This document outlines a presentation on UX debt given by Andrew Wright. It defines UX debt as missed opportunities that compromise the usability of a design. There are two types of UX debt - intentional, which results from constraints like limited time or budget, and unintentional, which stems from misunderstanding users. Examples show how collecting feedback from users can help identify unintentional UX debt. The presentation provides tips for assessing UX debt and a three step process for addressing issues found: 1) determine where UX debt exists, 2) compare importance versus severity, and 3) prioritize and fix higher impact problems. Overall it promotes being deliberate and paying attention to catch UX debt before it grows.

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UX Debt
Creating awareness and
acting on missed opportunities.
@andrewjwright
#uxdebt

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Picture someone
you’ve borrowed
something from.

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Imagine that person
was one of
your users.

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I.O.U.

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Useful,
Usable, and
Desirable.
We create experiences that are

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recurring problems
• limited time, budget, and resources
compromise the design
• good ideas get lost in the shuffle
• decisions are made without understanding
the impact on the experience

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To improve
your
product,
identify the
threats.

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technical debt - ward cunningham
Carrigg Photography - http://www.carriggphotography.com/

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Hierarchy
of Needs
- Aarron Walter

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Intentional
UX Debt
Unintentional
UX Debt

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Intentional UX debt is a result of
decisions made based on
project constraints.

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Not enough budget, time, or people to
design, test, iterate, and build everything.

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Lots of budget and time but
not enough people.

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Budget and more than enough people,
but no time.

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Designers

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Developers

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Executives

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Product
Manager/Owner

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Project / Product Lifespan
Intentional UX Debt can be created any time.

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Example: JunkMail

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In order to stay in touch with my mom,
as a web-savvy internet user and world traveller,
I want to send email from my browser.

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It's so frustrating typing my
email in this tiny little box....It's
the worst.
Feedback

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I can't tell if the address I'm
typing is right ‘cause I can’t
see it.
Feedback

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I don't get what happens
when I click 'done'... is it saved
somewhere or something?
Feedback

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Time for
some changes,
eh?

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Perceived UX Debt is the result
of a hunch or hypothesis without
evidence to immediately back
up the claim.

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#protips
You know you’re creating UX Debt when you hear...
• "we'll fix it later"
• "we'll improve it in release 2"
• "we don't have time"
• "we don't have resources"
• "we can train them on that"

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Unintentional UX debt results
from misconceptions about
users and from changes in their
needs, abilities, or expectations
over time.

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Team

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Users

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Competitors

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Competitors’
Users
Competitors

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Project / Product Lifespan
The worst Unintentional UX Debt is created here.

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Project / Product Lifespan
UnintentionalUXDebt
Unintentional UX Debt naturally increases over time.

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pinch and zoom

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There are times when I write all
or part of a message and I just
want to throw it away.
Feedback

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I can't remember anyones’
email address... can I save
them somewhere or
something?
Or maybe you could add that thingy that
Awesomemail has... that'd really help.
Feedback

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Sometimes I start writing a
message and I can't send it
right away but I don't want to
have to retype the whole
thing.
Feedback

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I can't remember anyones’
email address... can I save
them somewhere or
something?
Or maybe you could add that thingy that
Awesomemail has... that'd really help.
Feedback

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Image c/o Apple Inc.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2486
Interviews

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2 approaches
to assessing
Unintentional
UX Debt

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1. be deliberate

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2. pay attention

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This lens
is a tool for
betterment.

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Get rid of
UX Debt in
3steps

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Determine if and
where UX Debt
exists.
1.

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Compare severity
to importance
2.

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Make time to fix it3.

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Socialize the
concept
+1

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First you make it work,
then you make it work well,
and then you make it so
people can't imagine life any
other way. That's #UX.
- Karl Fast

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Thank you!
@andrewjwright
#uxdebt
Resources
Sample UX Debt Tracking spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/P2oMOG

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Attributions
Designing for Emotion – Aarron Walter – Hierarchy of (User) Needs
http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion
Public Domain – People designed by Dima Kolchan
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 3.0) – Money Bag designed by Patrick Morrison
from the Noun Project
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 3.0) – Time designed by Wayne Middleton from
the Noun Project
Public Domain – Magnifying Glass – Roy Lichtenstein
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/roy-lichtenstein/magnifying-glass-1963
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 3.0) – 3 steps
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 3.0) – Waterfall
https://www.flickr.com/photos/3sth3r/
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 3.0) – Rapids
https://www.flickr.com/photos/desawindsinger/