Tech Design that
works first time
for normal users
and I've been designing award-winning, industry-changing technology products for more than 20 years.
(Our industry calls it "User Experience Design" but it's really Software Product Design: what features it should have, and how those features should work, so that it does what users want, in ways they can understand.)
Below, examples of what I know, and what I've done. My designs have changed industries, because they work first time, out-of-the-box, for ordinary people.
On any project I might do some combination of these:
Things I don't do, by the way:
Before you start coding features, have you: — Widened your target user base — Made workflows to cover their goals — Wireframed the essential architecture, just deep enough to know it all hangs together Without this, you may be coding features that will never hang together as a product
— Have a Comments box for every question - provides all kinds of eye-opening input — The fewer questions you ask, the better the data - e.g. never ask a question whose answers could not change your product — One misunderstanding can wreck it - find your best wordsmiths, and have dry-runs
— Most tech still gives normal users problems (you'll know, if you do user research) — We like "min taps, max speed"; normal users prefer obviousness — They want bombproof data & UI! They fear Settings, in case they break something! — Plus: disposable income increases with age...
— Each user goal is a chain of stuff, as strong as its weakest link — But both weakness, and fix, may seem irrelevant in tech terms — So: user-aware people should decide (that's how Apple do it).
I was UX/Design Consultant to Zeebox, a TV-accompaniment iPad app, which Apple made their AppStore 'App of the Week'
I was UX/Design Consultant to Flook, a location-explorer iPhone app, which won 'Best User Experience' at the Mobile Premier Awards, Barcelona. (It was also 'Staff Pick' on both the US and UK Apple store)
I was the sole UX/Software Designer of the original Symbian OS, a mobile platform so well-received that the world's mobile industry came together and standardised on it.
I was both Designer and Project Leader for PsiWin, a connectivity suite which won 'Best UK Product' at Ziff-Davis Europe's "Software Excellence Awards"
I was UX Designer of the on-table interactive ordering experience for Inamo, voted 'Best Restaurant in London' by Time Out readers
"Nick is one of those rare people who can design world-class software experiences and will change the mindset of software development teams he works with to design more from the user experience backwards."
"Nick is the first person I turn to for guidance on user interaction design. He brings unique insight, and is superb at bridging the gap between users, designers and engineers."
"Nick is simply one of the world's best UI designers. Having honed his skills at Psion he has gone on to work on a wide range of products over many years, giving him wisdom as well as bone deep knowledge of design."
"Nick has that unusual ability in an ex-techie (not that he'd thank you for reminding him of that) to understand how 'normal' people think. He was invaluable during the design phase of Flook, helping me to design a UI that the user never feels lost in, and that delights and pleases."
"We believe Nick is one of the world's outstanding people when it comes to user interface design. If more people built user-friendly interfaces like Nick, then the world would be a simpler, easier and better place to live and work in."
"At Crave we put diners in control of the food ordering process, and fundamental to that is a Tablet UX that's completely intuitive. Our user tests threw up a seemingly intractable design problem, but after half a day with Nick we had an elegant solution that our users loved."
If you think I could maybe help you, try me out - tell me about your project, then point me at some relevant product, spec or design and I'll deliver you a half-day review, free of charge.