A Hard Lesson To Learn - Data Driven Design - page 6

sense of style, but these qualities must serve the product's ultimate function. It must do
what the user needs it to do as smoothly as possible. If it can do it with style and flair, that's
even better. Users have become a basic component in my thinking. The aesthetic qualities
in my designs now serve the needs of users. The art is still there, but it's become a part
of the communication between the consumer and me. My art is informed by these interac-
tions.
In the end, I am not just in the design business; I'm in the people business. Understand-
ing people's abilities and preferences helps me from the moment of conception, and on
through the design and development of any product. This is what data driven user experi-
ence design is all about.
This shift in emphasis from designer experience to user experience won't go away. It is
the future. The isolation many designers once treasured is fast disappearing. As more and
more people use our products in more essential ways, their demands will rule the market-
place, and that will rule the funding for design. Lean methods, which tend to streamline
the design-development-production process, are already in place at many companies. More
will adopt them.
Data driven user experience, and the designs it inspires, are a basic part of a sound cre-
ative strategy, rooted in science and grounded in the realm of the target consumer. If you
are a consumer, analyst, or seller of products and you have an interest in design, this topic
will show you how the design process should work—and why it sometimes fails. If you are
today's designer, this topic will give you practical methods to guide your creative process,
and the processes of designers on your team. Employing the principles I describe, you can
create the kinds of products and features consumers clamor for, and happily use.