UX is about more than software

In the beginning…

My UX journey started before I knew what UX was. I had gotten a job teaching digital and print production for books at my university. I had just completed my bachelors and was offered the opportunity to teach while doing my honours. At the time it was meant to be a two-year stint to save money for a trip to Spain, but it went on become the focus of the next eight years of my life.

I was particularly drawn to print production because of the early tools used in type setting, and soon lead type and linotype machines became a small obsession. And the important thing about studying these early tools of typography was that their physicality determined the ground rules for design today: rectangles, proportion, and a hierarchy of information.

What’s more in dealing with physical paper, type, and ink you come appreciate how the intended use of the product informs the choice of materials.

Often in UX we may find ourselves stuck in thinking about screens, but the need and use context are vital considerations of the design — and usually when we call in the hardware team.

With books — ancient IT — you have to start with the intended reader: Are they primary school pupils? Maybe they’d benefit from lighter paper stock to make them easy to carry. If the books are the property of school, replacement cost may be a key factor.

If the intended reader is a theological scholar, then the book’s importance as an artefact may drive the use of inks with better contrast, and strong acid-free paper to last for the next 50 generations of scholars.

Without realising it, I had entered the realm of user-centred design.

My eyes were opened

Once you’ve been introduced to design as a utilitarian function, you begin to see it everywhere. Architects and designers collaborate to create spaces that suit their intended function. The flow of light, air, and sound become tools in shaping a person’s experience of the space.

City planners change the width of roads, add special use lanes, and create one-way systems to control the flow of traffic and shape a person’s experience of moving throughout the city.

Furniture designers choose shapes and materials to increase back support and suit postures for work and leisure, and support a person’s experience of their chosen task.

What we refer to as industrial design follows the same research-driven design process as is used in UX. While industrial designers need to consider factors of manufacturability and component availability as well, the experience is still a core part of the consideration.

All this extends beyond just product design however, as we see this events as well. Consider going to the theatre: The décor of the room, the dimming of lights, the volume coming from the speakers…

Shaping an experience goes beyond physical and digital products. It’s about designing for people, their reactions, and their behaviours.

How this has shaped me

The opening of third ‘designer’ eye has changed my approach to everything I do. Perhaps it’s just reinforced a pedantry that was already there, but if there is ever a beauty to anything I make, it is always following the function.

As a cook I start with flavour, but my end goal is balance on the plate and a medley of colours that has you anticipating the flavours to come. We really do eat with our eyes.

As a writer, I always keep phrasing in mind , and write as I speak. Because for any of this to get across, it needs to sound good in your head.

As a composer I aim to tell a story, and craft an emotional experience. The music needs to have a sense of character. This is why I find titles so helpful.

As a sound designer, I always start with physical placement. Where is the sound coming from, and how will the performers and audience perceive it.

As a UX designer, I want to know what it is you want to achieve, and show you the path to achieve it. Really I need to be a facilitator.

So often difficulty comes from a place of ignorance, and even the most complex problems are solved by doing the requisite research and breaking the problem down into achievable tasks. This is the basic process of all design work. Layering up small achievable tasks to achieve… well anything really.