Our great client, Adam Feldman (Google), wrote on his blog:
“Well this is kinda the coolest thing ever. UX Pin ships you a design resource book for drawing out paper and pencil wireframes…. then it uses magic to turn digital pictures of said mockups into real, functional, digital wireframes. Expect to see all kinds of stuff from me using this service. Check it out here.”
[source]
We couldn’t be more proud. Thank you Adam!
What do you think about UXPin? Share your thoughts!
UX designers suppose to design human centered, seductive and effective products. In the same time our workflow tend to be:
So repeat after me: In 2012 I will avoid waste in my UX worklow.
People needs better products. There’s no time to waste for wrong processes and bad tools.
According to a survey conducted by Todd Zaki Warfel (Prototyping: A Practitioner Guideline): 77% of UX practitioners use paper as a prototyping/wireframing method. Paper is absolutely indispensable, but unless it’s fully compatible with the workflow – it might be a waste of time.
We tend to sketch complete UIs and then redraw them in the wireframing tool. We’re repeating ourselves. What a waste.
What we should do, is plan basic structure of the interface on paper and than move it smoothly to the wireframing tool.
That’s why with UXPin you can just stick sticky-notes with UI elements to the paper and your basic prototype will be auto-converted into fully editable wireframe. Check this video: http://youtu.be/-hwaUyRdhhI
That can’t be overemphasized. Every design should start with a clear and painful problem.
I always say – we’re not in a rectangle drawing business. We’re in shaping experiences business. We’re paid for our great concepts rooted in knowledge on human behavior. Nobody should pay us for our deliverables. They are just tools.
Collaborate with your team or die. Your wireframes should communicate design as a solution to specific problems. If people on your team have some other ideas – listen to them and don’t hesitate to provide changes to your design.
In UXPin you can work all together on the design. Collaboration works just like in Google Docs.
How many times did you hear “oh crap I didn’t get it”/ “I didn’t know I should click here?!” Your wireframe might be obvious to you, but it doesn’t mean it’s obvious in general. Try to make your wireframe… user centered.
User Experience is a relatively young field. In the past, we didn’t have our own tools, so we were borrowing from visual designers, programmers, business developers and product managers. We’ve adopted tools that weren’t meant to help us. Time to change that.
UXPin is a first complex wireframing and documenting system created by UX designers for UX designers.
The story.
Once upon a time, there was a UX designer. The only UX designer in the village far far away. Village was really developers-driven and folks didn’t know what UX is. Oh, they didn’t care about design, users and sweet analysis. They loved technology, features, and quick deployments.
They didn’t enjoy changes and UX designer was not welcomed. All this prototyping, wireframing, qualitative tests and quantitative measures… they just didn’t believe in that.
UX designer was young, eager and took everything really personal. Fights begun. Soon the village was on fire.
The problem
I don’t know if any species extincted because of anti-collaborative approach, but I’m pretty sure that many fluorished thanks to that. Collaboration is somehow at the center of everything that grows quickly. Take ant’s mound, or skyscrapper’s construction site.
At work it’s usually hard to grasp as we tend to fight for our own „good”. We’re selfish and insecure thinking that we’re at the center of the company’s universe. Guess what. We’re not. Users (if we’re lucky) and business goals are.
If you’re acting as a tribe you’ve got common strategy and common goals. That’s good for everyone involved.
User Experience, as every young player, is especially exposed to danger of selfishness and insecurity. We tend to think that remedy to our weak organizational position are fights. They are not. Remedy is collaboration and collaborative tools.
I was once UX designer from the story. Now I lead team of 5 great designers (huge for local standards) in the same company.
The solution
Solution was dead simple.
I’ve stopped explaining and started demonstrating. Demonstration of your process is powerful. Show your approach to concept work, show your approach to prototyping, show testing and analysis. They will enjoy it.
I’ve quitted fighting and decided to engage team in my work. Huge project was started by common research (everyone in the company could participate) and common sessions of paper prototyping. People really quickly shifted from „go to hell with your new methods” to „oh this is really working”.
Openning of just a concept part, or research, wasn’t enough. People needed to see whole process (including wireframing) to understand what’s going on and how it’s going to help you.
Fights ended and projects amazed folks with success. Now we’re famous from our „UX friendly” culture and UX designers working on every project.
The tool
UXPin approach, on the contrary to all the old „UX tools” (they are not really focused on UX – rather on quick wireframing/prototyping/mockuping for biz devs, project managers etc.), facilitates collaborative approach to design.
