Tailoring the Fundamentals of Digital Experiences The fundamentals of digital experiences matter. They create the feeling that the UI/UX was designed uniquely for each user. Annika Hey Design Principal Atanas Atanasov Software Development Manager – Agile Frameworks Björn Stansvik Founder & Chief Executive Officer Daniela Nazim MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Dobrev MentorMate Alumni Craig Knighton Chief Operating Officer Eleonora Georgieva Global VP, Delivery George Dormishev System Administration Manager Ivaylo Kostadinov Director, Software Engineering - .NET Jamie Bolseth MentorMate Alumni Jay Miller President Jeni Kyuchukova Director, Quality Engineering Jessica Anderson VP of Finance and Administration Liz Spolyar Global Director, Continuation Engineering Nick Curran Technical Architect Nikolay Lyubchev Global Director, Talent Acquisition, MentorMate Stefan Tsvyatkov Director, Software Engineering - Mobile Stefan Tzanev Chief Financial Officer Vesselin Dobrev General Manager (Bulgaria) Sylvia Vassileva Software Development Manager - Spok Filip Gajtanovski Software Development Manager - Storyworks Krasimir K. Nikolov VP of Technology Katherine Kelly Director of Operations (USA) Carrie Siewert Strategic Account Manager Brady Swanson Global Director, Marketing Eve Poeschl MentorMate Alumni Ryan Peña MentorMate Alumni Vassil Vassilev Software Development Manager - .NET Pavel Petrov Director, Software Engineering - LAMP&FE Ivan Peev Senior Technology Manager Bob Reuss MentorMate Alumni Vera Kasapova QA Manager Greta Yamacheva QA Manager Robert Samuelsson General Manager (Sweden) Kyle Simmons Solutions Architect Robin Thomas Solutions Architect Nataliya Naydenova MentorMate Alumni Adam Malone Alexander Dimitrov Enterprise Architect Andrea Kates CEO, LaunchPad Central Andrew Eklund CEO, Ciceron Andrew Marinov Angel Nikolov MentorMate Alumni Anurag Shukla Aron Wolde MentorMate Alumni Ashley Goodridge Office Assistant Benjamin Gramlich MentorMate Alumni Chris Black MentorMate Alumni Christa Haeg MentorMate Alumni Colin Lee MentorMate Alumni Deyan Stoynov MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Danailov MentorMate Alumni Dobrinka Tabakova Doug Leatherman Emily Genco MentorMate Alumni Fanka Vassileva Gabriela Zagarova MentorMate Alumni Gary Conkright CEO, physIQ Gary Fingerhut Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic Innovations Gavin Finden MentorMate Alumni Georgi Graham Klang Hyusein Hyuseinov Senior Automation QA Ian Good Global VP, Operations Iva Jack Cosentino James Williams John Byrne Kaloyan Stoilkov MentorMate Alumni Kosta Hristov Krasimir Gatev Senior Android Developer Lazar Petrakiev Lyubomir Dobrev Senior .NET Developer Lubomir Velkov Marin Yotovski Mark Smith MentorMate Alumni Martin Dimitrov MentorMate Alumni Martin Kalyonski Mike Hagan MentorMate Alumni Nikolay Andonov Nikolay Arhangelov Riley Panko Guest Contributor Roger Ferguson MentorMate Alumni Ryan Sysko Chairman, WellDoc Ryan Blake MentorMate Alumnus Sarah Rockholt MentorMate Alumni Sean McDevitt CEO, Sensei Siyana Slavova Stanislas Walden MentorMate Alumni Stanislav Atanasov Stanislava Bogdanova MentorMate Alumni Stefanie Trimble MentorMate Alumnus Stephen Fluin Stoyan Stoyanov MentorMate Alumnus Tessa Cacek Staffing Manager Tom Clemens MentorMate Alumnus V8 JavaScript Engine Viktor Mitev Yolanda Petkova Marketing Design Lead Pete Anderson Lead Product Owner, Target Vasil Nonchev Java Software Development Manager Dilyana Totseva QA Manager Stanimir Nikolov Software Development Lead - iOS, MentorMate Rosen Kolev Technology Principal Dimitar Mihaylov MentorMate Alumni Nikola Genov Software Architect - .NET Neli Todorova Software Development Manager - LAMP Yavor Dimitrov MentorMate Alumni Georgi Karanedyalkov Software Development Lead - Android, MentorMate Denislav Ganchev Technology Principal Stefan Shopov QA Manager Konstantin Rusev Java Developer Borislav Dimitrov Senior Android Developer, MentorMate Tsvetelina Lazarova MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Gadzhev