What is User Experience Design, and why does it matter? The goal of this deck is to share an answer to as wide an audience as possible.

1. WHAT IS UX DESIGN?
User
Experience
ROSS/PWrosspw.com/blog @rosspw

2. ROSS/PW
HELLO!
MY NAME IS
Ross
Popoff-­Walker
I’VE DESIGNED SITES, APPS,
AND GAMES FOR OVER A DECADE

3. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
AS A UX DESIGNER,
I AM ALWAYS ASKED
the
same
question...

4. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
What
the
@$%!
does
a
UX
Designer
do?
“
“

5. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
A UX DESIGNER SOLVES PROBLEMS BY
putting
themselves
in
the
customer’s
shoes.

6. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE...
Let’s
design
a
chair
together.

7. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Where
would
we
start?

8. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
If we design a chair for
ourselves, we’ll decide:
• What materials will be best?
• The proper size size?
• Ergonomics and shape?
• Where will the chair go?

9. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
But if we design a chair for
a
customer, we’ll need to
discover:
• Are they working or relaxing?
• How long will they use it for?
• Where will they use it?

10. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
UX DESIGN
E N C O M PA S S E S
ALL ELEMENTS OF
DESIGNING FOR
Other
People

11. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Unfortunately,
“design”
has
become
readily
associated
with
visual
aesthetic
and
“style.”

12. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
SEARCH PINTEREST FOR “Design”
& YOU’LL FIND BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

13. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
DESIGN IS not JUST
WHAT IT Looks
LIKE
AND Feels LIKE.
D E S I G N I S
How
it
Works.
-­
STEVE
JOBS
“
“

14. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
DESIGN is
a
PROCESS
1. Gather diverse inputs.
2. Sketch, try things, fail.
3. Narrow in on solutions.

15. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Great
products
are
USEFUL
USEABLE
and
BEAUTIFUL

16. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
DESIGNERS FIRST START WITH Useful, THEN FOCUS ON Usable...
Beautiful
Usable
Useful

17. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
AND THEN FOCUS ON MAKING IT Beautiful.
Beautiful
Usable
Useful

18. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
FOCUS ON Beautiful
FIRST AND YOU
END UP WITH SOMETHING Unusable.
Beautiful
Usable
Useful

19. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
LIKE A TEAPOT THAT CAN’T POUR TEA

20. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Great
products
don’t
start
out
beautiful.
TWITTER’S FIRST HOMEPAGE GOOGLE’S HOMEPAGE IN 1998

21. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
OXO GOODGRIPS PEELER PROTOTYPES
Great
products
don’t
start
out
beautiful.

22. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Online
design
culture
focuses
largely
on
aesthetics.

23. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Designers
are
sharing
gorgeous
looking
pixel-­perfection.

24. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
NO MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL,
THEY OVERLOOK
“Useful” AND “Usable.”

25. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
OUR WORLD
DOES NOT
NEED More
WEATHER APPS

26. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
Our
World
Needs
USEFUL
USEABLE
and
BEAUTIFUL

27. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
The
RARELY ACKNOWLEDGED
Truth ABOUT DESIGNING THINGS
Design is not a skill-set.
It is a mindset.

28. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
EVERYONE is
a UX DESIGNER
Shift your mindset to focus on
people-centered solutions.

29. WHAT IS (UX) DESIGN? / @rosspw / RossPW.com
1.
Gather
diverse
inputs.
2.
Sketch,
try
things,
fail.
3.
Narrow
in
on
solutions.
4.
Design
for
“useful
&
usable.”
5.
Then
make
it
beautiful.

30. THANK YOU.
@rosspw
rosspw.com/blog
PS.

31. You

32. should

33. follow

34.
me,

35. and

36. read

37. my

38. blog!
ROSS/PW