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To find out why Machine Learning (ML) will play an important role for UX designers, I first briefly explain what ML is.
What is Machine Learning?
Machine Learning can be compared to raising a child. A computer, like a child, knows very little at first. By giving the computer different types and large amounts of information about a particular subject, it can learn to recognize a pattern in different ways (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning). Just like a child who learns to walk by trial and error, by taking an example from his / her environment, a computer can also learn from a data set in order to eventually learn something.
The goal of ML is to be able to recognize data and information, and ultimately be able to make decisions from that or new information.
My article on “A touch of generative interfaces” lists some simple examples of ML that we use or encounter in our daily life.
UX designers are problem solvers
The main goals for UX designers are solving problems in a certain product due the help of design. A famous method that is being used is Human Centered Design (https://www.invisionapp.com/defined/human-centered-design). A method to build a product around the behaviour and needs of the audience that uses the product.
Common UX tasks are:
- Personally Recommended Content.
- Recognize exceptions.
- Insights into large amounts of data.
- Interpret what a user is going to do.
- Multivariate testing.
- Recognizing the user’s emotions.
Of course there are many more to mention. But with Multivariate testing we are going to run through an example where ML can support the UX designer.
Machine learning that is supporting UX designers
Multivariate testing is a way of testing in which multiple possible combinations are tested in order to further develop the combination with the best outcome.
With manual multivariate testing you have to manually create different variants and indicate what is different. This is very time consuming and in addition, the more variants you have, the more test users you need.
Using Machine learning, a UX designer is able to test the variants with more data points that can influence the outcome. The advantage is that this process is faster and improvements are discovered earlier. In addition, an ML algorithm can continue to optimize without the attention of the UX designer.
When ML is applied for Multivariate Testing, it provides a more efficient workflow for the UX designer. After analysis, the UX designer can still choose a variant that the system did not consider the best, so in that way the UX designer is in control.
Will Machine Learning replace UX designers?
This article is too short to explore the full spectrum of the possibilities and risks of ML for the UX designers field. But if we look at the example above, we can say that ML can indeed contribute to solving UX problems.
I also want to go back to the early years 1973. Before that time computers could only be operated mainly by a keyboard. But in ‘73 year, the Xerox Alto hit the market as one of the first individually usable computers. A special feature of this was the mouse that was introduced to the general public. This made the computer more user-friendly.
What I want to say is that systems, processes, products and people change over time. Just like the problems between these elements. As a result, there will always be a demand for solving and optimizing the user experience. ML will probably play an increasingly important role in this, but a role in which the UX designer will still be in control of the final decisions.
If you are interested in learning more about machine learning, here are some helpful resources:
A design system is not infamous anymore and every UX designer has known of it. It helps a design team understand the product more and how it is built up. In this article you learn more about why design systems also benefit developers and in what way you think the same as developers.
The importance of Design Systems
Interface design is complex and as the project grows, there is an increasing need for a certain standard that designers and developers can fall back on.
A design system ensures unity between designers and developers. Thanks to a design system, the process gets a boost and this will ultimately also benefit the user experience.
Because an inconsistent design regularly causes frustration and damages the user experience. The most important reasons for a design system are efficiency, consistency and the need to scale up.
This will ensure that your colleagues do not keep asking the same questions or a design. Or developers have lost too much time because an adjustment takes longer due to inconsistency in design choices from the past.
But where to start?
Start a design system with an atom
First of all, you need to submit a plan to your stakeholders (designers, managers and developers) to set up a design system.
After approval it is the intention that you make an analysis of the current components and elements that already exist. This gives a good idea of where you stand as a design team when it comes to consistency.
When you finally start setting up, you start with the atom.
The Atom is part of the Atomic Web Design created by Brad Frost. This system ensures that components and elements are broken down to the smallest denominator, for later use in future components.
Object Oriented Design (OOD)
Object Oriented Design comes from the technical Object Oriented Programming. The latter is a way of programming efficiently and consistently. Not only will this make the code smaller, it will also significantly reduce unnecessary code repetition.
As you can see in the wireframe below, the model is fairly simple. Based on this deconstruction we can easily classify the design. So each color would represent a part of the design that later on can be build as a separate object that can be used multiple times in an application.
You can see that a technical component has been created, this component consists of different parts of code. This division of the component can also be used in design systems.
In design systems it is not the lines of code and functions, but the composition of elements and components.
The risks
In addition to all the benefits that these systems bring, there are also risks that you should be aware of.
A design system can take up a lot of your team’s time, so think carefully in advance whether a design system is really necessary. For example, a start-up will have less need for a design system than a multinational. Because the teams are smaller and the time per employee should place more priority on tasks other than a design system.
There is also the risk that colleagues do not pay attention to the design system, so that it will be neglected over time. This is also in line with a clear process that must be set up to properly maintain the design system in the future.
Final thoughts
I hope you have learned more about design systems in this way and that, despite their popularity, it is not always wise to have a design system. Especially when a company is at an early stage or when the teams are very small.
