Simplifying Things

There are two main components that go into making a product user-friendly: the design itself and the instructions. If these two components are well crafted and work in harmony, the user experience will be excellent.

Far too often, people hold the notion that design is synonymous with aesthetics—a belief that, shockingly, is still held by people in important positions in major tech companies. While aesthetics play an important role, they’re far from being the most important aspect of design. In the words of Steve Jobs:

This is why a teacup is designed with a handle so you can hold it when it’s hot, or why a scotch tape dispenser is designed in such a way that you can take what you need and still easily tear off another piece afterward. Notice that the look of the product is less important. (Does anyone care what their tape dispenser looks like?) If it looks nice but doesn’t work right, it’s bad design. A sort of mantra you can keep in mind is, the easier it is to use, the better the design.

While products should be designed to be as intuitive to use as possible, for most products, the user will need specific guidance at some point, hence, instructions. 

Instructions make it possible to use the products and devices in our lives. One of the main tasks of a UX Writer is to create these instructions. However, as opposed to traditionally manufactured products, today’s digital products usually have the instructions built into the product itself. This requires us to take a different approach when writing those instructions.