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The Freelance Studio Denver, Co. User Experience Agency There are plenty of online courses available for anyone looking. They come from both educational institutions like Stanford and MIT, and from those looking to disrupt the education industry, like Udemy and Khan Academy. Although these efforts have all achieved a fair amount of popularity, they suffer from regular shortcomings, ranging from certifications that don’t prove their value, to lack of engagement, to lack of curricular direction. In the design and tech industry there is an eager community of students, willing to pay and interested in learning. As a result, a number of organizations specialize in the tech industry, including the casual Treehouse, more institutionalized General Assembly, and our topic for today, Designlab. Designlab focuses on user experience, visual design, and branding courses, and has a few big names on its advisory board. Designlab looks impressive. But rather than compare it to other online courseware, we thought we’d take a look at a simple question: how does Designlab’s UX Research & Strategy course stack up as a standalone approach to the topics it addresses? What sort of UX practitioner will benefit from it? Take a peak at Designlab before we dive in Below, we look at at the straight-up facts about the course, what makes it something special, where they’re working out the kinks, and ultimately, a final verdict. STRAIGHT FACTS First, the basics. Designlab’s UX Research & Strategy covers user experience research, design thinking, and product ideation. The coursework is set up to be reviewed and completed over 4 weeks, costs $300, and demands about 40 hours of the student’s time, all in all. Before getting started, students are encouraged (but not required) to check out the following toolset: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Balsamiq Mockups Sketch Keynote Macaw According to Designlab, coursework is broken up as 30% reading time, 50% project time, and 20% communications. As for structure, the course is divided into 6 “units.” Each unit comprises an introduction, some descriptions and then “Lectures,” which are separate from the main interface, and provide a distraction-free clickthrough experience. The Lectures are brief, and often link to further recommended reading or watching. The 6 units are: Introduction Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test This list might look familiar — the curriculum is modeled off of the Stanford design thinking methodology (also seen all over the place at IDEO’s Design Kit). For the more seasoned UXers and designers, there are probably no surprises hidden within these lectures and exercises. However, for those new to user experience research and design, this is a solid overview. What makes Designlab stand out is their mentorships. All students are assigned a real human mentor, who reviews exercises, answers questions, and checks in on a weekly basis. Mentor meetings are built into the requirements, and count toward course completion. In addition, the course encourages students to bring their own real-world projects to work on and workshop with their mentor. Finally, upon course completion, students are given a certificate for all their hard work. But that’s enough of the facts. Let’s jump into the the good stuff, the minor gripes, and other qualitative bits. THE GOOD My overall experience in this course was positive. Although I’m an experienced UX designer, I enjoyed a few “aha” moments while working through the exercises. Designlab’s web app for the online coursework is simple but nice, and it was neat to see other students’ work in the community showcase area (but more on that later). There were a few things that stood out, though. THE CURRICULUM Make no mistake—this is certainly an introductory course, and it’s nothing novel. For students who have any project experience (agency or in-house), this course is likely not worth the cost. But for beginners, this is one of the best overview courses I’ve seen. The folks who designed Designlab’s course very much subscribe to the Stanford D-School style of design thinking—and that’s a very good thing. By providing students with a respected and useful framework for design ideation, the course does a good job setting the stage for those “aha!” moments. It also serves as a good introduction into the field’s jargon; those new to UX will walk away from the course ready to throw down “storyboard” or “empathy map” into a conversation. I could certainly understand any criticism that the curriculum is a mile wide and an inch deep, but the point of this work isn’t so much in the lectures—it’s in the application and exercises. And those, for the most part, are well structured. Interspersed within each of the units are “projects,” which require students to apply what they’ve just learned. Projects range from storyboards to landing page mockups to landing page testing. Once projects are completed, the student uploads the work (in various formats—there’s a lot of flexibility) and then, come time for the weekly mentor meeting, student and mentor are prepared to discuss. This process makes the course curriculum a knock-out. THE WEB APP As web apps go, this is a nice app. It does what it needs to do, which is allow me to complete my coursework