Interpretation of Technology: Annotated Bibliography
Dorothy Baker
Stevenson University
User Testing. “UI vs. UX: What’s the difference between user interface and user experience?” 16 October 2018. User Testing Blog . Document. February 18 2020.
The article defines the term User Interface (UI) and User experience (UX) in terms of the world of technology. User intelligence pertains to anything that the site user interacts with when using the product (graphics, mouse, keyboard, sound,etc.). The user interface has been modified throughout the years: in 1970 the user interface of the computer consisted of coding on a screen that people had to interpret, in the 1980’s the UI consisted of limited graphical aspects such as check boxes, and in 1984 apple released the first computer that utilized a point and click mouse. The article then explains that there are User Interface designers whose job it is to evaluate and create the user interface on specific items.
User experience, I learned, was defined as how the users feel about the UI. People who are concerned about the UX will ask questions such as, what is the use of the technology like for the user? This article discusses how some people in the field have varying views of the definition UX and those definitions have been expanded to encompass other aspects. Among these expanded definitions are ones that “encompass all aspects of end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products”. Most
notably the UX is centered around the human being/user and the UI and UX designers must work together.
The article also explored some key differences important to the redesign of the Greenspring Review: people should be interacting with the products final design, and UI focuses on all elements that enable the user to interact with the product. While the User Experience focuses on what the users take away from the product were.
Li, Jacky. “3 practical tips for product builders when designing in an era of digital exhaustion.” 7 January 2020. UX Collective. Document. 18 February 2020.
The article focused on giving tips on how designers can be more successful when designing technology in todays era. The article focused on the need for designers of technology to understand the well being of the user when they are to be using the product. The first tip that was offered in the article was “know the current landscape of mental capacity” which meant that the designer must create their product with an eye to how the user will receive it. People create their own routines because they are creatures of habit. One person may be able to incorporate a piece of technology into their lives while another person does not have the ability. Therefore, when creating new technology, the designer must keep this idea in mind.
The second tip talks about behavioral design. The focus of this step is to urge designers that the way to achieving change is not always creating and marketing new tech. Some change can be done through little nuances such as pictures on a bill. Designers can work
on shifting people’s behavior to urge them to practice the desired outcome through inspiring the people to want to observe that outcome. Said outcome can be focused on or around improving a habit the individual already maintains each day through methodology such as printing pictures on the individuals electric bill that compares their usage to the neighbors.
The third step discussed in the article was that of the emotional piggybank. This step stressed that users of technology are people and people crave human interaction. Make users lives easier with technology is the goal of any designer, however the technology should not get to the point where people are dependent on it. People should spend time looking at one another rather than looking at their technology screens. The article emphasized that technology should be used to benefit human relationships not replace them.
I learned that it is important to focus on people when creating new technology. This will help with the redesign of the Greenspring review because it is people that will be viewing the website. Without people technology in the world has no purpose and no one to use it. Therefore, when new technologies are being designed the designers and team must be very careful in considering what ways the technology will benefit and/or possibly harm the people.