UX Industry Zeitgeist

How It All Began. A Little HCI/UX History:

The term UX or User EXperience is derived from the academic field of HCI. AKA Human Computer Interaction. It is an ever evolving, multi-disciplinary field that began to take shape in World Wars I and II. Each conflict presented a need to make certain aspects of complicated subjects like encryption - or hardware and software installations or configuration - simple and less time consuming. In other words, normal day to day use of a personal computer SHOULD NOT require a high learning curve. Desktop PC manufacturers sought to address this issue when they began selling their computers in the mid to late 1980's.

The above paragraph is a very brief version of the WHEN and the WHY of how HCI, later shortened to the acronym UX, begins to enter the academic, business, and consumer space. There was a growing awareness that it should become a part of how to create User Interfaces or GUI's that would appeal to a larger market. As a result, the focus begins to shift to an expanded notion of WHO the intended user is. One of the earliest combinations of HCI with Human Factors and Computer Science, took place at the University of Maryland in 1983. In collaboration with IBM; one of the first HCIL - Human Computer Interaction Labs was formed. One of the first HCI graduate programs followed a year later.

What's With All The Acronyms? 

Every industry has this dilemma, but for various reasons, it can be more acute in HCI. Not only can these acronyms AND terminology cause confusion, but as HCI, or UX - as it is commonly referred to - makes its way into the final version of an application, device, or system, it's many benefits can get “lost in transit.” So, for those new to the industry, the curious, or lay audiences; it can help to think of the terminology in the HCI lexicon as fractions or parts - NOT the whole. They're typically the end result of trade-offs within the methods. (Also see Services section). 

Trade-Offs (Exist)

Ideally, these trade-offs CAREFULLY take EVERYTHING below into consideration in the final design. Including any constraints associated with:

• EXISTING technology infrastructure,  

• EXISTING staff, 

• EXISTING skills, 

• EXISTING resources. 

A practical, less confusing, more "user friendly" definition of UX and UXD? 

Visualize the last time you used, or attempted to use: a public facing web site, a dashboard, an authentication portal, a new or updated app, or any other technology infused device/design. Feel free to factor in any updates. Also factor in extra steps YOU were required to take. Brick and mortar store visits, phone calls, endless email tag, and forced reading of lengthy and/or inaccurate paper work or digital content. If what you experienced was overly frustrating and time consuming; HCI/UX methods, AND  the resulting design need to be revisited. This happens. Updates/upgrades anyone? IDEALLY however, the more time consuming AND possibly ominous issues are caught during the Systems Development Life Cycle, or SDLC - as the system or application is being created or developed. Yes, the SDLC. Yet ANOTHER ACRONYM! But hey, let LCFGU help you clear up the confusion, and ensure that MOST of these issues are caught WHEN AND WHERE they're more disaster proof and less expensive to address and fix. 

Why Choose LCFGU?

To let us deal with ALL the convoluted acronyms and definitions. What aspects of the UI or GUI go where, AND:

• Provide the "glue" that ties HCI's multi-disciplinar(ity) together.

• For collaboration that ensures that  your system or application IS LESS confusing, AND LESS error prone. 

• Human provided services, will become increasingly important as unchecked and untested automation - (including AI) becomes the norm.

• LCFGU can take projects from browser based theme design - to innovations and insights that help solve more complex issues.

• Usability Studies. A service that provides unbiased user experience research on your technology projects.

• UX Centric Training. A service that may be necessary when implementing to a varied demographic of users.

• LCFGU's founder has a graduate degree in HCI from Indiana University School of Informatics, and 6 years of experience in IT support.  

Services 

Please note: No work or consulting is performed without a signed written agreement, and/or an escrow account deposit.  Fee disbursement typically works like this: initial deposit, midpoint, and final disbursement for most projects /services. Longer term projects that require travel outside of the city of Indianapolis, are 60% provided via Zoom.