UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
September//17//2021
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Web Quality Assurance. Another great article from The Smashing Magazine, this time around focused on Web Quality Assurance. As the tidal wave of inclusion and accessibility hopefully becomes more visible and impactful, this article sheds light on how quality on the web is perceived. The author, Elie Sloim, has been focused on Quality Assurance for over 20 years, and this article sheds light on what quality on the web actually means, looking into factors such as Visibility, Perception, Technical, Content and Services, and their relationship with Product Design itself. It also dives into issues such as accessibility, privacy, ecological aspects and security. It’s a great article well worth reading. Highlight of the article includes:
“Working on the concept of quality is always a multidisciplinary approach. Each user has their own subjective view about the quality of a product. Some of the users are more sensitive to technical problems, others are more preoccupied with the quality of the content, some are deeply impacted by the quality of the services. Evaluating the quality can’t be fully objective, but it’s always possible to convert general user requirements into more actionable tools. To do so, one of the simplest tools one can create is a checklist, and we did just that.”
2.
Customer Data. Hailing from the GoSquared platform, this is an article that aims primarily to showcase the virtuosity of the product, but looking past it, it also sheds light on the different types of Customer Data, which are an invaluable source of information when it comes to Product Design journeys. The author focuses his attention in identifying and explaining the different types of customer data, which includes Personal, Behavioral, Engagement and Attitudinal. All this data serves to empower teams to better understand how customers relate to brands, their products, and more granularly, get insights into behaviors, goals and expectations. Highlight of the article includes:
“Behavioural data reveals how your users interact with your platform. Over time, you can use this to demonstrate trends in behaviour and inform changes to your product. Examples of behavioural data include which features users activate, how much time the user spends on your platform, average order value, and heat maps. Behavioural data will answer key questions about your product; which areas customers find value in, which areas they struggle with, and where you should make future improvements.”
3.
The Pandemic has Created a New Tech Worker. Very interesting article on the topic of a new breed of Tech Workers which has emerged as a result of the Pandemic but also as a result of the great Resignation movement. As people have moved towards opportunities that allow for further flexibility, more inclusion, and where they feel their voice is actually heard, this article is a good reflection on how future employment environments will be shaped. It also looks at what organizations need to focus on in order to retain talent. This includes focusing on topics such as tracking outputs and not hours, being explicit about their values, among other measures that while keeping track of productivity, also understands their teams needs and aspirations. Highlight of the article includes:
“What’s emerged is a new type of tech worker. These techies are more in touch with their personal capacity and more mindful of how work integrates with their broader lives. They don’t see their work as simply transactional, but they also don’t see it as the center of their worlds. They don’t intend to go back to being tethered to their desks or devices. Some of them want to go back to an office; some want to stay at home. Some want both. They don’t necessarily want to work for one company for long stints (and some don’t even want to work for one company at a time). They’ve become unapologetic about finding roles and creating workflows that align with their values, preferred schedules, and new realities.”
