Tech Design that
works first time
for normal users
I've been designing award-winning, people-pleasing, industry-changing tech products for over 25 years.
The "Last Responsible Moment" is very early indeed for Product Design decisions.
(In Code Design, not so much.)
So if you'd like Agile projects to be more predictable and the products easier to use, start with an "Architect" – from a downward-thinking CPO to an upward-thinking interaction designer.
And before you code, let them think about and analyse what users would really like/need, and draw up some system-wide wireframes that deliver on that (just like an Architect's blueprints), but only designing just deep enough to show that an overall design hangs together, and that all the key things you want your users to do will indeed work, clearly and simply.
This is entirely Agile-compatible, and will help your Agile software teams deliver you software first time that does what your users want, in ways they can understand, remember, enjoy, even love.
Below, some examples of what I know, and designs I've architected. Some of these 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:
Sorry, but I don't do these:
And behind any good survey lies great care:
— Have a Comments box for every question - provides all kinds of eye-opening input
— Fewer questions = better data. Lose questions if the answers won't change your project
— One misunderstanding can wreck it - find your best wordsmiths, and have dry-runs
Before you start coding features: — Maximise your target user base — Make workflows to cover their goals — Do product-wide wireframes, just deep enough to show it'll all hang together
Most tech still gives normal users problems (you'll know, if you do user research): — Techies like "fewest taps, fastest navigation"; users prefer obviousness — Users want bombproof data and UI: they fear screenfuls of Settings may "break" something So: "Looks Simple" is not "was simple to design"
Which bugs stop you shipping? Who decides? — Each user goal is a chain of screens and interactions, as strong as its weakest link — Can your Agile Product Owner appreciate how a wording tweak may be a key fix? — (At Apple, Product Designers, who "live in users' heads", decide)
UX Designer for Inamo, and its on-table interactive ordering experience, voted 'Best Restaurant in London' by Time Out readers
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)
UX/Design Consultant to Zeebox, a TV-accompaniment iPad app, which Apple made their AppStore 'App of the Week'
Designer and Project Leader for PsiWin, a file manager & connectivity suite, which won 'Best UK Product' at Ziff-Davis Europe's "Software Excellence Awards"
Sole Software Designer (Product/UX) for Psion PDAs and for the original Symbian OS, a mobile platform so well-received that the world's mobile industry came together and made it the world smartphone standard for the next 10 years.
Not many people can say they were the sole designer of a world-conquering mobile OS…(!) But I was the sole designer of Psion's Symbian OS, and the functionality and UI of the whole platform was my job (just as I was sole designer on a decade of previous Psion PDAs), and in 1998, shortly after the release of this platform, the whole mobile world (Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Panasonic) came together to standardise on it, for the next decade.
I've since designed a huge range of apps, UIs, and devices, for dozens of clients of all sizes.
Patent work: I wrote my first patent while still at Symbian. Since leaving there: — I have filed two patent applications of my own, one hardware and one software — both patents were granted and both sold — I've been contracted by two companies to help them with the patent creation process — I've conducted half a dozen "prior art" research projects for a variety of law firms, mainly as the User Interface specialist at Hillebrand Consulting Engineers
"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."
"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."
"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."
If you've an interesting project and you're wondering if I might be of use, try me out for free – tell me about your project, then point me at some relevant product, spec or design and I'll write you a little review, free of charge (you won't even have to reply) –
"This site looks a bit basic?"
Sure - because "Things I Know" and "Things I've Done" need content over form, and because I design things to wireframe level, to this kind of level, when graphic designers take over.
"Why can't I check you out from your Social Media?"
I'd rather give you the above taster of "Things I Know" and "Things I've Done", and offer you the chance to try me out for free. How does that compare?