UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
September//29//2023
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Better Digital Experiences. Brief article from Nat Brown published on the Pendo Blog, advocating for better digital experiences, ones that are driven by data and insights (preferably courtesy of Pendo of course). While the article is a gratuitously self-serving one, it is nonetheless a demonstrable statement that data and analytics are indicative of actual palpable insights which justify a roadmap direction, as opposed to “a gut feeling” or “a hunch”, both statements that are problematic and ripe for discussion (and not that discussion isn’t healthy and welcomed). It’s worth reading and once again be reminded that even in 2023 the challenge to understand the value of Design, Analytics, Customer Experiences, still persists. Highlight of the article includes:
“Once they’ve arrived at real insights, digital-forward companies leverage them to inform their product and product experience roadmap. The right goals vary for every company based on what their priorities and concerns are: Which apps or features are customers using most? How effective is the path to converting free users to paid? Where are customers stumbling, and what is the best way to fix the problem? With clear data to back them up, product and customer success teams can get answers to these kinds of questions and execute the right strategy for their business. In driving this kind of change, they’ll help customers thrive, keep budgets in check, fix what isn’t working, and make what is working even better than before.”
2.
Top Startups of 2023. This yearly listing from Linkedin is always worth looking through. The editing team looks through a series of startups emerging across a variety of industries and lists them in away that provides pertinent information about each one, namely what they do, the roles they typically hire for and how their path has been. With the upheavals in the economy and job market it’s worth looking through and witnessing what various companies are doing. Highlight of the article includes:
“But times of uncertainty often pave the way for opportunities. Climate tech startups, for example, are seeing a growing talent pool amid the waves of layoffs in big tech. And the artificial intelligence boom has led to a 16% increase in venture funding for generative AI startups in the first half of 2023 alone. Our 7th annual LinkedIn Top Startups list is a testament to that spirit of innovation, featuring a data-backed ranking of the 50 emerging U.S. companies you should know now. This year’s honorees have trailblazed their way through recent economic and workplace challenges — and managed to stand out to investors and top talent along the way.”
3.
dScout and a Motional Case Study. dScout holds a variety of case studies in their blog, which exemplifies how their platform potentiates powerful research. This one in particular follows Motional, a company specialized in driverless technology. The information is provided by Felice Ling, a senior UX Researcher who worked specifically alongside her team on topics such as remote simulation sessions, tactical prototyping work, and foundational work. While the article doesn’t necessarily provide many details about their findings, it does provide the necessary realization that research is paramount to understand users, their journeys, and how those translate into possible adoption/engagement. Worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“Before the journey activity, Felice asked participants to inventory some of their favorite accessibility tools. This data was designed to get a sense of the broad (and specific) characteristics, features, and functionalities that people with disabilities find useful, for a range of tasks and behaviors. The exercise also helped participants feel comfortable with Felice specifically, and the remote research modality generally. After the inventory, Felice asked participants to show moments along their typical transportation journey, including pre-planning, during their journey, and arriving at their destination. Along the way, participants captured highs and lows, describing what was important to them at each step, and what solutions — if any — existed to smooth that experience. Of particular importance to Felice was the perspective, the POV — that will lead to useful insights for Motional’s product development. Button placement, reachability, the twisting, contorting, and ease of motion generally were all themes Felice pulled from the data; all while capturing moments along the journey.”
