User Experience (UX) Design is all about matching user expectations. People come to a website or application with a task in mind and expectations about how to achieve that task. When user interfaces are designed with an understanding of the users’ goals, limitations, and how they think, people find the product intuitive to use and feel understood, which builds trust.
Meet user expectations
Back in the early 1960s, factory owner Alfred Levey encountered angry customers who had to wait on the phone while he was tracked down on the factory floor. One day in 1962, his factory’s phone system randomly picked up a local radio signal and played music while customers were put on hold. Levy realized that callers who were distracted by the music were less likely to be angry or hang up. Subsequently, he filed a patent for the world’s first “music on hold” system.
While we may view that hold music as horrible, poor-frequency, royalty-free versions of contemporary jazz, that cringe worthy smooth jazz is unconsciously soothing. Take, for instance, a recent experience I had with calling my mortgage company to resolve a technical glitch that resulted in a double mortgage payment. After the message that all personnel were helping other customers, there was nothing but silence; utter silence with the occasional crackle of background noise that let me know, ever-so-subtly, that I was still connected. Or, was I? I expected hold music to let me know someone, eventually, would talk to me. This was my mortgage holder. The single biggest recurring expense in my life was being handled by a financial giant, whose customer experience was being undermined by silence. Although I, like many, may loathe hold music, its absence was harrowing. Instead, I was relying on various random clicks and crackles and the infrequent parroting recorded voice assuring me that they care about my call, but I mostly sat in silence and left to my own frustration, wondering whether or not I was indeed still connected and still cared about. I introduced this vignette of daily life to highlight the fact that when interactions with technology, no matter how mundane, do not live up to our expectations, uncertainty sets in and trust erodes.
The operative word in this story is expectations. When interacting with technology, we need things to happen how we expect them to happen, whether it’s a phone system, website, or other technological doodad.
User expectations and trust
Some development teams subscribe to the motto, “build it and they will come,” with the belief that as long as they provide valuable content the product will be successful. So how much impact does content, versus design, have on user trust or mistrust in a product? In a study of health websites, 94% of the problems that caused user mistrust was design related and only 6% was content related. Although valuable content was presented, it was user expectations about the sites’ design that led to rejection or mistrust. Design problems included:
- Complex, busy layout
- Lack of navigation aids
- Boring web design, especially use of color
- Pop up advertisements
- Slow introductions to the site (splash pages, slow-loading animation, etc.)
- Small print
- Too much text
- Poor search facilities/indexes
Flexwind helps clients provide an optimal user experience by employing UX research and design methods to include: heuristic evaluations, usability testing, expert reviews, design sprints, visual design, and much more.
Increase User Trust with Flexwind
Our UX experts combine education and experience in cognitive science, user interface design, accessibility and usability testing, and various other user and design research methods to provide you with valuable insights and recommendations. Flexwind has helped both public and private sector organizations identify and resolve design obstacles that were degrading their users’ experience. We can test websites, applications, mobile apps, wireframes, mockups and even paper sketches. As outside experts, we deliver unbiased recommendations based on what’s best for your users and business. Get in touch and let’s work together to ensure your product is easier and more efficient to use, matches your users’ expectations, and provides a trustworthy experience.
About the Authors
Andrew Lopresti, UX Evangelist
Andrew joined Flexwind in 2019 after building and leading UX teams at multiple, prominent Federal consultancies. Andrew seeks to understand why smart people sometimes fail and looks to turn those frowns upside down. A frequent speaker at conferences and guest lecturer at local universities, Andrew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art (from when the Internet was young) and has a UX Certification from Human Factors International.
Petrina Moore Pervall, UX Engineer
Petrina joined Flexwind in 2018 and has over 20 years of experience in UI development, user research, and UX design. She helps development teams discover user behavior patterns and make informed design decisions using qualitative research methods and cognitive design principles. Petrina holds UX certifications from Human Factors Int’l and NN/g as well as a Masters in Human Factors and Applied Cognition.