CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
UNIT - 1
UI/UX design aims to create a positive user experience that encourages customers to stick
with a brand or product.
While a UX Designer decides how the user interface works, the UI designer decides how the
user interface looks.
UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) are two interdependent terms.
While UI generally deals with the interaction between users and computer systems, software
and applications, UX deals more generally with a user's overall experience with a brand,
product or service.
A User Interface (UI) Designer is a professional who collaborates with a User Experience (UX)
designer to create an intuitive and visually appealing interface for product design.
User experience design, or UX design, encompasses the ways in which people engage with
products. UX design is the process of creating a positive user experience that meets a user's needs.
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
CORE STAGES OF DESIGN THINKING
Design thinking is a methodology which provides a solution-based approach to solving
problems.
It’s extremely useful when used to tackle complex problems that are ill-defined or
unknown—because it serves to understand the human needs involved, reframe the problem in
human-centric ways, create numerous ideas in brainstorming sessions and adopt a hands-on
approach to prototyping and testing.
Learning about the five stages of design thinking will empower you and allow you to apply
the methodology to your work and solve complex problems that occur in our companies, our
countries, and across the world.
What are the 5 Stages of the Design Thinking Process
Stage 1: Empathize—Research Your Users' Needs. ...
Stage 2: Define—State Your Users' Needs and Problems. ... Stage
3: Ideate—Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas. ... Stage 4:
Prototype—Start to Create Solutions. ...
Stage 5: Test—Try Your Solutions Out.
Empathize: the first phase of design thinking, where you gain real insight into users and their needs.
Define: the second phase of design thinking, where you define the problem statement in a
human-centered manner
Ideate: the third phase of design thinking, where you identify innovative solutions to the
problem statement you’ve created.
Prototype: the fourth phase of design thinking, where you identify the best possible solution. Test:
the fifth and final phase of the design thinking process, where you test solutions to derive a deep
understanding of the product and its users.
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CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THINKING
Convergent thinking involves finding the most effective answer to a problem Divergent
involves generating creative ideas to explore many possible solutions.
o The main difference between convergent and divergent thinking is that convergent
thinking produces a single effective solution while divergent thinking produces
multiple creative solutions.In brief, these are two opposite ways of thinking.
o The two terms convergent thinking and divergent thinking were coined by the
psychologist Joy Paul Guilford in 1956.
o Convergent thinking involves finding the most effective answer to a problem
o while Divergent involves generating creative ideas to explore many possible
solutions.
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CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
Relationship between Convergent and Divergent Thinking
Most of us use both these thinking methods to find solutions to our problems.
We can use divergent thinking to come up with different solutions to a problem
and then use convergent thinking to narrow down the best possible solution.
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
WHAT IS BRAINSTORMING IN UI UX DESIGN?
Definition - Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is a method design teams use to generate ideas to solve clearly defined
design problems. In controlled conditions and a free-thinking environment, teams approach a
problem by such means as “How Might We” questions.
Brainstorming is a creative process that is used as an early step in generating possible
solutions to a problem.
Judgment is withheld to create a long list of ideas, including ones more creative or
daring than those initially considered.
You probably already had your own definition of brainstorming that is somewhat
similar to mines.
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
There are several distinct types of brainstorming.
Reverse Brainstorming
A creative problem-solving technique in which the problem is turned around and
considered from a different point of view to spur new and different solutions.
Stop-and-Go Brainstorming
A problem-solving technique in which a group alternately engages in brainstorming
solutions without evaluation for ten minutes then engages in a short period of evaluation. The
group continues alternating between brainstorming and evaluation.
Phillips 66 Brainstorming
A problem-solving technique in which a group of six people brainstorms for six minutes and
then a spokesman for each group presents either the best ideas or all ideas to the larger group.
Brainwriting
A problem-solving technique in which participants individually brainstorm ideas and
document them, then share them with a group to further push their thinking.
WHAT IS GAMESTORMING IN UI UX DESIGN?
Definition - Gamestorming:
Gamestorming is a set of practices for facilitating innovation in the business world. A
facilitator leads a group towards some goal by way of a game, a structured activity that provides
scope for thinking freely, even playfully.
