There's more to creating great user experiences than just technical design chops. This presentation explores the concept of how wonder is created through the fusion of the science and the art of design, by understanding yourself, your market, your users and their context.

1. whoisPaulyting.com
DESIGN BETTER:
Solving UX problems (Part 1)
with Pauly Ting

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My name is Pauly Ting
and I’m an experience designer.

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I’ve helped brands reveal their purpose, express their
personality, and deliver a complete and authentic experience.

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TWO THINGS:
Science vs Art
Doing Your Homework

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#1:
Science vs Art

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Science of Achievement
Logical patterns of action, and
specific pathways to excellence

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Art of Fulfillment
Finding joy in the appreciation and contribution
through the process of understanding

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Art of Fulfillment
Finding joy in the appreciation
and contribution through the
process of understanding
Science of Achievement
Logical patterns of action, and
specific pathways to excellence
vs

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COMPETING WITH ONLY SCIENCE:
Your brand is differentiated by mechanics.
Mechanics can be copied, stolen,
replaced, and cheapened.

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COMPETING WITH ONLY ART:
Your brand is differentiated by biotics.
Biotics can be obfuscated, costly,
unpredictable, and susceptible.

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Science AND Art
Leveraging the practicalities and logic of
science with the possibilities and joy of art

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COMPETING WITH SCIENCE AND ART:
Your brand is differentiated by character.
Character is the integral manifestation of
morals, originality, and intrinsic qualities.

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TAKEAWAY:
Most consumers don’t know the
mechanics or art of what they want.
They know the feeling they want.
They know what wonder feels like.

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So what does this mean?

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#2:
Doing Your Homework

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“We need to
build the sign
up form.”
Step 1
DESIGN PROCESS OF MANY BRANDS:

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“We need to
build the sign
up form.”
Step 1 Step 2
DESIGN PROCESS OF MANY BRANDS:

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“We need to
build the sign
up form.”
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
DESIGN PROCESS OF MANY BRANDS:

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MANY BRANDS:
Mechanical
Function-based
Utilitarian
Generic
Complicated
Heavy

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And it can definitely work. For a while.
Until…

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“We need more sign ups”
“We need more conversions”
“We need more engagement”
“We need better retention”
Or my favorite…

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“We need to be more like UBER”
– Many brands

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SMART BRANDS:
Natural
Value-based
Identity driven
Progressive
Personalized
Clear and simple

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So how do we create experiences like this?

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What if I told you that your
sign-up problem may be more
than just your form design?
That it was your approach to
understanding the problem?

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Know
thyself! Know thy
ecosystem!
Know thy
users!
Know thy
context!

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Science: What do you do and how?
Art: What do you stand for, and why
Wonder: How do we want others to feel?
(Pro Tip: don’t say delight)
Know
thyself!

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Knowing thyself
helps to better
articulate how you’ll
solve the problem

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SO, WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?

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SO, WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?
WHAT ARE YOU GIVING?

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SMART STARTUPS:
“We need to design a way that our ideal users
will join us because they value what we’re doing”
MOST STARTUPS:
“We need to build the sign up page.”

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Know thy
ecosystem!
Science: Who do we need to make this work?
Art: Who else wants it to be this way?
Wonder: How would they want to help?

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Eventually everything connects;
people, ideas, objects. The quality
of the connections is the key to
quality, per se.

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SMART STARTUPS:
“We will partner with those who care about the problem in
the same way we do, who are invested in being part of our
solution, and who need the culture we have, to succeed.
MOST STARTUPS:
“We need to get businesses, customers, and suppliers on board”

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Science: Who could use this?
Art: Who would ‘get’ this?
Wonder: Why would they want/need this?
Know thy
users!

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Understand
your user’s
psychology, not
just their A/S/L

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WHO ARE YOU SELLING TO?
Parents
Children Teachers

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WHO ARE YOU REALLY SELLING TO?

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SMART STARTUPS:
“We work with those who care about the problem the same
way we do, because we know their contentment is created
by the sum of the full experience, and not just the parts.
MOST STARTUPS:
“We are selling to people who need or want what we have”

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Science: When could this be used?
Art: How else could this be used?
Wonder: Why would they choose to use this?
Know thy
context!

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SMART BRANDS:
Be ruthless to
identify the
context - is the
payoff worth it?

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SMART STARTUPS:
“We know that people seek to achieve a felt result, how ever it
can be realized. We want our value to be perceived through
our commitment to understanding and fulfilling their desired
result, rather than simply selling our solution.”
MOST STARTUPS:
“We sell value in these specific situations”

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TAKE AWAY:
People are always looking for things to make their lives
better, to save more, to lose less, to improve their chances
at success and fulfillment and so forth.
In order to provide value, how better can you understand
yourself, the ecosystem, your users, and their context?

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THANK YOU!
TUNE IN NEXT TIME:
Solving UX problems (Part 2)
• Reframing to create focus areas
• Design Case Study
• Documenting UX Work