Designing Intuitive and Lovable Software User Experiences

Principles of Good Software

Before explaining a method for designing and developing good, easy-to-use software, here are some examples of what we mean by “good.” This is not a complete list by any means, but it illustrates some of the non-technical aspects that software Interaction Designers care about and cater for.

Good software understands end goals

Simple task-oriented requirements like “show power consumption” or “provide a map” tend to miss the bigger picture, of why certain tasks are important, and where they belong in the user’s natural task flow. People have end goals, and a designer’s job is to distil those goals from the noise, and optimize the shortest minimal path of tasks for the human to achieve the desired goal. Examples of higher level goals:

• Digital mobile tickets: Get to a concert in time; Keep your group’s tickets safe; Stay connected with your group in case someone gets lost or is late.
• Clean energy monitoring: Find the biggest power hogs in your home; Optimize the input of energy from home generators vs. public grid; Learn which behaviours save energy
• Music application: Discover new music that fits the mood or situation; Keep your music collection well-organized; Bring your music with you wherever you are or whatever you use.

Well-defined goals are often applicable for marketing activities as-is, even before the software is ready, because they touch human emotion and are easy to relate to as an everyday person.