and submit it. The collapsible vertical navigation is usable and yet stays out of the student’s way while she works through the units. A progress wheel on the dashboard vibrantly displays the amount of work done, and what’s remaining. The mentor’s happy face is on that dashboard too, welcoming the student to ask questions, should questions arise. The Designlab welcome screen I feel real, real good about those check marks. Units are broken out by vertically stacked cards, which ensures each unit is clearly separate. When activated, the unit takes over the whole screen, further ensuring that visual distractions are a minimum. While it’s not perfect (for example, there are surveys that pop up at the end of each and every lecture) , it’s certainly an environment conducive to learning, and one that allowed me to understand my overall position in the course. And perhaps more importantly, the bright colors, soft shadows, and plethora of icons is friendly. It just feels nice to interact with. THE (WELL, MY) MENTOR Still, what sets Designlab apart is their mentor program, and having been through a course, I can understand why. My mentor had no business being as patient as she was. She was fantastic. Always prompt, always firm with her requests or suggestions, and always fully present. When a pretty severe personal crisis interfered with the course (I actually was unable to finish in 4 weeks, extending the course to 6), she was thoughtful, accommodating, and understanding. Our sessions were over Skype (though Skype can be finicky), and were scheduled to be an hour long, once a week. We’d go over the exercises I’d completed, discuss them and the choices I’d made, and just generally talked design. The value may be self evident, but having someone available to talk through a design or an idea — this might have been what made or broke the course as a whole. The conversations really drive a need to justify decisions and choices, which is an invaluable skill and requisite in a UX professional’s day-to-day. Without having a real person to go over things with, driving things, it would have been a very different beast. BE FOREWARNED While Designlab is doing a great job with their mentorship opportunities and course offerings, there are always areas for growth and opportunity. And, to be honest, there are some things that prospective students should just know ahead of time, so that they might avoid frustration or mishap.. THE TIME CONSTRAINTS Students are expected to finish their Designlab coursework in a month. I’m a firm believer in deadlines, and the Designlab folks are not afraid to tell us “the design process requires a lot of time and effort.” Good on them. And yet… while boundaries are awesome and, arguably, essential for maintaining momentum, it really turned into a primary source of stress. Yes I committed to it, and yes I was told up front it would be a lot of work. Still, most people taking a course have full time jobs (as I do) and after-work activities (guilty as well). As a result, I was left feeling guilty for having to reschedule with my mentor a number of times. Again, this isn’t on Designlab; it’s on me. But it’s worth pointing out to prospective students—with accountability measures in place, this can certainly be a point of stress. Designlab is not as casual as other online learning tools: be prepared, and clear your schedule! THE COMMUNITY This is where Designlab has the most work ahead of them. Social pressure, interaction, obligation, etc—these are important elements in the success and efficacy of any online learning experience (and an ongoing challenge online learning environments). Designlab attempts to address this in two ways. First, the Discussions tab; essentially a message board. A rather empty one at that, or at least it was in this particular course. It would have been really nice if students were more eager to communicate in the discussion section; I’m not convinced, however, there’s a solution to this, particularly given the amount of attention required for the actual project work. Students may not have time to contribute to the message board, which decreases the sense of community. Next, the Explore section. This is where all students currently enrolled in the course showcase their work—which, as I mentioned earlier, was extremely valuable. Sharing is automated—there’s no opt out available. It’s like a collective portfolio. And since we’re all working on the same exercises, it’s both educational and feels supportive to be able to scroll around and see what else folks have done. That said, it’s just not fleshed out well enough yet. For instance, I am able to see another student’s “Research Methodology” exercise, along with the comments from his mentor. I don’t mind having my critiques public, but I imagine for new designers, this might be mildly intimidating, especially because not a lot of other interaction seems to happen there. One of the homework assignments. One of my projects—A UX research plan—which everyone else in the course can see. This feature can be improved by building more of a sense of community in the course, which as we’ve noted, is tough to do. That’s not for want of trying though; Harish, one of the cofounders of Designlab, actively posts in the Discussion section, even though there’s not a lot of response. Granted, this stuff is tough to