Practitioners-Guide-User-Experience-Design

UX IS EVOLUTIONARY
The last thing I want to highlight is that UX will continue to evolve, and that just as
computers are becoming ever more pervasive and are being woven into the fabric of our
lives in continually more seamless ways, UX is likely to become more seamlessly woven
into the skills of all those involved in product development, whether for web and app
products, nontech products, or the fast-evolving set of products that combine both. Just
consider the rapidly developing “Internet of Things.” More and more of the devices in our
lives are going to be hooked up to the Internet so that they can perform enhanced
functions for us, such as TVs that remember what we’ve been watching, trash cans that
warn us when the garbage needs to be taken out, cars that drive themselves, and buildings
that automatically adjust window shades according to the progression of the sun during the
day. Another recently introduced example is “smart” Christmas tree lights that perform a
light show to the rhythm of whatever music you play. On a more serious note, GE has
described a future digital “care traffic control system” for hospitals that will keep track of
where all of the equipment needed for patient care is in the hospital and whether it’s in
use. Such a system will allow for much more effective allocation, so that when a patient
needs a defibrillator right away, she’s more likely to get it right away.
It’s a great time to be interested in how computers and people interact. I’m a sucker
for the future, and I’m excited by the potential of rapidly improving web technologies that
can connect to the nonsilicon world. The better our computers get at sensing our
environments and following us around, the more fun we’ll get to have as UX designers.
I’m also a fan of people. I like meeting new people and talking to them in their
natural habitats where they’re comfortable. I like to observe people and learn about their
worlds and habits and what makes them who they are. All that’s really needed to get
started in UX design is an enthusiasm for human behavior; all you need to know about the
technology follows from there. The most essential qualification for becoming a good UX
designer is the desire to help people improve their lives by making the computing
technology that has become so pervasive serve their needs with intelligence, elegance, an
edge of delight, and utter clarity. As John Maeda, a former president of the prestigious
Rhode Island School of Design, wrote in his book The Laws of Simplicity, “The best art
makes your head spin with questions. Perhaps this is the fundamental distinction between
pure art and pure design. While great art makes you wonder, great design makes things
clear.” 4