You can organize workshops for your team using UXPin notepads. Forms for concept work (design problem definition, personas, diagrams) will help you demonstrate how early stage of the design can be done and why it’s crucial to the whole process
You can paper prototype basic structure of the UI using UXPin notepads. It’s fun and easy to do. Whole team can just stick UI elements to the paper. After paper prototyping session you can take pictures of prototypes and send them to the UXPin App, where every paper prototype will be auto-converted into fully editable wireframe
With UXPin you can invite your team to the wireframing App and they will be able to participate in the process. You will be able to chat with them in the app while wireframing!
Picture source: Eiffel Tower official website
Paris, 1884.
Two engineers of the Eiffel’s Company are working on World’s Fair 1899 building.
They need to provide idea for something really disruptive, modern and energizing. And they need to do it now. Tension is almost unbearable. They’re sketching their asses off. Finally they come up with gigantic and very complex tower. Couple of blueprints later they are sure they are on the right track. If everything would go according to the plan they will create new and shocking pride of Paris.
2 of them are not enough. 48 designers and engineers joined the team. Amazingly detailed and beautiful documentation helped 450 workers to build a masterpiece.
The problem
The solution
We used and observed various UX tools throughout the years and finally we just couldn’t resist building our own system.
The system that finally addresses specific problems of documenting UX design and helps designers, all over the world, collaboratively build their own monumental masterpieces.
We are on the mission to bring you complex and collaborative UX tools. From UX professionals for UX professionals
Once upon a time, in the kingdom of far far away, I needed to explain that UX deliverables aren’t just ugly, simplified versions of visual design. I’m pretty sure you’ve been there too. I came up with an analogy that meant to kill the dragon, steal princess and win me a shiny pot of gold.
„Architectural blueprints don’t look pretty too.” – I said with a self-confident smile. To my surprise, my dearest interlocutor didn’t seem to be particularly happy. Why? Well If UX designers are architects…who are developers? Sloppy analogy, especially if you’re talking with a worshiper of developers driven organizations.
Memory of this awkward encounter forced me to rethink the whole problem. What if I won’t focus on defense of wireframes? What if I say…
Don’t design wireframes! Don’t focus on that!
Well that must give you a strange impression. „Didn’t he create wireframing software?” – You may ask. „Nope.” – I will answer. Wireframing software is something that was created by people who don’t get UX design. I’m shooting to a different duck (mind that I don’t support hunting, this is just a silly metaphor that came to my mind). UXPin is and will be focused entirely on documenting user experience. We’re just starting our engines of changes („Wind of change” should be played right now), so why don’t you join us in a fight for the right cause brave knight (/knightness)?
Anyway…
UX designers should focus on designing seductive and fruitful experiences, not wireframes. Wireframes, mock-ups, prototypes – are just solutions to communicate design ideas. You may use them or not or even create something completely new. Important thing is, you need to exhaust your brain on concept work and document user experience.
After all we are not called „Wireframers” nor „Wireframe designers” and we should be proud of our creative and important job called „UX designer” (/Information Architect/Interaction Designer/UX Ninja/Lord of Experiences…).
I know, I know… UX is young and people don’t get what we do and it seems to be so important to explain why we prototype, wireframe, mock-up and why it looks like that, because at the end somebody needs to pay for that. Guess what? It doesn’t matter. We should be judged and paid by the result of our designs. And the result we’re hitting on is: great user experience.
So don’t be a „wireframer”. If somebody asks you „why this is so ugly?!” answer „because at the end this ugly duckling/ugly Betty transforms into something so super cool your nose will start bleeding”.
So what do you reckon guys? Any similar stories? Is this fight worth fighting? Let me know in the comments. Cheerio!
Hello UX designers and UX designer’s families!
Nick Finck – exceptional UX professional (and our great client) provides UX gift list every year. He’s doing an amazing job. I decided to add a little bit to the list. My collection is rather personal. Connected not only to UX design but to design in general. Hopefully, you’ll like it and who knows… maybe Santa will give you something from this list. That would be great. Cheers!
For sentimental designers.
Legendary design by Philippe Starck (1990) most known among UX designers from a cover of “Emotional design” by Don Norman. It looks good, it brings certain emotions and actually is quite practical. Great present for UX geek. Will be appreciated.
Is there enough time to order it? Yes. It’s popular and available in many shops. Try here. Approximate cost: $85
For design history lovers.