get right, and I’m not convinced anyone has done it yet. They’re trying, and given their product so far, I have high hopes. THE FINAL VERDICT Designlab provides a solid learning tool, with a vetted curriculum, and a 1-on-1 element missing in many other online learning platforms. The UX Research & Strategy course in particular is good for those who are new to user experience and design thinking. The course teaches a well respected methodology, and does so without getting too weighed down in the philosophy, which can scare away the greener folks. The value is clear: Limited Time Offer: New subscribers get a 15% coupon to Rosenfeld Media + other goodies BROUGHT TO YOU BY Capture every click, swipe and scroll on your site with one easy-to-install script. Dip your toe with a free 14-day trial. READ OUR REVIEW Read our review We reviewed the UX Research & Strategy course by Designlab. Take a look. We were very pleased to interview author Joe Natoli about his new book Think First: My no-nonsense approach to creating successful products, memorable user experiences and happy customers. Today, we’ll be offering readers an excerpt of the book itself. Strategy Means Putting People First Products are used by people, so putting users and their needs first is a pretty good place to start: What do they need to be able to do, and why do these things matter to them? What do they want from us, and how is that related to other goals they may have? How does using our product fit with other products they may be using? What do they expect, based on their experiences with similar (or even dissimilar) products? These are all user-focused areas of inquiry. People live on the other side of the fence as well, except they’re funding the project. Which dictates that they’re concerned with business objectives. Creation always entails cost — time, effort, money. And nearly every creator is looking for a way to cover that cost, along with a little extra. Even if you build apps for free, there is something you expect to get in return. That doesn’t have to be money; it could be recognition or widespread adoption. It may simply be something that you truly feel good about because it helps people who are less fortunate. Whatever the case, there are objectives you have that need to be met, measures of success that matter. If the business end of the equation is actually a business, then the objective, at the end of the day, is either making money or saving money. There are one or more strategic objectives that have to be met as a result of building this thing and putting it out there into the world. If you’re responsible for helping make a product reality, then you’re also responsible for uncovering what those objectives are and why they matter. Strategy, then, is all about finding the sweet spots between what users want to make their lives easier and what the business needs to accomplish in order to survive, to prosper. It’s about recognizing the gaps and the overlaps between those goals and thinking about how design can best serve both of these masters. The UX Sweet Spot WHY THE STRATEGY PLANE RULES THEM ALL The UX designer’s job is not only to address information concerns and the related needs of users — it’s also to insist on being very selective and analytical in designing task flows and functional elements that serve a greater goal. And that greater goal is what I call the value loop: creating something that delivers value to users, so that value also comes back to the product’s creator in the form of increased use, efficiency or good old fashioned dollars and cents. UX strategy is the origin of the value loop, the part that you absolutely, positively have to get right if you want the finished product to be around longer than ten minutes. The strategy plane is where you think first: where you work to uncover and qualify user needs, where you ensure that you understand all relevant business objectives. It’s where you begin planting seeds of product success — or failure. Correctly identify and address these needs and objectives, and you deliver an experience that is the answer to someone’s prayer. Guess wrong, or don’t do enough digging, and you identify the wrong needs and objectives. Which turns the product into everyone’s worst nightmare, including yours. When it comes right down to it, design of any kind really means problem solving. Here’s some advice given to me by a colleague many years ago that couldn’t possibly be more true: If you’re a designer — experienced or fresh out of school — I want you to understand that you will not find inspiration looking at the work of other designers. Let that sink in a minute. I say again: you will not find inspiration. What you will find is someone else’s solution to someone else’s problem. You’re looking at the end result, not the process. And the process, my friends, is where the power of design really lies. The first thing you have to do, no matter what you’re creating, is identify the problem — and then make sure it’s actually the right problem to solve. When I was in college, my professors drilled the following fact into our heads, over and over across our four years together: If you don’t come up with a good solution to something, it’s likely that you don’t have a very good problem. That’s a roundabout way of saying that the key to successful design is identifying