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Definitions

• User Experience: The qualitative emotional description of multiple interactions with an object.
• Interaction Design: How the user interacts with an object.
• Information Design: Delivering text, images, video, and sound so that stories are told with efficiency and effectiveness.
• Usability Testing: A technique used to evaluate a product by testing it on users.
• Information Architecture: The art of expressing a model or concept of information used in activities that require explicit details of complex systems.

Verizon UX Documentation

The following list of linked PDF files highlights the initial research documentation, storyboarding, and Information Architecture for the Everything as a Service (EaaS) project.

• Focus on Competitor Analysis for EP
• Storyboard & Mockup Walkthrough V1
• Storyboard & Mockup Walkthrough V2
• Scalable Rich Functionality
• Solution Designer Icon Catalog

UX Video Highlights

The following videos will be rotated on a monthly basis, so come back often to see OakenDoor's Information Design picks from YouTube.

The Importance of User Experience Design:

Google Tech Talk (Aza Raskin):

Advice on Designing with Experience in Mind (part 2):

User Experience

OakenDoor offers User Experience design (UX), including Interaction Design (IxD), Usability testing, and Information Architecture of new and existing processes and workflows. This includes software, Web, software, mobile, documentation, graphics, layout, and color choices, as well as consulting on your product(s) impact on your user community. Do you know your users?

• Sample User Experience Projects
• What is User Experience?
• Designing for Mobile

Sample User Experience Projects

The following samples are part of a larger set of the OakenDoor portfolio. The samples also do not go from start to finish, but rather stop after a first stage redesign to protect the intellectual propert of OakenDoor clients. In face to face presentations the entire redesign from start to finish can be detailed. Simply contact OakenDoor to setup a live presentation.

Verizon

Verizon vCommons; the vCommons concept is detailed in the Heuristic Evaluations.

1. vCommons Heurisitc Evaluation (PDF)
2. vTweet Heuristic Evaluation (PDF)
3. User Community Survey (PDF)
4. First Stage Mockups (PDF)

Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC). VEC is a large and complex site for Verizon customers to communicate with Verizon, view and pay bills, log tickets, etc. after puchasing products and services through the Verizon Business Web site. The next list presents an overall UX review for the 2.0 redesign/launch of the Medium Business Web site as well as UX redesign mockups of specific VEC sections and functionality (e.g., How do users experience the secure email offering?)

• Medium Business 2.0 UX Review (PDF)
• Secure Email Scenario (PDF)
• Create Ticket Scenario (PDF)

Akorri

Reports page interface for Akorri's BalancePoint product; all aspects of the intial review are detailed in the first PDF file, Reports Interface UX Project Review.

1. Reports Interface UX Project Review (PDF)
2. Reports Interface Wireframes & Mockup (PDF)
3. Report Tasks Accordion Menu Demonstration (HTML)

Server pages for Akorri's BalancePoint product; all aspects of the intial review are detailed in the first PDF file, Server Pages Interface UX Project Review.

1. Server Pages Interface UX Project Review (PDF)
2. Initial Whiteboard Session (PDF)
3. Working Presentation Mockup (HTML)

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What is User Experience?

You might be asking yourself what is User Experience? You have the overall concept, but what are the finite aspects of experience design and why does it matter? Well, User Experience means that the people using a product or service can do so quickly and easily to accomplish their goals with a sense of joy; that's right, joy. The user experience is part of any product or service, from Web design to how factory workers accomplish their tasks productively. The definition rests, conceptually, on the following four points:

1. User Experience means focusing on users.
2. People use products and services in the hope that the product or service will be a helpful tool to accomplish a desired goal.
3. Users are busy people trying to accomplish tasks. Complexity is not the name of the game.
4. Users, not designers and developers, decide when a product is easy to use, and more importantly - useful.

How are these four points accomplished for your product or service? To answer that question, OakenDoor must implement user and task analysis in your environment. That means understanding business needs and goals, and also understanding how those align or contrast with user goals. The following two points provide insight into the costs of not implementing User Experience and the benefits of contacting OakenDoor to engage your user community in a more meaningful and joyful interaction.

• Redeveloping after market goals are not attained is very costly and often damaging to a developing company. Performing quality research and analysis of user needs before development yields greater returns on investment. The needs and intolerance of the user community are causing the elimination of many ambiguous and tedious "company strategies" and calling for the growth of useful, problem-solving, highly-deliverable information to accomplish goals. Conceptual ideas and development can have the best intention of meeting perceived needs, but the user decides in the end whether the product or information is useful.
• User Experience (UX), Interaction Design (IxD), Information Design, or whatever definition rests in the moment is the key to the future prosperity of any product or service where user interaction is involved. You can learn to zero in on what you need from a UI, for example, by following User Experience principals outlined by OakenDoor and by engaging OakenDoor to make sure that all facets of user experience implementation are addressed.

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Designing for Mobile

Mobile Web and app UX design is much the same as Experience Design for Web sites. The creation of cognitive workflows that inspire users, allow them to accomplish their goals, do not create frustration, and do create joy are all still integral to a company's success. Obviously though, device interaction and capabilities are vastly different. There are many new challenges to be considered.

Constraints of mobile (there are many):

• Form factor
• Network latency
• Input mechanism
• Memory
• Computational power
• Battery
• Context

Single early failure equals a non-returning user, and there is a window of 30-60 seconds during the initial usage that is critical. People have even less tolerance than in a Web-based environment. That's a basic tenant of any cognitive psychology analysis though; tight spaces produce greater and quicker frustration in an individual.

Also, the environment differs, depending on where you are. We look at factors like user behavior, handset range, operators, data allowance/pricing.

Presentation within these constraints points toward delivery that is like snacking, essentially "data snacking". Present small snippets of info, and as stated - recognition, focus, and joy must be created in the user in the first 30 to 60 seconds. Make the interface simple, but repetitive. Also, making it "regular" is key.

There should be a focus on leveraging archetypes by considering current behaviors. For example, re-use interactions inherent in the device, minimize the number of surprises, greater weight on color selection, menu navigation - and finally, where applicable - tone of voice.

Obviously sizing and positioning are a factor, but it's not about specifically making things smaller. It's not miniaturization, but rather mobilization. Fewer options produce a simple more effective interface and polish makes an app, and of course the user experience, stand out more. Standing out in a mobile context though is about subtlety.

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