A few days back I came across this video created by Vox that talks about how important it is to think about architecture, interior design & engineering when you design for those who are Deaf.
The case study is based around the Gallaudet University in Washington DC which is one of its kind. The entire architecture of the university has been thought through based on how those who cannot hear, will interact with spaces. Sound plays an important role in our daily lives, and without that we react to things very differently.
Watch this video, and then read on …
As those who are blessed with the ability to hear, we don’t usually think about most of the things mentioned in the video, such as the width of a corridor, or the fact that there should not be stairs. But the fact that so much thought has gone into designing for those who cannot hear means that you are paying so much attention to the details that help improve the experience for them. It makes their lives better. Provides a surrounding that they are comfortable in, something they can connect with and be more productive.
So, if the improvement of the experience can make things better and provide a higher productive output, then surely it makes sense to invest in understanding those details that help improve the experience.
Today, we use connected devices everyday. Data is published and stored across the internet and as a business we want to maximize our productivity to reach towards our target audience, to help them understand our products and services better so they may make an educated buying decision. As a business you want to stand out from the competition and one of the best ways to do that is to provide your customers with an experience that helps them choose you over the rest. Enhancing that experience means paying attention to detail.
User experience is more than just what your website or mobile app looks like. It constitutes the study of everything that your business has as a touch point with people. Your online presence is one such touch point – which at many times could be the first point of contact.
Here are 5 user experience points that you must not overlook in 2016 when it comes to web design.
- Pay attention to detail : User experience is about how people perceive their interaction with your website. It’s a combination of sight, sound, touch, actions, emotions, and social stigma. So make sure you paying attention to all these to provide an enjoyable interaction
- Do not ignore mobile : An increasing number of users are using the internet on hand held devices. Pay attention to the experience of your website on a mobile. Just building a responsive website is not enough – it does not always provide the right experience.
- Meaningful micro interactions : It’s those little things that are almost not noticeable. Though micro interactions are near-invisible due to their small size, if done well, they can play a vital role in dramatically increasing the user experience.
- Typography : The choice of the right font, the size of the text, the spacing between the letters, the space between the lines in a paragraph, the space between each paragraph … all of this constitutes towards how easily your user can read what you want them to, and how fast can they understand it.
- Personalization : Adapting the user experience to the kind of user that interacts with you takes you to a whole new level. Intelligently gathering data and providing information based on age, gender, interest, browser, operating system, status in the sales life cycle … etc provide invaluable benefits
