UX designers are really lucky. Designs are essentially end-users’ product/app/interface wish lists, whether they know it or not.
“If I was a frequent user, it’d be awesome if I could do x from y.”
“Based on what we know about these customers, I think they’d really like to be able to x their ys…”
So, I effectively get to write wish lists all year-round — not just on my birthday! And, if I’m especially lucky (read: if my designs are well thought-out and users, fellow designers clients, and tech are on board), these wishes are granted, and the digital space is all the better for it.
The profile describes Miyamoto’s (creator of Mario/Zelda/DK, all around awesome dude) background, process, and inspiration, and touches on theories of what makes games compelling. An especially interesting portion is on the importance Miyamoto sees in sharing “kyokan” with users:
“What we demand in development is sharing the common feeling.”…“Suppose someone is talking about his children,” Miyamoto continued. “If I am a father, I can understand personally what he’s talking about. We have kyokan.” … Miyamoto said he wants the game players and the developers to have kyokan: for the players to feel about the game what the developers felt themselves.
Empathizing with the user? Sounds a little like UX design.
Read the full profile on The New Yorker website: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/20/101220fa_fact_paumgarten#ixzz19RJCW5pQ
"What’s the benefit of a progress bar that fills and restarts repeatedly over the course of an installation? Waiting for an OS that gets this right."
