Care to share some tips? I feel I’m getting there, trying to navigate old ERP interfaces, new web interfaces, and AI interfaces, and a mix of boomers, millennials, Gen Z as user base.
Comment on Too real
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 17 hours ago
As part of my career in software design, I used to run A/B testing and usability tests. This meant sitting with users and watching them use the software. Since IUE (initial user experience) was very important, this often included inexperienced users.
The data was absolutely worth it, and definitely improved my designs, but it took a lot of patience to watch people struggle and fail without intervening or saying anything that would affect the results. It was rewarding, but sometimes excruciating.
ReginaPhalange@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 3 hours ago
I think two major things are understanding platform standards and that what users say they want is often not what they need or what will work best for them.
Innovation is fine, but IUE and usability are often better served by following common platform standards (for general apps on the OS, not necessarily trying to match existing and often shitty enterprise software).
Also, it’s important to look for root causes when people ask for a specific feature. Many users focus on specific UI elements when they’re having issues, and in a complex system, it’s easy to wind up with bloat by solving the wrong problem. This is often how enterprise software becomes so unwieldy, with options and elements seemingly vomited all over the UI. What users think they want and what they need can be very different things.
Sorry if this is too general or basic. It’s hard to design a system that works for beginners and experts, and A/B testing a mix of users early with lofi prototypes helps a lot. For existing software, just watching users interact with it is massively helpful.
Is this what you meant? Happy to be more specific if I missed the mark.
chunes@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Did you ever get any power users who raged at the lack of command line switches or something like that?
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 12 hours ago
Nothing that techy. I did include power users in tests, but their requests were usually for specific hotkeys or to have their favourite (and lesser used by most users) feature front and centre.
It can be difficult to balance a UI for inexperienced and powerful users, but watching them interact with prototypes and the actual software does help.
Patrikvo@lemmy.zip 15 hours ago
How did you manage not to strangle anyone, nor jump out of the window?
Zachariah@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
maybe a high enough salary
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
They’d probably have to put me behind glass or just make me watch a tape like it’s an old handegg practice session.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 12 hours ago
Nah, they’ll just lock you in a cuck cage
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
I’ve watched pups escape from those more times than you’d think, so I’m not worried.
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 11 hours ago
Yeah, sometimes it really hurt.