Presented by Scott A. Savage (www.scottAsavage.com) for Web Content Mavens at General Assembly in Washington, DC on March 18, 2015. This presentation provides an overview of how developers and non-user experience people can integrate good user experience ideas and methodologies into their professional processes and work.

1. For Web Content Mavens, March 18, 2015
An Introduction to User
Experience for Dev’s &
Techies
Scott A. Savage

2. –Albert Einstein
“Any darn fool can make something complex; it
takes a genius to make something simple.”

3. Who is Scott Savage?
❖ UX Architect at Boost Labs
❖ Worked for WeatherBug, SAIC,
US Dept. of Health & Human
Services, Monster.com, and a
few others
❖ Loves user experience,
puppies, walks on the beach,
and Star Trek
❖ Tweet me @scottAsavage, and
learn more about me at
http://scottasavage.com

4. Did you know…?
Source: http://blog.invisionapp.com/a-brief-history-of-user-experience/
Leonardo DaVinci was
commissioned by the Duke of
Milan to design a kitchen for a
great feast.
He designed conveyor belts to
transport food items to the chefs,
and even created a worlds-first
sprinkler system for safety in case
the kitchen caught fire
Now that’s a guy who gave
thought to user experience!

5. What is User Experience?
What do you think user experience is?

6. What is User Experience?
us·er ex·pe·ri·ence
(noun)
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.
In other words, user experience is the
embodiment of everything we interact
with, good or bad.

7. Why should I care about UX?
Great UX creates emotional attachment and brand loyalty.

8. Why should I care about UX?
Bad UX kills great ideas, and makes everyone unhappy.

9. –Yun Jong Yong, CEO, Samsung
“Good design is the most important way to
differentiate ourselves from our competitors*.”
– Albrecht & Zembre, 1985
“Bad news travels fast. A dissatisfied shopper
tells around 10 other people about the
shopper’s bad experience.”
hat is, when we’re not stealing good designs and suing the original designers… ;)

10. What does great UX look like?
Great shopping
experiences
Consistent design
across platforms
Clean, easy-to-use
interfaces & quality
materials

11. What does bad UX look like?
I just… I can’t even…
With the right combination of checks,
I think you can launch the nukes.

12. So wait… is… is UX = UI?

13. No
UX
is
not
UI

14. What constitutes good UX?
ge credit: http://www.texavi.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/User-Experience_5E_Focus-on-Users-1024x724.png

15. Common UX misconceptions
❖ UX is only a step in the design process.
❖ My users are experts, so it’s okay to let UX go - they’ll
just “get it”.
❖ It’s expensive and time consuming to consider UX.
❖ UX means it just has to look good.
❖ It’s not my job to worry about UX.

16. The truth is, though, that
you’re probably already
doing some user
experience work.
You just don’t realize it.

18. Let’s talk about processes
The basis of making great things is having smart processes.

19. Discovery
How Developers can get involved with UX in Discovery
• Ask to be a part of discovery meetings.
• Participate in stakeholder interviews.
• Research the problem you’ll be trying to solve.
• Look up competitors and leaders in the same field.

20. Architecture
How Developers can get involved with UX in Architecture
• Assist (or lead) the effort in designing a sitemap.
• Contribute technical use cases.
• Participate in requirements writing with BA’s.
• Draw or mock up your ideas for the design & function of the UI

21. Design
How Developers can get involved with UX in Design
• Sit with your designers and talk through their designs from a
technical feasibility standpoint.
• Offer well-thought feedback on designs & style guides.
• Assist designers in creating the markup (HTML/CSS/JS).
• Analyze any and all UX deliverables (personas, use cases, etc).

22. Development! Finally!
How Developers can get involved with UX in Development
• Frequently check your code against the requirements, designs, and with your
teammates to ensure that you’re keeping the users best interests in mind.
• Work with designers to simplify complex workflows.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to customers during development - they can provide
valuable insights & help you work through rough spots.

23. Testing
How Developers can get involved with UX in Testing
• Work with your entire team to help write test cases based on real-world
situations.
• Coordinate or participate in focus groups with current/potential customers.
• Push new builds on a scheduled, frequent basis to ensure that users have the
maximum amount of time to put your product through its paces.

24. The Dad Test
❖ My dad loves technology and
gadgets.
❖ He’s not very technically - or
internet - savvy.
❖ If he can easily figure out how
to use something I’ve designed
- with few (if any) questions, I
know my UX was good.
Dad and me!

25. – Frank Lloyd Wright
“You can use an eraser on the drafting table or
a sledge hammer on the construction site.”

26. The most important
takeaways
❖ Whenever you can, talk to your
clients/customers/users - not just about business, but
about them as people.
❖ Don’t be afraid to ask questions - ever.
❖ Test early, test often.
❖ Don’t make assumptions.
❖ Collaborate. Be part of the whole process, not just a
step in it.

27. Resources: Great UX People
❖ Whitney Hess: Writer, speaker, UX advocate
❖ http://whitneyhess.com
❖ Jared M. Spool: Founder, UIE
❖ http://www.uie.com
❖ Jakob Nielsen & Don Norman: Pioneers of Evidence-Based User
Experience
❖ http://www.nngroup.com
❖ Luke Wroblewski: Product Director at Google, author of “Web Form
Design”
❖ http://www.lukew.com
❖ Jesse James Garrett: Founder of Adaptive Path, forefather of modern
UX
❖ http://www.jjg.net

28. Resources: Great Websites
❖ A List Apart: http://www.alistapart.com
❖ Smashing Magazine: http://smashingmagazine.com
❖ Boxes and Arrows: http://boxesandarrows.com
❖ UX Magazine: http://uxmag.com

29. Resources: Great Books
❖ Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense
Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
❖ The Psychology Of Everyday Things by Don Norman
❖ A Project Guide to UX Design: For User Experience
Designers in the Field or in the Making by Russ Unger &
Carolyn Chandler

30. Thanks for listening!