savvy users fall into when learning new workflows as well as principles that empower all users

1. Design For Users,
Not Yourself
UX Lessons My Mom Taught Me
Justin Barr Young
@theJayBeeWhy
Future Insights Live 2015

2. Who am I?
• UX Architect at Media Temple
• UX/UI design, information architecture, front-end dev
• Side gig for the last 15 years

4. What does my mom have to do with UX?

6. Us, every day

7. Design for users,
not yourself.

8. • My mom as a user
• The UX principles she taught me
• A few case studies

9. My mom, Donna
© Donna Young, donnayoung.com

10. Creative professional,
online business owner,
and self-described luddite.

11. © Donna Young, donnayoung.com

12. © Donna Young, donnayoung.com

13. donnayoung.com

14. © Donna Young, donnayoung.com

19. My mom is a user (persona)
• Great subject in a usability test
• She reveals what really works and what really
doesn’t work
• Think it’s her fault for not “getting” it
• She’s a litmus test for whether a product upholds its
end of the bargain

20. Love/hate relationship
with technology
Love/hate relationship
with technology

21. [stopping bullets
image]

23. “What if I erase everything?”
“What if I get locked out?”
“What if my stuff disappears?”

24. The stakes are high.

25. My mom and 1Password

26. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understands the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:

27. “I’m having a hard time
keeping track of all my
passwords.”
Problem:

28. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understands the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:

29. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understands the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:

30. 1Password
A single, strong
password

31. “What if my stuff disappears?”

32. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understands the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:

34. “What if I erase everything?”
“What if I get locked out?”

35. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understands the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:

36. What can we learn from my
mom’s challenges as a user?

37. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Understanding the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
The process:
!
!

38. “What if I erase everything?”
“What if I get locked out?”
“What if my stuff disappears?”

39. • Identifies a problem critical to her business.
• Eagerly adopts a solution (app, service, device).
• Internalizes the concept behind the solution.
• Learns to operate the solution.
• “Gets it” and uses it like a pro.
Her process:
!
!

40. Eager adoption

41. Eager adoption Getting it

42. Eager adoption Getting itFear

43. Eager adoption Getting itFear
“What if I erase everything?”
“What if I get locked out?”
“What if my stuff disappears?”

44. Eager adoption Getting itFear
Uncertainty, ambiguity,
possibility of negative outcomes

45. Eager adoption Getting it

46. Eager adoption Getting it
Certainty, predictability, control

47. (via Jared Spool @jmspool)

48. “What if my stuff disappears?”

49. “What if my photos disappear?”

51. It’s on us to make technology’s value
obvious to users.
Practice empathy and fight disdain.

52. UX Principles my mom taught me.
(How to practice thinking about users of every skill level.)

53. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.

55. 1 2 3
4 1.5?
2.5?

58. Instructions are for users that
actually need instructions.
Be linear and explicit.

59. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.

60. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.

63. Don’t be clever when you
need to be specific.
Technical instructions
should be technical.

64. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.

65. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.

68. If the user has a question,
answer it or offer a resource.
If they need to do something
important, help them.

69. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.
The UX Principles

70. A few case studies.

71. mediatemple.net

72. mediatemple.net

73. mediatemple.net

74. mediatemple.net

75. mediatemple.net

76. mediatemple.net

77. mediatemple.net

78. mediatemple.net

79. mediatemple.net

80. mediatemple.net

81. mediatemple.net

82. 1. Make instructions logical.
2. Be direct.
3. Anticipate anxiety.
The UX Principles

83. Thanks!
@theJayBeeWhy
jbarr.co