Understanding the path and the part in UX
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. -Albert Einstein
I love that quote. To me, user experience revolves around the solving of problems. Using principles, data, empathy and creative process, we hopefully find an answer that creates delight, is invisible and supports a best case solution for all parties.
Easier said than done of course and no amount of heel clicking will magic the process of finding a real answer.
I have learnt that understanding the path and the part helps when looking at the problem, outside the thinking that existed when it was created. The path being the bigger picture and the part being the first principle, most simplified area we wish to focus on within the path. Like a yellow brick road and a single yellow brick.
I see the path as the emotive journey. The final result being the desired feeling you wish leave behind in the visitors mind. Like the feeling Dorothy hoped to achieve after reaching the wizard at the end of the road. Excitement, relief etc. Having a start of the road and an end (which in most cases is just the start of a new path) sets a solid track to get an answer.
The part is more of a principles concept. These are the rules and guidelines that help with paving the way to the feeling. These are usually learnt through experience, collaboration and consultation. The shape of the brick, its texture, its composition, position in relativity to other bricks etc.
It's really tricky to just take a brick out the road and try replace it with a different brick. Besides it sticking out like a red stain on a white cushion, you run the risk of making the path uneven, which hinders the journey and makes for an undesirable feeling. They need each other, that brick and that path, and it's up to us to make that connection.
The 300 million dollar button
This case study has been a go to for me when peeps ask about the value of knowing the path and the part. It's actually the reason why I wanted to write this article. A great resource for new comers in UX, it shows us a real business case scenario of UX decisions impacting ROI. Click on the link below to read about it.
In a nutshell, a large e-commerce site was offering its visitors an experience that didn't delight. The path to completing the transaction was not optimal. So they focused on a part, ie a single button, which impacted the path positively. This allowing visitors to discover a feeling of delight in transacting with the platform and improving revenue by millions.
A single button part done this, just think about that for a second. One button. Which in most scenarios is usually an instruction handed down from managers or clients to make the visual pop or improve accessibility or apply brand CI changes. Sometimes this instruction is valid but by placing its part within the path, it exponentially increased the desired answer. It transcends the design brief and as my Donald quote below states, it becomes an invisible function that some say, 'we can't remember a time with it NOT being there.'
Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible - Donald A. Norman
Conclusion
Knowing the path and part helps us UX practitioners, not only in ensuring a desired result is achieved, but it assists us and other teams we work with to answer Einsteins quote. It gets us questioning the 'WHY' this part, and the 'WHERE' in this path. It gets us out of the same thinking in which the problem was created and into a place where the answer becomes invisible.
My challenge to you, fellow children of UX, when you are ask to support a new project, sprint, idea or brainstorm, question the path, find the part and learn from the answer. Document it and share with those around you. I would love to hear your case study in future, 'The 1 Billion dollar swipe'.
Bonus reading
Another great article in solving the right UX problem is Roman Panchyshyns piece on: A Puzzling Dilemma: Solving the Right UX Problem. Misstep Number two is relevant to this piece. Thanks for your time and enjoy!