Overview
Design is often perceived as subjective creation and decision-making, but great design is rigorous and has strong methods applied in systematic ways. Like experimental science, design is the systematic exploration of a problem-space to yield a deep understanding that guides us toward practical, elegant insights and solutions. Scientific methods and design thinking have much in common.
We can create better products, services, and experiences by taking a scientific approach and applying core psychological principles and theories to identify, define, and frame problems more effectively. We will discuss a model of perception, cognition, motivation, emotion, and behaviour to help us understand a wide range of diverse challenges that go beyond interface design and interaction to include context, communication, culture, humour, and more.
Objective
Provide UXers with a model of design methods analogous to experimental science that can be used to make better design decisions as well as lead to a deeper understanding of design problems.
Target Audience
UX designers, product designers, researchers, and product managers
Assumed Audience Knowledge
Basic understanding of UX design and simple research methods
Five Things Audience Members Will Learn
- A psychological model of UX and interaction design based on perception, cognition, emotion, motivation, and behaviour
- Why a person’s context and goals are essential to understanding their motivation and behaviour
- How we define and frame a problem can determine the solutions we create
- That the scientific method and design thinking are very similar, and both are rigorous
- That as designers, our job is often to change behaviour, and we should continually remind ourselves of this responsibility