Dieter Rams means a lot to many UX designers. His minimalistic and very…human approach at Braun shaped generations of designers. This present will be loved and worshiped by any UX design geek.
Is it enough time to order it? Might be hard. 3-6 weeks at Amazon (~$50)
For tech geeks inside of every UX designer
Thermostat from former president of iPod division at Apple. That’s certainly something we all want to have. Beautifully crafted, functional…seductive thing. Proof that good design can change ordinary things into something amazing.
Is it enough time to order it? No. It’s sold out. You may try to find it on eBay or just wait till Christmas 2012.
For the busy UX designers
Behance’s Actionmethod is a unique system to manage your time & tasks. I love their approach and I think you know why. They share UXPin vision to use both paper and digital apps to free mind and enhance creativity. Lovable thing.
Is it enough time to order it? Honestly – no idea. Can’t find shipping info. You may try in Behance retail stores.
There’s that exercise popular in branding called “Writing an obituary” (you can read more about it in Marty Neumeier’s “Zag”) shockingly effective way of finding your way up to the top. You (and other founders) imagine that in 25 years your company has come to the end. After quite a successful time you’re about to close the business and write your last press note. What do you want to say to your clients? How would you like to be remembered? Answering those questions is quite enlightening.
We did that excersise.
Continue reading Best UX design professionals deserve best UX design tools.
It’s also known as 3c – 3 reasons to prototype.
Continue reading 3C – 3 reasons to prototype and the webdesign mastery
So you’re either part of User Experience team or have invested in creating one and you’re not happy with the results. What’s going on? What are the main reasons?
Remember: Usually your team isn’t a group of lemmings. They just got temporarily lost.
1. They don’t work together (And by together I don’t mean in the same office). Encourage collaboration. Run paper prototyping team session.
2. They fight with other teams instead of sharing knowledge. Teach them to communicate.
Paper prototyping is the only one truly rapid method of prototyping.
It doesn’t take much time to create basic visualization of your ideas. Actually it’s a matter of minutes. That means that you’re gaining more time for prototyping (and testing!) alternative user interfaces. Create more in less time that’s efficiency which must result in creation of the best interface that you’re capable of.
Continue reading 5 reasons why you should always start webdesign on paper
Redesigns of popular websites usually gain much attention. Attention which is easily transferred to severe protests and conservative shouts („give me back the old user interface!”). Users of the Internet are strangely Phlegmatic in terms of Hipocrates-Galen theory of temperament – they hate change.
Of course situation of protests happened recently to Facebook with the introduction of the new Profile Page. I bet folks in Palo Alto weren’t surprised.
I must admit that I admire the way Facebook is changing through the years. They certainly are reaching position of most effective masterpiece in social media. Continue reading Facebook Profile Page Redesign with UXPin Paper Prototyping
I would say we’re teenagers of the IT world. And just as rebellious teenagers, we have strange tendency to defend strongholds of our views in a nonsense manner. Who never has a fight with unbelieving in a power of user testing programmer, vintage project manager, or client who knows what is the best for his users, though he has never checked it, can throw a rock.
There are dozens of articles about selling User Experience ideas to reluctant teammates, old fashioned bosses and unenthusiastic (to say the least…) clients. Some of them consider real problems, most are focused on basic and enormously trivial issues in interhuman communication, which has nothing to do with UX itself. „Respecting other point of view” is way too universal to be an interesting statement.
Hello UXPin friends and, hopefully, soon-to-be-friends who just stopped by on our blog.
„…Redesigning paper prototyping? Doesn’t it sound silly? Well, we worship innovation and believe in a change harder than Obama does. We have urge to make things better, bigger than Timberland (which has a slogan „Make it better!”). Nope, we didn’t have any doubt that you can actually make paper prototyping better, more complex, rapid and convenient…”
We believe that the Internet is based on sharing. Sharing thoughts, stories, ideas. That’s way we’ve decided to share with you the UXPin story. What’s more, UXPin is also strongly connected with the idea of sharing. Hm… Isn’t it bullshit, as we’re selling UXPin not giving it for free? Well, let me start our story from that point.
There are three human beings who co-founded UXPin. Three human beings working for 5 days a week, 8 hours per day as a UX/R&D team in one of the most important eCommerce companies in the Eastern Europe. We work as a team and we love it. Though we’re from different parts of the wide UX field (interaction design, information architecture, design) we get along well.