Why context matters
‘Which UI is better? Feel free to share your opinions.’ #ui #ux #uxdesigner #uiux #design
Such polarising posts on LinkedIn has been trending recently, usually along with two variations of an interface. Like a moth to a flame, the digital community happily throws itself into the game and these posts have succeeded in attracting plenty of attention and contribution.
This rise in over-simplifying design decisions on LinkedIn reminds me a little of Squid Game. There’s something about confrontation in its purest form - a binary decision. Good versus evil. Light against dark. Head or tails. Republicans and Democrats.
These posts are at best a superficial way to learn about design but for me, a cruel misinterpretation of the design craft that undermines the profession.
As humans, it’s easy to seek simple solutions to complex questions - it’s part of being human - but this isn’t always right.
It’s all about context, baby
What’s missing in such polarising questions is, of course, context. Good, bad, right or wrong can’t be defined without the right amount of context.
Why an individual engages with your product is entirely dependent on the goal(s) they want to achieve and the cues which trigger their actions. This can be entirely different between two users, even if they’re the same age, live in the same area, have a similar family situation or work in the same industry.
How they engage with your product is determined by even more factors - their mental models, the other apps they use, the device they’re on, where they’re located (on a bus or in bed), the speed of their internet, whether they have any disability or impairments - and even their emotional state or the time of the day.
What’s ‘good’ for one person is not necessarily the same for another. What’s ‘right’ isn’t always the same in all cases.
Leverage context
Experienced designers understand the importance of context. Companies have built empires on this understanding.
Netflix uses viewing, search, scroll, and ratings data as well as time, date, the device being used and more to predict what a viewer will be interested in, right down to the thumbnail being presented. For instance, the actor shown in the thumbnail for the film ‘Good Will Hunting’ might change depending if you like romantic movies (Matt Damon and Minnie Driver), or comedies (Robin Williams).
I don’t want to underestimate the huge amount of work behind these complex algorithms. Even back in 2014, Netflix had 76,897 ‘altgenres’ or unique ways to describe types of movies and shows.
The limits around context
There are some downsides in a world where hyper-personalisation becomes the staple. Aside from the sheer amount of data that’s been collected and the question around privacy, the algorithms which determine what’s ‘right’ or wrong don’t always have the right amount of data to get it right all the time. We’ve seen how social media quickly creates ‘echo chambers’ which limits the freedom and meritocracy of information and choice.
Leveraging context is a double edged sword, one that needs to be wielded carefully but not something we can disregard altogether.
So which UI is better? Well, it depends. But you already knew that.
Thanks for reading!