What UX is Really About: Introducing a Mindset for Great Experiences

Description

"In this not-too-long and easy-to-read book, author Celia Hodent presents a clear overview of the challenges, demands, and rewards of becoming a user experience professional. If this field interests you, there’s no better place to start than with the volume you now hold in your hand." Alan Cooper, Ancestry Thinker, Software Alchemist, Regenerative Rancher, Author of The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity The main objective of What UX is Really About: Introducing a Mindset for Great Experiences is to provide a quick introduction to user experience (UX 101) for students, professionals, or simply curious readers who want to understand this trendy yet commonly misunderstood practice better. Readers will learn that UX is much more than a set of techniques, guidelines, and tools. It is a mindset; a philosophy that takes the perspective of the humans that will use a product. It is about solving their problems, offering them a pleasurable experience, and building a win-win, long-lasting relationship between them and the company developing the product. Above all, it is about improving people’s lives with technology. What UX is Really About is informative, concise, and provides readers with a high-level overview of the science, design, and methodologies of UX. KEY FEATURES: • The most approachable and concise introduction book about UX. • Easy to read and aims to popularize the UX mindset while debunking its main misconceptions. • Small format size makes it easy to carry around. • Includes content relatable and meaningful to the readers by taking many examples from everyday life with a conversational and light writing style. • Tackles the psychology, design, research, process, strategy, and ethics behind offering the best experience with products, systems, or services. • Includes a glossary. Celia Hodent holds a PhD in psychology, and is a leading expert in the application of cognitive science and psychology to product development, with over 13 years of experience in the development of UX strategy in video game studios, such as Ubisoft, LucasArts, and Epic Games (Fortnite). She currently leads an independent UX consultancy, working with a wide range of international media and enterprise companies to help ensure their products are engaging, successful, and respectful of users. Celia conducts workshops and provides guidance on the topics of game-based UX, playful learning ("gamification"), ethics, implicit biases, and inclusion in tech. Celia is the author of The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design and The Psychology of Video Games. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents About the Author Introduction: Why Should You Care about UX and This Book? 1 What Is UX? 1.1 What Is a “user”? 1.2 What Is an “experience”? 1.3 What Is a “product”? 1.4 Who Are the “UX professionals”? 1.4.1 UX Designers 1.4.2 UX Researchers (or User Researchers) 1.4.3 Directors of UX (or UX Strategists) 1.5 A Definition of UX 2 What UX Is Not 2.1 UX Is Not about Manipulating Users at Their Expense to Make a Product More Profitable 2.2 UX Is Not Just “common sense” 2.3 UX Is Not a Synonym of “UI,” or about Making Things  Beautiful 2.4 UX Is Not Just One Step in the Process 2.5 UX Is Not “too expensive” 2.6 UX Does Not Hamper Creativity 2.7 UX Is Not Pointless If the Product Is Already Selling Well 2.8 UX Is Not Just the Responsibility of a Few Experts 3 The Science Behind UX 3.1 A Short History 3.2.1 Perception 3.2.2 Memory 3.2.3 Attention 3.2.4 Motivation 3.2.5 Emotion 3.2.6 to summarize: main limitations of our mental processes 3.2 Human Factors and Cognitive Science 3.3 HCI Principles 3.3.1 Gestalt principles of perception 3.3.2 Fitts’s law, Hick-Hyman law, Pareto principle, and Von Restorff effect 3.3.3 Mental models 3.3.4 Affordance 3.4 Usability Heuristics 3.5 Emotional Design and Engagement 4 The Process and Methodologies of UX 4.1 Design Thinking 4.2 The UX Design toolbox 4.2.1 Personas 4.2.2 Content strategy and elements of UX 4.2.3 User journey 4.2.4 Flow diagram (or flowchart) 4.2.5 Wireframe 4.2.6 Prototype 4.3 UX Research (User Research) 4.3.1 Field study (or field research) 4.3.2 Usability testing 4.3.3 Rapid Iterative testing and Evaluation (RITE) 4.3.4 Think aloud (or cognitive walkthrough) 4.3.5 Heuristic evaluation 4.3.6 Survey 4.3.7 Focus group 4.3.8 Analytics 4.4 UX Strategy and Maturity 4.4.1 Lean UX 4.4.2 UX maturity stages 5 Ethics and the UX Mindset 5.1 Influence in Design: Good UX, Bad UX, Nudges, and Dark Patterns 5.2 Dark Patterns: A Malevolent and Anti-UX Influence 5.3 Shady Practices and the Rise of the “attention economy” 5.4 Of “addiction” and “dopamine shots” 5.5 Inclusion and Accessibility 5.6 The Ethics of UX Conclusion Acknowledgments Glossary Some Recommended Readings Some Recommended Websites References Index