UI/UX Articles And Interesting Tidbits Of The Week
August//14//2020
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Conversational Analytics and Customer Experiences. Very interesting article hailing from Tech Crunch on the topic of Analytics and how their evolution, particularly with the integration of AI, will allow to predict and prognosticate user habits, expectations and adoption. The article touches on topics of Natural Language Processing (which includes Automated Speech Recognition, Semantic Analysis, User Response and Speech to Text to name the most widely recognized applications), and how automation, will allow for Organizations to better understand their users/clients habits, therefore producing more pertinent product offerings. Highlight of the article includes:
“Conversational AI, which powers these interfaces and automation systems and feeds data into conversational analytics engines, is a market predicted to grow from $4.2 billion in 2019 to $15.7 billion in 2024. As companies “conversationalize” their brands and open up new interfaces to customers, AI can inform CX decisions not only in how customer journeys are architected–such as curated buying experiences and paths to purchase–but also how to evolve overall product and service offerings. This insights edge could become a game-changer and competitive advantage for early adopters. Today, there is wide variation in the degree of sophistication between conversational solutions from elementary, single-task chatbots to secure, user-centric, scalable AI. To unlock meaningful conversational analytics, companies need to ensure that they have deployed a few critical ingredients beyond the basics of parsing customer intent with natural language understanding (NLU).”
2.
Web Standards. Hailing from the WebDesignerDepot, this article is a succinct take on what Web Standards are, their usefulness and applicability. It’s a topic always worth reminding, particularly when Product Design is moving towards, as well as it should, solutions that are inclusive, accessible and relevant on the market. The author, Suzanne Scacca, mentions the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the WAI (the Web Accessibility Initiative), Mobile Responsiveness, to name but a few of very relevant topics. Highlight of the article includes:
“As far as users are concerned, one of the biggest benefits to them is the predictability of the web. That’s not to say that web standards will prohibit you from being creative in how you design a website. However, in terms of how it functions and how your visitors can interact with it, those elements should be consistent with the rest of the web. This creates a more inviting environment for users as it removes the struggle and confusion that comes with entering new territory. As far as web designers are concerned, I think that’s been made clear by now. Not only does it help you work more efficiently, but it allows you to contribute to a better web — one that’s well-built and accessible for all.”
3.
Integrity, Thoughtfulness and Inclusiveness. Interesting article from Fast Company, on the topics of Integrity, thoughtfulness and inclusiveness, distilled through the angle of Empathy. There are countless articles on Empathy and Design, including one of my favorites, hailing from Don Norman on how Empathy is a questionable angle when it comes to Product Design itself. This article does allow for some serious considerations on how Education should evolve, emphasizing aspects such as problem understanding and defining, from a humane point of view, including tasks, habits, solving for those with conscience, ethics and principles. Highlight of the article includes:
“Starting to solve a problem by asking its stakeholders what’s important to them seems simple, but it’s not the way most innovation works today. For the most part, entrepreneurs, inventors, and policymakers think of themselves as experts, armed with knowledge to solve problems for other people. But the fastest way to an effective, innovative solution is to ask the people affected from the very start and to be true to their needs through the process of product development or representation by elected leaders.”