Developer Plamen Stoev Software Development Manager - Front-end Jake Nelsen Senior Experience Designer Zlati Pehlivanov Senior Software Engineer II Kate Tolmie Senior Experience Designer Martin Angelov Director, Software Engineering - LAMP&FE, MentorMate Dimitar Zhelev Senior .NET Developer Joel Swenson Content Manager Kiril Ivanov Quality Assurance Analyst Viktor Hristoskov Software Development Lead - iOS, MentorMate Violeta Nikolcheva Database Developer Biliana Kadakevlieva Senior Quality Assurance Analyst Chris McLeod Senior Solutions Consultant Antonii Georgiev Junior .NET Developer Alexander Rusev Front-End Developer Matt Erickson MentorMate Alumni Brian Buchkosky Global Director, PMO David Tran MentorMate Alumni Kristin Krueger MentorMate Alumni Magdalena Chervenkova Business Analyst Denny Royal Chief Design Officer Joe Bodell MentorMate Alumni Viktoria Chuchumisheva HR Manager Kalina Tekelieva Senior Content Marketing Artist Daniel Rankov MentorMate Alumni Alexander Alexandrov BA Lead MentorMate Clint Rowles VP, Business Development Nikola Donev SysOps & DevOps Lead Tseko Tsolov Frontend Developer Denislav Lefterov Automation QA Analyst Dilyana Kodjamanova MentorMate Alumni Emma Jorstad Project Manager, Lead Georgi Georgiev Software Development Lead - LAMP, MentorMate Martin Panayotov Senior iOS Developer, MentorMate John Blake Senior Account Manager Tyler Compton Solutions Architect Nikola Peevski Software Developer — Lamp & Front-End Aaron Whitney Director of Client Strategy Veliko Ivanov Senior Cloud Engineer Suzanne O’Brien Senior Project Manager Svetlin Stanchev Software Development Lead - Front-end, MentorMate Todor Todorov Senior Cloud Engineer Kate Stamatova Senior QA Analyst Frank Anselmo Global Director, Project Management Gyuner Zeki Solutions Architect Galin Stanchev QA Analyst Sarah Hoops Business Development Manager Brenden Diehl Business Development Manager Anna Krivova Software Development Lead - Front-end, MentorMate Ivelina Kavalova Senior Business Analyst, MentorMate Paul Sanders MentorMate Alumni Jim Cikanek Senior Client Strategist Samuil Yanovski Software Development Manager - Android, MentorMate Krasimir Gatev Senior Android Developer, MentorMate Kristina Goryalova Talent Acquisition Manager Elena Petrova HR Specialist Jay Matre Senior Business Architect, MentorMate Lilyana Dimitrova QA Specialist Josh Marquart Chief Strategy Officer Mario Gorki Senior Mobile Developer Simeon Zhekov Cloud Engineer Hristo Stoyanov Cloud & DevOps Lead Ben Wallace Enterprise Architect Boyan Stoyanov Data & Dota Specialist Petya Ivanova Director, Software Engineering - Java Sebastian Ortiz-Chamorro VP of Engineering, Latin America Consuelo Merino Director of Operations There’s a demographic that appreciates innovation for the sake of innovation. They are curious, adopt early and await the next release even as the latest is announced. They aren’t the only group with passion. There’s another cohort that values functionality more. Especially in designing for this later group it’s important to deliver utility through a pattern they already know and understand. Increase adoption and ease of use through visual design patterns This is the basis for designing based on intuitive use patterns. An intuitive use pattern is a set of actions, expectations or meanings users have come to associate with a given visual experience or functionality. By appealing to the group that prioritizes functionality and utility, adoption is higher as it requires little or no training on the part of the users. Though innovators need less of a push to adopt a new platform or tech, intuitive use is important for them too. Take the adopters who have begun using Apple Music. Formerly, users could skip ahead between songs on the main viewing screen. Now, they are required to swipe up before performing the same function. Until users “cracked the code” they were lost. More complex functionality like the secret swipe should be included for power users but should not serve as a