What Makes a Good User Experience?

The difference between good and bad user experiences is subtle and can often be hard to define in clear black and white. A major reason for the dilemma is that what is understood as a good experience is often subjective, and the experience varies between different people or contexts. Hence, a method to develop the best UX is to spend time understanding your user.  

Another, albeit a less precise approach, is to turn to existing guidelines and principles that help us evaluate what is good. In this post, we look at some of the most prominent guidelines for a definite positive experience.   

First, Peter Morville’s User Experience Honeycomb  

Peter’s Honeycomb outlines core principles for a good user experience.  

 Useful 

 This might seem obvious, but sadly oftentimes products are built and defined by feature requirements- I.e., a checklist of mandatory items that ought to be present in the product. The better and more helpful method is to ask the question, is the product we’re creating useful? Is it helping someone to achieve their goal in a logical, cohesive way?  

Usable 

When we think about user experience we often think of usability and the ease with which someone can operate a product. Though on its own it is not sufficient, it is critical to the experience.  

Desirable 

 Does the product create desire? Being simply usable and useful is not enough. Desirability builds an emotional connection that elevates the overall experience. A good experience is one people want to experience.  

Findable 

This is simple to understand, but hard to execute. Being able to find what you’re looking for has immense utilitarian value. It might not evoke great reviews, but the absence of it makes things exceedingly frustrating for the user.  

Accessible 

 UX should cater to a variety of demographics and abilities. Considering these differences and incorporating it into your UX helps you build accessibility.  

Credible 

 This step ensures user safety. The overall experience has to be designed to avoid security reflags. This step greatly contributes to an improved product experience.  

Valuable 

All of this is for not if an experience does not bring value to the customer. As pleasant, usable, or desirable as a website is, if there is no inherent value, there is little reason to return.  

Nielsen Norman heuristics  

This list of heuristics for interface design from the Nielsen Norman Group is an often-referenced piece of literature that lays out principles to follow when crafting experiences. Though not completely different from Peter’s honeycomb, the list complements and introduces additional ideas.  
 

Visibility of System Status 

The requirement to inform users about what the system or product is doing, in a reasonable timeline is essential.  

Match between System and the Real World 

 The product interface should use terminology and language familiar to the user. The key is to avoid technical jargon.  

User Control and Freedom 

 To err is normal, and ought to be factored in. Hence, it is important to help users find a way out when they do. An undo and redo feature is one credible way of realizing this, along with options of cancelling an operation.  

Consistency and Standards 

 Novelty can be alien and confusing to users. Familiar conventions and patterns, and should exist across platforms. Users should not be made to guess.  

Error Prevention 

 Providing smart defaults, and confirmation helps. Prevention is better than cure. To provide feedback when an error occurs, more importantly, prevent an error from occurring in the first place.   

Recognition Rather than Recall 

To maximize usability- reduce the load on memory and recall. Avoid hiding important actions behind menus, and instead, present options in a visible way so users don’t have to remember where they are.  

Flexibility and Efficiency of Use 

 The UX has to accommodate both novice and advanced users, but customize the experience. There should be options to speed up workflows and accelerate users' familiarity with the system while guiding those less familiar.  

Aesthetic and Minimalist Design 

 Guiding users through the product requires establishing focus and reducing distractions. Avoid overwhelming users with unnecessary information. Keep screens and dialogues minimal, and aim to maximize visibility and clarity.  

Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors 

 Educate users to help them understand errors as they occur, in plain language, and teach them how to rectify the situation.  

Help and Documentation 

Ideally, the product should be perfect and there should be no need for help. Unfortunately, in the real world, growth is achieved by iteration and no such thing as perfection exists. That’s why it is important to make help and related documentation accessible when needed. Users should not struggle to find help, and explanations should be contextual and in plain, clear language.