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Integrated Solutions: Part 1 – Architects of the User Experience

May 18th, 2010

User Experience Design

As Leo Mullen has been known to say, “In the online world today, user experience is truly the only sustainable competitive advantage.”    I often think about this statement when my team is working on providing Web solutions for our clients.  So much business is conducted on the Web and many consumers of information, products and services rely on the “e-home” of most corporations.

What is an “e-home,” you ask?  It’s a term I use to think about Web sites.  Basically, I see it as the electronic home of the business (or individual) that is providing information, products, services or any combination of these.  If I were in the market for a home, previously constructed, newly developed or even architecting and designing a custom build, I would spend time to consider the following (to name but a few):

• Location!
• Structure/Layout
  • Building Materials – Brick vs. Siding
  • Walkways/Pathways – What material are they made of and are they straight-forward?
  • Size and Layout – Is it easy to navigate?  Is it functional and inviting?
  • Kitchen Collocated with Dining Room? / Bathroom for each Bedroom?
  • How many bathrooms, Bedrooms?  Does it have a recreation room? Exercise Room?
• Design
  • Feng Shui – Aesthetically pleasing?
  • Sofas or Chairs?  Wall Paint or Paper?  Wood Flooring/Carpeting?
  • Style – Modern/Classical/Country/Renaissance/Victorian
• Infrastructure/Security Features
  • Alarm System
  • Window and Door Locks – Automatic/Manual
  • Electric/Gas/Plumbing
• Implementation
  • Special Features/Functionality
  • Blueprints
  • Specifications
• Maintenance
  • Warranties
  • Exterior and grounds –maintainable by me?
  • Central Air/Heat

For brevity reasons (blog post) I have only listed a very small sample of items to consider, but I believe the point is obvious.  Fundamentally, this is a generic requirements list that needs to be fleshed out, prioritized and weighed in order to determine whether it addresses my needs, is within my budget and meets my time frame.  The important thing to note is that all of the components listed above need to be integrated into the entire planning, design and development process in a seamless fashion.

If you think about it, many of the above considerations can be applied to your Web site. When users (guests to a business home) are both engaged and impressed when interacting with a site, feel comfortable enough to stay for awhile and even return for future visits, buy some products or services the organization has realized its objectives and can measure the value of the site.  Typically users leave because their experience was less than palatable due to poor navigation, lack of content management, difficulty finding critical information and many other reasons.

In my next post, “Why User Experience Design is Important”, I will explore the facets of UX Design and how a positive “e-home” experience can help you realize important business goals.

Erica Milkovich-Padilla