mainstay in the experience. This Apple Music feature exemplifies “losing the user.” It’s akin to creating an entirely new paradigm that may be innovative but feels at first impenetrable or confusing. Embrace elegance in digital solution design Elegance in design is much like creating a bespoke, or custom-tailored, suit. It is well-crafted and familiar. The difference? It’s perfectly sized to the wearer’s unique physical specifications. Details about the work emerge and become more beautiful over time as their useful simplicity is appreciated — the rise of the pant, the cut of the ankle length, where the sleeve hits at the wrist. The best UI/UX creates the same feeling of comfort that users are cared for and operating in technology that feels uniquely designed for them. Nothing is overdone or gaudy. All is beautifully useful. The first experience with the design (or suit) feels familiar, but each time you revisit it, the experience improves and gradually the quality and details reveal themselves. Maintain design composition through hierarchy Hierarchy is one of the most important ways to guide a user through an experience using visuals. In short, hierarchy is making clear the primary, secondary and tertiary elements in the experience by assigning varying visual weights or prominence to each through color, size or placement. Not every component in the experience should be “turned up to full volume.” That’s confusing. The very nature of responsive design introduced challenges to creating hierarchy within an experience, especially when viewed on smaller form factors. In creating hierarchy for the small screen, it’s important to strategically hide elements of the experience that aren’t immediately important, while at the same time making sure users know where to find them. Leverage the meaning of color Unlike designing a print piece, color is used to connote meaning in digital experiences, not simply aesthetics. Red is associated with the negative or “stopping.” Green is linked with positivity or “continuing.” Red is subtraction. Green is addition. Red is stop. Green is go. If the brand identity you are designing for includes either red or green, maintain it’s meaning but also include it throughout the rest of the experience where it won’t confuse the actions expected from users operating in the experience. Manage customization options in crafting the user experience Designing more conservatively is a way for teams to demonstrate skill mastery, much like cutting and crafting the bespoke suit. Avoid excessive customization options. They increase the development needed and by proxy the budget required to complete the work. Attempting to justify unnecessary composition may be a good indication to revisit and refine your understanding of your target audience, their motivations and needs. The caveat? For experiences where users will spend a substantial amount of time accessing for prolonged stretches of time, customization is justified. Think accessing once a day or week versus use over multiple hours, during multiple days in a given week. In the case of prolonged use and to account for workflow preferences, the size of user form factors, health restrictions like carpal tunnel or poor eyesight, customization may be worth the additional budget and development needed. The fundamentals of digital experiences matter While the importance of maintaining intuitive use patterns in digital design can’t be packaged nicely into the pocket square of our metaphorical bespoke suit. One thing is sure, lean on what’s known to users, but make it feel elegant and intentional. That way they know thoughtful design grounds their experience. They will appreciate it. The first time it will feel familiar. Each successive time, the beauty in the details will emerge. Image Source: Unsplash, rawpixel Tags CultureProduct Design Share Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Share Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Sign up for our monthly newsletter. Sign up for our monthly newsletter.