Gamestorming is a set of practices for facilitating innovation in the business world. A
facilitator leads a group towards some goal by way of a game, a structured activity that provides
scope for thinking freely, even playfully
Gamestorming is a form of brainstorming that leverages the use of games. As we all know,
playing games enforces rules, effectively helping to overcome the usual brainstorming limitations.
The way brainstorming avoids conflicts is by shifting group and thought dynamics.
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
OBSERVATIONAL EMPATHY
We need to observe others, and have a close reading of their behaviours, subtle
indications, their non-verbal expressions, body language, and environments.
How do you observe empathy? Tips
for Practicing Empathy
Work on listening to people without interrupting.
Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication.
Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them.
Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives.
Imagine yourself in another person's shoes.
How to be an Empathic Observer
1. Abandon Your Ego
Most of us have a tendency to assert ourselves, which results in an imposition upon others, as well
as having more concern about our own situation rather than the needs and concerns of others.
Often in our education or workplace, we are taught to adopt an egocentric view of things and be
firm in our opinions and thoughts. However, in order to empathise deeply, we need to tame and put
aside our egos. We need to become aware of the primary goal of empathy in Design Thinking,
which is to understand and experience the feelings of others.
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
2. Adopt Humility
When we adopt humility, we naturally improve our ability to empathise, because through humility
we elevate the value of others above ourselves. This is underscored in Rise of the DEO, a book by
Maria Giudice, innovator and VP of Experience Design in Autodesk, and Christopher Ireland,
ethnographer and CEO of design research firm Cheskin. In Rise of the DEO, Giudice and Ireland
discuss the emerging role of design leadership and point out that humility is a characteristic of
design-focused leaders who are willing to admit their own shortcomings as well as to abandon
preconceived ideas for the good of the overall vision and goals.
3. Be a Good Listener
So as to empathise, we need to listen and listen attentively. We need to choose actively to block out
our inner conflicting voices, and allow the other's voice to resonate. We need to train ourselves to
control our natural tendency to formulate our own opinions and voice them before the other
person has finished talking. Doing so would enable us to have a deeper kind of listening, which
uncovers deeper meaning and experience.
4. Hone Your Observation skills
In order to develop empathy towards our users, we need to do more than listen. We need to observe
others, and have a close reading of their behaviours, subtle indications, their non-verbal
expressions, body language, and environments. Only once we are able to experience the full range
of sensations of others within context can we have a deeper and more meaningful empathic
experience. Many times, what our users articulate is only a fraction of the full story. By honing our
observation skills, we can fill many of the gaps, leading to a deeper understanding of someone
else's experience.
5. Care
A genuine concern about the state of others, leading to the desire to act and assist, is required. This
is one of the important drivers that allow us to overcome our own needs and wants and seek to
understand others. We must build a sense of care, a deep concern and desire to want to help,
nurture, and provide assistance. This requires a level of emotional insight.
"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."
6. Be Curious
Being genuinely curious makes engaging in empathy research not only easier but also extremely
rewarding as we learn to understand what motivates people. By being curious, we are naturally
inclined to dig into unexpected areas, uncover new insights, and explore all aspects of people's lives.
At a glance, these details might seem unimportant, but they will expose the most important
information we need for problem solving.
7. Be Sincere
Nothing kills empathy more than a lack of sincerity. When we approach people with a superficial
agenda, superiority complex, or any mindset that may undermine our sincere intention to
understand their experience deeply, we are placing a barrier between us and those we seek to
understand. Rather than approaching people with the mindset that they are in need
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College - Melmaruvathur
CCS370 UI AND UX DESIGN
of our help, we should realise that we stand to benefit more out of deeply understanding them.
After all, the solution exists to serve their needs, and your work will not be complete unless you
properly understand their needs.
How to Gain an Empathic Understanding of People
The What-How-Why method is a tool that you can use while observing people to
help you dive into your observations and derive deeper levels of understanding.
With the What-How-Why method, you start with concrete observations — the
What — and from there move to higher levels of abstraction — asking How — and then finally you
arrive at the Why—i.e., the emotional drivers behind people’s behaviours.
This method is extremely useful for you to analyse images that you might have
taken while observing your users.
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