[Video] What is UX?

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This video by Udacity.com is an excellent aid to understanding what UX is.

The video is presented in an animated form and breaks it down simply, allowing the viewer to understand the concept of UX clearly. It demonstrates that UX is comprised of design, accessibility, usability, system performance, marketing, and utility, rather than simply stating a vague definition.

The video also does a great job of distinguishing between UI (user interface) and UX (user experience,) using metaphors to highlight the difference and the way the two fields work together.

Moreover, it takes care to mention problems that developers face, ensuring that viewers have a multidimensional understanding of UX.

The Role of User Experience

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Professor Bill Gribbons, the Director of the M.S. program in HFID at Bentley University, describes how the role of user experience has expanded and become even more integral to a wide variety of fields.

Jony Ive explain Apple’s design process

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Earlier this month, Apple chief designer Jony Ive appeared on stage for a rare interview during the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit. You can now watch the 25-minute-long interview on YouTube. Ive is characteristically deliberate with his words as he answers a number of questions posed by Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter. While Ive does let loose at one point, summarily criticising those who mimic his designs, most of the interview provides a simple but intriguing view into a man who often keeps far from the public eye.

Ive certainly doesn’t let loose any of Apple’s closely-guarded secrets, but he does reveal a few details about the design process. A small team of roughly 17 is involved in the company’s core industrial design efforts, and, as Ive proudly says, not a single person on that team has “voluntarily left” during his tenure. He also notes that the first product that caught his eye as a kid was an “extraordinarily, achingly beautiful” Braun kitchen mixer his parents had. “[I] had absolutely no interest in food mixing or cooking,” Ive adds, and “I didn’t really know what it did, but I somehow assumed it did it very well.” Jony, it’s nice to see that they let you out of that bright, white room every once and a while. Continue reading

What comes first: UX of UI?

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Which came first the chicken or the egg? Well, it depends on how you look it. This funny video compares the chicken and egg dilemma to UX and UI. From a design standpoint, UX design (the chicken) comes before the finished UI (the egg).

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Apple Watch

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Check out this video where Apples Senior VP Design, Sir Jony Ive, talks about the Apple Watch.

Do you think this tiny screen will provide a comfortable user experience?

At first, when I saw the presentation, I found the interface pretty bad, with a usability that can cause problems. But in a matter of UX, is a matter of usual usage, whatever…

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