Fixing Bad UX Designs

Improving Physical Experiences

During the user journey, we can identify different touchpoints–ones which are part of public environments, as well. As professionals of user experience, we notice usability issues wherever we go. Jesse James Garrett proposed, this attitude of always thinking about user experience is an acquired condition for which there is no cure. Yet, for banal things, we generally assume that some are simply good enough, or we fail to see beyond superficial improvements in utility.

We all go through frustrations with bad design decisions in places such as public restrooms—from dispensers of toilet paper that are out of reach to faucet sensors that never seem to recognize our presence. These simple interactions symbolize a ...