User experience (UX) refers to the overall satisfaction and ease with which a person interacts with a product, such as a website or application. A user-centered design approach prioritizes understanding the users' needs, goals, and motivations to enhance their experience and reduce frustration. Key concepts include creating structured workflows, minimizing distractions (noise), and fostering a state of flow for better engagement.

1. Understanding
User Experience

2. So what exactly is User Experience?
It’s the overall experience of a person using a product such
as a website or computer application, especially in terms of
how easy or pleasing it is to use. – Oxford Dictionary
Terminology
What is your favorite website or app? Why?

3. User Centered Design, What is it?
It’s a process that keeps the focus on the user of the
product during every phase of product development.
Terminology
Why is this mantra important? Rarely will you be the
end user of what you help design.
The user is not like me.
– Bonnie John (Carnegie Mellon University)

4. Who exactly are the users?
•How many types of users need represented?
•Do experience levels vary?
•What motivates them individually?
•Do they all learn the same way?
Idea – Know Your Users
Helping someone that isn’t you means taking time to look
at situations from a different perspective. If you don’t
understand your users, it will be hard to help them.
Think about the following questions:

5. What if I am the user?
Idea – Rare Exception
It is possible from time to time you may be the ideal
user. This should make the design process easier,
because you know what you want.
Keep in mind that your needs outweigh your wants.
Focusing on your wants may solve surface level issues
but cause additional problems in the future (or at the
very least not resolve the real underlying problem).
Focusing on your underlying need will lead you to
solution that lessens or eliminates your frustration.

6. What is the user’s goal?
Idea – Understanding Goals
What is the user trying to accomplish or what is the
key benefit from using the product?
How will they accomplish this goal?
Structured tasks create a workflow. When tasks
happen in a logical order, for the user, the process
seems natural or seamless.
Tasks with too many steps or bad sequencing will lead
to user confusion and frustration.

7. Idea – Understanding Tasks
First Name
Last Name
Address
City
State
Zip Code
Email
Phone #
First Name* Last Name*
Address*
City* State* Zip Code
Email* Phone #
What sticks out to you about the forms
A and B below. Why?
A B * = Required

8. What is noise?
Idea – Reduce Noise
Noise is anything extra that unnecessarily can distract
the user from completing the task at hand.
Less is More
- Dieter Rams
Example Task: Conduct a Search

9. What is flow?
Idea – Flow
A state of concentration or complete absorption with
the activity at hand and the situation.
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Achieving Flow
Experiences that are enjoyable totally capture our
attention. When 100% of our attention is focused on
the task at hand, we aren’t worried about time or
distractions. Great User Experience fosters Flow.

10. Would you like to know more about
user experience?
Wrap Up
Do you have any questions or
feedback for us?
If so what specifically?