Design systems will remain for a while. And who knows, the design system may be further developed into an agile way of designing components, whereby a process between designer and developer can be improved in small teams.
User Interfaces have many shapes and generations. Sometimes you have periods with a clear trend. For example, in 2020 we’ve seen many interface designs in the style “skeuomorphism”.
But something that user interfaces will always consist of is the plane division. This can range from wireframes and abstract surface divisions to graphic tile interfaces such as we know from Microsoft’s Metro style.
In this article we dive into the past of abstract art. And I try to establish a relationship between the abstract art of Piet Mondrian and user interface design.
Piet Mondrian’s style development.
Pieter Mondriaan was a Dutch painter who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
At the beginning of 1900, Piet’s style began to develop. You started to see this reflected in his works. The abstract large surface divisions in particular were a striking appearance. This made the negative space almost more important than the strips that were to form the shape of the subject.
“Neo-plasticism”, also called new image, emerged from an article written by Mondrian “The new image in painting”. It assumed that everything came from the idea and that the performance was of secondary importance.
In painting this meant that you always painted what arose from yourself (subject, idea, the spiritual). This was also referred to by Mondrian as “internalization”.
“Not a single painting is created by chance. Each painting is a combination of space, surface, line and color. ” — Piet Mondrian
Interfaces in UI design
The style and vision of Piet Mondrian seems to correspond with the surface divisions that are designed in the initial phase of an interface design. Also called wireframes.
Wireframes are abstract interpretations of an interface design that is in the early stages. In addition, it is important, just like Mondrian told, to divide surfaces with a certain amount of space that they get within the total space of the interface.
A user interface has an extra dimension: the user. The user uses an interface to achieve his goal and complete the tasks within the interface.
The interface can be divided into areas and lines in such a way that it can attract the user’s attention.
What does De Stijl mean for UI Designers?
A well-known UI design style that we all know is Material (also called Flat) design. Within these guidelines you can see that Mondrian’s work has not gone unnoticed.
Microsoft’s “tiles” in the Metro design style is also an interface choice that resembles the works of Mondrian. And if we are to believe the beliefs in De Stijl painting, these can also be partly transferred to the digital “canvas”.
You can think of an interface as a multi-layered and context-adaptable work by Mondrian. Where tiles shift to grab the user’s attention and focus on a particular part of the interface.
With the exception of a few works by Mondrian, most are bound on a square or rectangular canvas. As long as these rectangular shapes continue to use themselves for the interfaces, we can continue to apply the lessons of Piet Mondrian in these user interfaces.
A little Mondrian in every UI.
I’m curious what you think about this as a co-designer? Take a look at yourself and challenge yourself to apply the lessons that Mondrian has taught us all in an interface design.
I am also curious whether you see common ground between Mondrian, or other historical artists/designers, and the user interface?
Thank you for reading this article and feel free to add additional or feedback on this story.
Generative design is a way of representing interfaces based on user data. This allows you to see an interface design that is unique to everyone.Post author
Generative design is a way of representing interfaces based on user data. This allows you to see an interface design that is unique to everyone.
A recent example of generative interface design are the Siri suggestions widgets in the iOS 14 update from Apple. But Android also is using app suggestions in its Android 11 update. Actually any interface could have this if it benefits the user.
Okay but why is this important?
Companies are able to collect large amounts of data that can be used for machine learning algorithms. In this way the algorithms are able to recognize usability patterns the we often use on a certain moment in time. We already can see this at Netflix and how they are using Artificial Intelligence (AI), to now our watching patterns and to show new movies and series that we might like.
This will improve the user experience because the user spends significantly less time achieving his goal (source).
We mainly know AI from e-mail spam filters, recommending music, videos and products. But AI that is used for interfaces is not very common yet.
The relatively small step that now arises with iOS and Android to have the system make suggestions based on past behavior will play a major role in the future of product design. Which will also include interface design.
Is it only going to be used on mobile devices?
Mobile interfaces are easy to think about first, as we spend our time on them for hours a day. But interfaces are also being used more and more easily due to low production costs and the still growing internet of things.
To apply generative designs, a profile of the user must be created to which the interface can adapt. The interaction between machine, humans and the environment in which this takes place will determine a generative interface approach or not.
A generative interface is not limited to mobile devices and should adapt to any kind of display.
A generative interface design can ensure that the user has (almost) no effort to operate the interface. The interface is a visual presentation of the output that machines communicate to people. A good example is the Nest Hub, just like with people you not only want to hear what the output is, but also be able to see it.
What’s next
The purpose of this article was to highlight a minor interface design update with great potential for the future. And also to let co-interface designers to think about the future of their profession.
Personally I think this is a positive development in interface design. It is important to value the time of the user. I think this should be one of the core values of interface design.
I am very curious about other perspectives on this topic, so do not hesitate to use the comments as a point of discussion.
Work
Projects coming soon.