Chapter 17

Ten UX Principles That Never Change

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding some core truths about UX

arrow Defining useful rules of thumb guidelines to inform any type of project

arrow Emphasizing UX as the “user approach”

UX is a relatively new field — less than 20 years old. Since its inception, UX has changed greatly as new digital devices, platforms, interaction models, and services have become available. But some core truths to UX have remained constant. Here are ten UX principles that will never change even though our world continues to evolve.

The User Is Rarely Wrong

You may have heard the old adage, “The customer is always right.” Well, the world of UX has a similar mantra, although this refrain does not manifest entirely the same as it does with the traditional customer experience. One can say that the user is always right, but in truth, the user can be wrong. Still, when a user does err, it is typically is not the user's fault. If several users are making the same mistake frequently, the fault lies within the UX.

The goal of UX is to make complex interactions simple for users, to guide them along a journey and support them as needed, where needed. Common user errors might signify ...

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