the right problems to solve. User experience design essentially explores feasible solutions to strategic design problems: What matters most? What issues have the most impact, the most measurable value? What can we do to address these issues, and do we have the time, money and personnel to take that action? Is it realistic that we can provide a solution to this particular, precise, complex problem? Anything involving human beings is inherently messy. We’re interesting creatures. What we say doesn’t always match what we do, and in general we can be very difficult to please. So any problems that involve our using something are typically difficult to solve. And if they aren’t, raise the red flag — because that’s a sure sign you’re on the wrong path. Joe Natoli’s new book, Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences + Very Happy Customers will be available in eBook and Paperback October 5th, 2015. Visit givegoodux.com/think-first to find out how you can get 3 free bonuses worth $600 when you buy Think First the week of launch! Sponsor ABOUT THE AUTHOR UX Booth UX Booth's editors are constantly pushing the digital envelope. UX Booth shares stories by and for those practicing user-centered design. RELATED ARTICLES An Analytics-First Approach to UX, Part 1 A Few Lessons From Real World Usability Designing Digital Strategies, Part 2: Connected User Experiences Building Products, Building Habits As an experienced designer, I had new moments of insight when working on old concepts, like playing with “How Might We” statements—questions that guide the quest for solutions based on insights gained in research—for the first time in ages. Awesome. Mentors are invaluable. My mentor in particular—once again—she rocked. Though it’s rocky at the moment, I applaud Designlab’s efforts in starting community interaction. It is really, really tough, and I imagine with time they’ll be going strong. I’m left wondering how the other courses are, which is a good sign! For confident, disciplined self learners there are plenty of free alternatives to this Designlab course out there. But anyone looking for a directed learning experience and some 1-on-1 time with a UX professional should definitely give this course a shot. Enroll at Designlab Sponsor ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kristina Bjoran Kristina is a content strategist and UX designer for Forum One, where she focuses her strategy efforts on nonprofit organizations across the world. She also keeps herself busy with Reddit, video games, and illustration. Follow her at @bjoran_identity. RELATED ARTICLES The Value of Modern-Day Mentorship Getting Experience with User Experience A Chat with Bill Gribbons, Part 2 Reimagining UX Designers must not only create concepts and designs; they must also make the process of creation transparent and communicate the basics of UX design to all the projects’ participants. In my experience working on web projects over the last few years, I’ve observed that people tend to reach a point where they struggle to begin (or continue) with the next step, whether they’re moving from product idea to user stories, or from features to a user interface. This is normal, especially in a field that essentially requires daily innovation. Common interactions like “Sign Up,” “Onboarding,” and “Check Out,” can apply functionality, interactions, or visual design from other solutions. In these cases, resources like UX Archive and UI Patterns can be a designer’s best friend. But what about the unique, challenging tasks? What about situations that require us to create intuitive methods and accomplish complex objectives? In these unique cases, I’ve experienced that the temptation to stop when the going gets tough is always lurking around the corner. The fact is, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the complexity of information or a problem. The road from idea to solution is often slow, with many twists and turns. Luckily, there are research-based tactics that can help with navigating that road. In this article we’ll review a number of reasons we experience a loss of motivation, and ways to forge ahead. GET STARTED (AND KEEP GOING) Knowing how to get started, and actually getting started are very different things. Another obstacle to momentum might be not properly understanding the user, or not understanding and the need behind the task or interaction. This is basically like walking into a dark room only to fumble for the light switch. An image of a person walking up stairs through the clouds. The stairs are labeled with parts of the design process, such as digital wireframes, digital mockups, paper prototype, and screenflow sketch. The UX stairway to heaven. From idea to product we have a lot of possibilities to get closer to the product. But most of all, we have to get started and continue the creative process. If there’s a lack of depth to the understanding, it’s essential to dig deeper. Get online, do some research about the audience. Observe them on social media. Get out of the building to interview potential users. Collect more data! Of course, this can easily lead to another obstacle: information overload. One way to maneuver around information overload is to group, sort, and structure the collected information. Affinity diagrams can be a helpful method in this case. Combined with