This document outlines 24 axioms of user experience design according to Erik Dahl. The axioms focus on putting people first, focusing on the experience rather than just the function, using stories to understand the world, finding the right problems before solving them, knowing the material you're working with, creating models instead of just narratives, reframing constraints as opportunities, managing complexity without oversimplifying, making prototypes and being willing to discard them, and understanding and working with emotions.
13. You have 20 seconds.
Design a vase.
Design a better way
for people to enjoy
flowers in their home.
ACTIVITY
14. You have 20 seconds.
Design a vase.
Design a better way
for people to enjoy
flowers in their home.
Design a better way
for people to connect
with nature.
ACTIVITY
19. [ Sorry. You missed a really great video here. ]
20. Truth of the matter was, stories was
everything and everything was stories.
Everybody told stories. It was a way of
saying who they were in the world. It
was their understanding of themselves.
It was letting themselves know how
they believed the world worked; the right
way and the way that was not so right.
22. “If I had an hour to solve a problem
and my life depended on the solution,
I would spend the first fifty-five
minutes determining the proper
question to ask, for once I know the
proper question, I could solve the
problem in less than five minutes.”
Albert Einstein
23. “If I had eight hours
to chop down a tree,
I’d spend six
sharpening my axe.”
Abraham Lincoln
36. The Deal Addict will split their time
between Browsing and Shopping.
Their Browsing is punctuated by an
effort to find the best deal regardless
of the product. Their Shopping is
defined by comparative pricing.
Inspire Me will spend a majority of
their time Browsing. Their
experience is marked by an indirect
path through the product offering to
find something that excites them.
Basic Value will not spend any time
in the Research or Browse phases
and will spend as little time as
possible in the Shop phase. They
want to get their shopping done and
get on with life.
The Flexible Learner will split their
time evenly across the phases as
they inform themselves. They may
not finalize the purchase within the
30 minute window.
Critical Explorer will spend all of their
time in the Research phase. They
are unlikely to complete their
Research and commit to a purchase
within the 30 minute window.
Research
Research is the gathering and/or
analysis of detailed information about
a specific product, groups of products
or services.
Deal Addict needs to feel powerful
and successful at saving money;
feed that need with information
about savings.
Inspire Me shops for pleasure,
wants to surf around. Help them
jump from one idea to the next to
see what is hot.
Basic Value will appreciate
consistency. Keep designs and
interactions for basic shopping
activities consistent and
predictable.
Flexible Learner needs to stay in a
comfort zone. Provide a
consistent experience with
information, language and
interactions across channels.
Critical Explorer wants in-depth
information about products. Help
them dig deep to find out more
and provide that information.
Browse
Browse is the perusal of products or
services without the direct intention of
purchasing.
Shop
Shopping is the act of searching for a
specific product, groups of products or
services with the direct intention of
purchasing.
Purchase
Purchasing is the act of the exchange
or transaction between the guest and
the store.
Goal Save Money
EMOTIONAL ANALYTICAL
See What’s New Supply Basic
Needs
Feel Confidence Find More
Information
The Critical Explorer will
move out of the Research
phase if/when the right
product is identified.
Flexible Learner will
move onto Shop only
when they are confident
in their decision.
Inspire Me will move
out of Browse when
something delights
them.
Basic Value will move
out of the Shop phase
when the needed
product is located.
Deal Addict will move
from Shop to Purchase if
they are confident they
are getting the best deal.
Target Personas | :30 Minutes to Shop This diagram shows how each persona would spend 30 minutes of their online experience.
Heuristics
Deal Addict Flexible LearnerBasic Value Critical ExplorerInspire Me
37.
38. [ Sorry. You missed a really great video here. ]
51. The law of conservation of complexity
in human-computer interaction states
that every application has an inherent
amount of complexity. This complexity
cannot be wished away and has to be
dealt with, either in product
development or in user interaction.
Larry Tesler, Xerox PARC