10 misconceptions to get around on UX

Overview

Todays topic is about the misconceptions that we have come across in our UX career. The main reason why we have come across these misconceptions is because we have not been able to understand the problem that we are trying to solve.

so, today I will try to explain these misconceptions in detail. I hope that you will find these misconceptions useful and will be able to get around them. Let's get started.

1. The infinite scroll is a benchmark in designing a good browsing experience

Even the inventor of this practice confirms this! The infinite scroll allows the user to scroll the content of a page...endlessly (as the name may suggest). But on the user side, this can turn into a tedious experience and led to one thing: your visitor cannot find the information he is looking for.

“When I drink a glass of wine, I stop when my glass is empty. That's when I wonder if I want more. With the infinite scroll, there are no stop signals and it's wasted millions of hours of use on a human scale" » *Aza Raskin

If the infinite scroll is used on your platform, it may mean that you are not highlighting the most relevant content according to your users. And so your interface may not be efficient.

2. Everything must necessarily be accessible from the homepage

Confronted with certain situations, individuals shall experience a significant "cognitive load". This means, the amount of sensory information that they can process in a given period of time is going to be surpassed. When too stimulated, the user is going to end up in a stressful situation which triggers thoughtless actions, unpredictable behaviors…

Imagine for a second: you are in a car, at a red light, looking for your way. You try to focus but, in the back seat, your two children are crying, in front of you a pedestrian crosses without looking and another driver honks at you to drive. Given the informational fog around you, it's hard to remain focused on your research, isn't it? It's the same case with a website! Too much information confuses the message and impedes navigation.

Let your users discover your platform in a natural way and think about prioritizing and ranking your content. If your website is properly built, then your visitors will quickly find the information they are looking for and have a great user experience, regardless of the number of clicks!

3. The UX designer is the new webmaster of the 21st century

Well no, we tend to think that UX jobs are the same as web architect jobs.

But this discipline is most of all a way of thinking and can be applied to the digital world but also to the physical world, to objects, not to mention processes ...

Let us take the example of ATMs. When they were set up, many people forgot their credit card in the ATMs. To understand the origin of the problem, it was necessary to analyze the process of use. Once at the counter, customers inserted their card, selected the desired amount, withdrew their money and in many cases left without having recovered their credit card ... However, by simply reversing the steps “obtaining the money” and “obtaining of the card ”, these oversights disappeared. Customers got their card back but also their money! The reason ? A person coming to withdraw cash, will not leave without, because that is the main objective of coming to the counter.

This example is the perfect illustration of the UX role, to resolve an issue.

4. To be simple, the design must be minimalist

This is a very common confusion. We tend to equate "simplicity" with "minimalism". However, these two terms differ in form and purpose. While "simplicity" aims to "reduce complexity", "minimalism" is about "reducing the elements to the strict minimum". This nuance is important! Not taking this into account can lead to many obstacles.

Because favoring minimalism for the sake of simplicity often means running the risk of losing your user or not being understood by them.

For example? By using icons without associated name/description, or by choosing a minimalist burger menu that will not be seen by all your users and shall not directly inform about the content of your site.

5. The more choices a user has, the more satisfied they will be

Giving choices to your users to give them some control is relevant and wise. As long as this is done sparingly and through common sense. Because giving many options without prioritizing these will increase the user's "cognitive load". You run the risk of paralyzing him in his decision-making process and maybe even creating frustration.

Let's illustrate this situation through a example. You are seated at a restaurant table. The waiter presents a menu with 15 starters, 15 main courses, 12 desserts. In another restaurant which is right next to it, they serve the same specialties, however the menu contains only 6 starters, 6 main courses including a dish of the day and 4 desserts. It's a safer bet that you will take much longer to choose the menu that will make you happy in the first restaurant. Worse, by offering a large number of choices, you increase the risk of creating frustration (by choosing one dish, so I deprive myself from all the others?). The same case for the Internet!

It is by prioritizing the choices and presenting the right features, through the right quantity, at the right time that you will offer your users the best experience!

6. Blanks are wasted spaces

Underestimated, scorned, or simply ignored, blank spaces don't always receive good press! Even so, it's an important part of designing and delivering information.

In a page, blank spaces strengthen readability, help prioritize your content and even play a role in your brand positioning. As we saw before, everything is related to this famous cognitive load. The presence of blank or empty spaces helps us remain focused on precise information.

So keep these words from Jan Tschichold in mind (German typographer and designer), "blank space should be considered as an active item, not a passive background."

7. To please a user, you need an original design

While redesigning a site or application, we are often tempted to use originality. But it has its limits and can represent risks! Let us explain why.

During their various browsing experiences, users have developed interaction habits. This is known as "affordance". These accumulated experiences allow them, when they are at a new site or an unknown application, to know how to carry out a process or which button to click, in order to trigger the desired action. And without any instructions! The user is already "educated".

Using originality means confusing representations, forcing the user to think and often making him waste time in carrying out simple actions. However, when they are on your site, your visitor doesn't have much time to waste. He is here for a very specific reason (to buy or find information…).

Building a site or an application while breaking lose from all good practices means taking a risk and at times even questioning the integrity of your platform. Some designs have already been tested and approved by other companies. Do not hesitate to list these out and apply them.

An example? The applications menu at the bottom of Smartphone screens. It has proven itself when it comes to its use and effectiveness. Of course, it is not forbidden to challenge what already exists, on the contrary. But make sure that the “originality” factor meets an expectation or a requirement of your users. This shouldn't just be due to your desires but due to an analysis of your targets and their context of use. In other words, originality must be justified.

8. A site has to be mobile first

Several options are available to you when redesigning a site. And each one has its advantages! A responsive or adaptive site can perfectly suit your needs, but its initial mobile or desktop design will make the difference. To find the most relevant solution, different criteria must be taken into account: the time you have available, your constraints, your users and of course your budget.

Be aware that opting for a "mobile first" site means that all content and features will be imagined and developed for mobile. It may therefore no longer be suitable when switching to a desktop format. (The mobile version is often poorer because of the lack of screen space, loading constraints depending on the network or the power of the phones, little attention time given by users because they are often on the move, etc.). This means that the desktop format has to be reviewed and therefore generates two distinct designs. This makes development more complex and lengthens production times.

9. You don't have to meet the users, we're like them

All types of users are on the loose! So there can't be just one way to use a website. Depending on their profile, users can use different paths for the same task.

Testing different paths makes it possible to identify the obstacles for users, and highlight the problems one comes across. Even if a UX designer has already carried out his own tests!

It even happens sometimes that users surprise us through the way they use the site. They can have reactions that we wouldn't even have thought about!

10. The UX designer must make my website intuitive

One says that something is intuitive when it is understood at once. UX design, on the other hand, focuses on the user experience. One acquires this through practice ... So it's not the same thing!

If UX Design is not an enemy of intuition, it isn't its first aim. Our main goal is to guide users while they browse the website, through pedagogy. Moreover, if its use is intuitive, now that's the frosting on the cake!

Let's take Brompton Bicycle for example, the manufacturer of foldable bikes. when you put it folded, unfolding this bike doesn't sound easy, nor intuitive now does it? But if you buy one of these bikes, you won't leave the store without practicing how to fold and unfold, step by step with the help of a salesperson. And this support is part of the customer experience!

As you would have understood, what counts above all in UX design is the user support, so that he can browze through the website, in the best way possible!

Conclusion

These are the 10 UX misconceptions that you must think about when designing a website and they are all my opinions. so, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'd be happy to hear from you. Thanks for reading!