prioritization tools like MoSCoW Method or a Priority Matrix, we can better structure thoughts and make them more actionable. PICK ONE FIGHT AT A TIME The more complex the problem, the more likely it is to breed frustration. This is where strategy comes in. In the face of inherently limited energy, it’s crucial to be particular about where that energy is invested. I’ve seen designers try to tackle several design solutions at the same time, and almost without fail, they end up with unsatisfying results (or they just stop progressing). For instance, when thinking about functionality, it’s probably not the right time to consider typefaces or button colors. We need to focus on the problem at hand: the functionality, and trust there will be time to come back to visuals after we’ve completed the interactions. At the end of the day, this is a matter of design energy management. It’s just like how President Obama always wears the same suits—it’s a part of his secret strategy for staying productive. Too many decisions lead to what psychologists call a decision fatigue, which eventually leads to poor decisions, or none at all. POSTPONING IS BAD “I’ll do it tomorrow” may feel like the result of motivation loss, but in reality it can be part of the problem. We often postpone decisions that feel difficult, and thus fall into a procrastination trap. It’s not surprising; unpleasant decisions are harder to make. Cognitive psychology posits that we are far more likely to avoid an unpleasant task or decision. There is a reason we all have tendencies to procrastinate when struggling. Predominantly, according to cognitive psychology, we tend to underestimate the future emotional state, based on what we feel right now. When I make a decision to do something in the future, I assume that it will be more comfortable in the future than it actually is. This has very serious implications for those of us involved in the design process. If designers succumb to the satisfaction that accompanies postponing a task until a “more suitable tomorrow,” they may find that tomorrow never comes. Instead, learn to identify those thought patterns, and don’t let them lead the process astray. An image of a rollercoaster, with a person saying The creative process rollercoaster of emotions. From excitement to frustration. Designing for a great user experience is a great experience itself. NO NEED FOR PERFECTION Perfectionism is a key obstacle to forward momentum. When describing this concept, I like to refer to this story of a ceramics teacher and his class. In this story, two teams had 50 pounds of clay and, out of that clay, they had to build pots. One team was to strive for quantity and build as many pots as possible, while the other team was told to focus on quality pots. In the end, perhaps surprisingly, the highest quality works were all produced by the quantity group. It seems that while the quantity team was busily churning out piles of work and learning from their mistakes, the quality team sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of shapeless clay. Striving for perfection will not always push design forward. Especially in an early product phase. Done is better than perfect! REFLECT AND IMPROVE, ALWAYS IMPROVE It’s extremely important to take some time for self reflection about the processes, particularly when we feel blocked in some way. Here are a few self-reflection questions I find helpful: Am I trying to solve too many problems at the same time? Do I have enough information to get started? Is there some insecurity keeping me from moving forward? Am I still trying to make it perfect from the beginning? In addition, here are some great resources, to help UX designers improve their processes: Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide, by Todd Zaki Warfel, is a how-to guide to prototyping. Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Design and Refine User Interfaces, by Carolyn Snyder. This guide to paper prototyping explains in detail how to use paper prototypes for quick and valuable user research. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design, by Bill Buxton. This holistic approach to design thinking is a good starting point for designers struggling with motivation. Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook Austin Kleon on 10 Things Every Creative Person Should Remember But We Often Forget is taken from his book, and well worth five minutes of any designer’s day. Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles. As the title alludes to, this book investigates how art is made, and how fear stops so much art from being created. Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change, by Timothy A Pychyl. This book is a helpful way to understand the reasons we tend to procrastinate, as well as ways to stop doing it. The Procrastination Equation Flowchart, a useful poster displaying procrastination variables and a handful of strategies to deal with it. For readers who are currently struggling with the idea-to-product process, let’s connect! Send me an email, or comment down below! Want to meet and connect with other designers? Come to push.conference in Munich on October 23 and 24, where Thomas will be organizing more amazing speakers. It’s a 2-day conference that unites 450 professionals from the UX field in order to exchange, learn and get inspired. Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1935 masterpiece, Fallingwater, is a perfect example of how minding a site’s properties can seamlessly cement relationships between a new architectural structure and its existing environment. In fact, when an architect receives a new project brief, he is obligated to conduct a detailed site analysis. According to The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice, the architect must possess the skills to do an initial assessment of the site, both for regulatory approvals and economic reasons, and also because it’s fundamental to good building design. Perhaps it’s time for those same requirements to apply to UX designers. Every state has its own building code that architects and developers must comply with. In fact, in order to receive a permit for building construction, the architect has to submit a plan with the site’s existing conditions, along with a proposal for future development—not unlike a design proposal. However, unlike a design proposal, the architect is unable to complete his plan without in depth research. Given that research is not a legally enforced prerequisite for design, is it any surprise that lack of research is one of the main reasons why startups fail? Some UX designers struggle to justify spending time on user research to product owners. Others see it as a luxury they can’t afford. As a result, designers and stakeholders make inaccurate assumptions about their potential users, and create features that no one uses. Dictating solutions without first engaging in user research costs startups time and money, and will continue to do so until we consider user research as high a priority as architectural research. UX professionals can learn from architects in the early stages of designing a product. Let’s take a look at how successful architects design in context, study the competition, and consider the user journey. By the end of the piece, readers will be ready to design like an architect. DESIGNING IN CONTEXT In both architecture and UX design, the context of the design can make or break the product. Consider Mombasa, Kenya, where new construction resulted in a large, concrete building standing between old colonial buildings. This was more than just a one-time problem; it happened so frequently that UNESCO created a World Heritage List in 1972 to protect heritage “in its environment.” An image of the building discussed in Kenya In Mombasa, a new building completely ruined the landscape. That’s not to say that good architecture must completely conform to its surroundings. In 1981, the new building of the School of Architecture at Rice University was completed. Its quietness and respect to its context were shocking. At first glance, the new addition appears to look just like its neighbors—an imitation of the other buildings. However, the new building was full of subtle variations, gradually moving architecture toward the future without disrupting the general look and feel of the area. This is no accident; the architect of the building, James Stirling, believes that his buildings can be completely different from their neighbors, but they should never defy their surroundings. A blueprint of a James Stirling building. James Stirling believed it was important for his building to fit into the general landscape The American Institute of Architects’ Code of Ethics states that “architects should uphold human rights in all their professional endeavors.” The ethical challenges of architectural practices involve the responsibility to study the site so that the eventual building design is sustainable ecologically and financially. Similarly, a good user experience involves designing for both the user’s context and the existing constraints of associated products or systems owned by the same brand. It’s important to develop a clear product style guide and to remain consistent within brand guidelines. This serves to ensure visual consistency and respect between new and existing elements throughout the product’s overall design, just like in the case of the Rice University extension. In addition, a product should be intended for a clear purpose, and for a specific group of users. Since many startups create solutions for problems the team hasn’t personally experienced, user research is valuable tool. The product owner can then serve as the user’s representative, and must therefore understand his constituency. One recurring problem that causes ecommerce businesses to lose money is the failure to optimize their websites for mobile users. A lot of retailers have taken steps to improve their mobile shopping platforms. Together with greater connectivity, consumers are gaining confidence in purchasing products securely over mobile phones. While many businesses understand this trend towards mobile shopping, there are still ecommerce businesses lagging behind. Understanding the general mobile usage behavior of a store’s target customers’ would inform stakeholders on the usage of mobile platforms as shopping channels. Designing for context also means having a clear understanding of what the product is, and why people will use it. If users come across the product thinking it will solve one problem, but then discover it is not intended to accomplish those goals, they are less likely to give the product a chance. Case