UX Design Challenges

I've been reading a bit about UX and Design.  Three observations have really hit me.

First, there are a ton of resources out there.  One really neat one has been a PacktPub video UX Design for Web Developers.  It has been a really good learning experience.  One really nice method for feedback is to give access to a site/mock up and record (video*) how users are moving around a site.  The great part of it is that you can watch and almost hear the users struggling or fumbling or saying "FWA?!", ha ha.  The challenge to all of these resources is that it becomes very overwhelming.  Trying to focus from everything to something certainly is proving to be a challenge.  In the Packt video mentioned, Chris Becker throws out a ton of UX sites.......most of which I haven't even been able to visit.  Oh, well.  In due time.

Second.  Remember, a list of things?  Second, UX is not native in my corporate environment.  I know.  Everyone just rolled their eyes and said "wow, what a fantastic revelation."  I guess I was expecting a little more receptiveness to consideration of UX design patterns.  This friction seems to come in a couple of notable ways.  One way is in the cost.  And I completely understand this.  How much does X cost versus how much time Y will we save (or how much $$ Y will we save).  That is run of the mill justification.  My challenge is how to best quantify the "savings".  A great example is a big push recently.  We did a survey, found the users of a system ranked the usability (basically) a 1 out of 5 (5 being best).  And I have a feeling that it garnered a 1 because users weren't allowed 0.  To me, that's a pretty solid reason to make a break from what we have.  To me, a very big break.  Yet.  There has been significant resistance.  Or a "yea, we should change, but just this tiny bit."  It has been an eye opening experience.  A second way I have seen in my environment has been the monolithic system.  We have an inside joke around "The Whopper".  What this means is that some along the chain believe in this one, big silver bullet.  It does everything.  It's......The Whopper.  Thus when someone might say hey, we should do this, there is a likelihood that someone else will then say, well, if we do that, the only way it is usable (we'll agree) is if we do x, y, z, aa, ab, ac, perpetual motion machine, etc., too.  I know, most will say, of course, nothing new.

Lastly, and probably the biggest, is a little self revelation.  I am not some incredible genius, to whom all should bow and blindly support.  I'm impatient.  I like to be right.  As Jack Handy once said, "In a previous life, I must have been a king because I like it when people do what I say."  Because of that, when challenged, I immediately bow up, get defensive, see all the problems with the problems people may offer.  That's a pretty big hindrance to getting people on board with any plan, much less UX.  Less pride.  More selling, right?

So.  Where does that leave me?  Well, in a sense......square 1.  I'm not convinced of abandoning a smaller, nimble project and/or justifying spending $.  Unfortunately, at this time, neither are my counterparts convinced of how awesome I am...........and idea I've presented.......UX can be.  Yea, that last one.  One way to solve this?  Mock up, test, change, Mock up, test, etc.  Your basic human centered design principle.  Patience, too.  Business mindsets weren't created in a day.  Mine included.

So.  Off to do more changes and feedback sessions.

* - I use Camtasia.  I have thoroughly enjoyed using it these several years.