The Personified UI

–Tristan Plank is a guest contributor and the Lead Human Factors Researcher and UI Designer at HF Designworks in Boulder, CO.–

Products with Personality

One of the most significant factors affecting satisfaction with an interface is the personality we assign to it. Every user brings personal experiences with them when they use a system.  It is these experiences that blend with the designed aspects of the UI to form a characterization. We then project a persona onto the systems we use…and an identity emerges. Sometimes we like these identities: they can be helpful, slick, and beautiful. They can become our friends and confidants as they possess our valuable information. Sometimes we even miss them when their “new personalities” are released, whether it’s a simple update for our phone interface, or an overhauled OS design.

At other times, UIs feel more like a bully pushing us around, or the snooty know-it-all correcting our every move. Paul Miller of The Verge recently demonstrated this curious personification process in his rant about condescending interfaces, an opinion piece that provides an entertaining case study on UI design.

Priorities: Usability or Visual Design?

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