in point, at myWebRoom, we build a visual bookmarking platform focused on content discovery and organization. Giving users the ability to personalize and design their web rooms is complimentary to our main feature. However, based on user feedback, we learned that our old landing page delivered the message that myWebRoom was a design tool before it was a bookmarking tool. Upon learning that, we tested new landing pages focused on explaining the true concept of our product. The result? Conversion rates increased from 10% to 18%. COMPETITOR STUDIES When an architect receives a brief to design a commercial retail space, it’s his responsibility to analyze competition so that his design will yield more profit for his client than nearby competitors. The same is true of UX design: it’s the designer’s responsibility to analyze the competition and identify opportunities. I worked on a commercial shopping complex, the Westgate Mall, located in Singapore, right by the train station and bus interchanges. There were two other major shopping malls in close proximity. In order to help my client boost traffic to his development, my team and I had to incorporate special design features to stay ahead of our competition. We designed the mall to be the only mall that has direct connections to the train station and bus interchanges. The mall was also awarded the GoldPlus Award under the Universal Design scheme which meant that it was designed beyond the minimum requirements of user-friendliness. These implementations have ensured success in the mall, clinching >75% committed occupancy with high rents. In UX design, competitive research measures the experience of a product in comparison to its direct and indirect competitors. This work can help designers identify problem areas, develop new insights and inspirations, and plan for a vision that showcases best practices. For example, Userzoom conducted a benchmark study between Priceline and Kayak to compare the mobile experience of obtaining hotel information. By having participants attempt to find a specific hotel in San Francisco, the team at Userzoom was able to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both products, and could then identify ways to provide what the others lacked. CONSIDER THE USER JOURNEY An important aspect of a building’s success is easy access to the site. As I mentioned earlier, part of Westgate Mall’s success could be attributed to the fact that it’s the only mall with direct routes to major transportation ports. With respect to the competition, easier access to the retail space ensures that users get to Westgate Mall first. In the larger scheme of things, designing delightful connectivity not only contributes to a business’ success, but also adds to the vitality in a neighborhood. An excellent example is the beautiful and functional linear High Line park in Manhattan. The park connects three neighborhoods on Manhattan’s West Side: the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. It’s essentially a walkway boasting views of the Hudson River and Midtown Manhattan, alongside spaces for art programs and gardens. It’s certainly changed its environment—employees of a pizza shop located by the park report that business has doubled twice in the past 2 years. In UX design, designing delightful connectivity means considering the journey—sometimes by driving organic traffic to the site, other times by designing a delightful onboarding experience. Learning the user’s journey ensures the product teams better understand their users, which then allows for a more persuasive, attractive design. Once users arrive to a product’s landing page, a good onboarding process could drive growth in a few ways. Onboarding is like approaching the entrance of a building. There are a few ways designers can make this walk as pleasant as possible and make a great first impression. One of the most common approaches is the “joyriding approach” where the user is walked through the features of a product. When executed beautifully, there is clarity from the get-go. Read about some other onboarding methods in MC Cook’s article, UX Flows: How to Turn Onboarding into an Amazing First Date with Your User. MOVING FORWARD Architects are also experience designers. The considerations and steps that architects take before going into designing ensure they are addressing the target users’ needs. Unlike in UX design, many of these steps are mandatory and regulated by authorities. But that’s no reason for UX designers to slack. Great design in both architecture and UX design boils down to having deep empathy and sensitivity for users. An architect is an agent of the client and the public; he or she needs to incorporate delightful user experiences while achieving business goals. For new projects, UX designers should consider the following: Relentlessly attempt to understand the product’s context. This could mean traveling to where the problem is and living it before committing on a design solution. Simplify. Be clear on the product’s main intention. Reducing confusion is one of the first things UX designers can do to ensure good UX. Conduct competitive analysis. Userzoom has an excellent article, Competitive UX Benchmarking, on how to conduct UX benchmarking. Make it fun! Just like in real life, people like to engage in fun and positive experiences.