Why UX Should Still Care About International Design Standards
Today we find ourselves a window of opportunity with the new update of ISO 9241-110 which is a fairly short document and arguably the simplest standard to understand and start using in the UX field. ISO 9241 is a collection of over 40 individual standards applicable to UX designers because they deal with humans interacting with interactive systems. By becoming familiar with standards, it is possible to instantly leverage the experience of industry experts and adopt best practices.
Why UX Should Still Care About International Design Standards
Today we find ourselves a window of opportunity with the new update of ISO 9241-110 which is a fairly short document and arguably the simplest standard to understand and start using in the UX field. ISO 9241 is a collection of over 40 individual standards applicable to UX designers because they deal with humans interacting with interactive systems. By becoming familiar with standards, it is possible to instantly leverage the experience of industry experts and adopt best practices.
The Era of UI Unification
Back in the early days of the Web, a lot of UI decisions were made on the fly, often having completely different sources of inspiration. There were few boundaries set: no pattern libraries, no widely-used design systems, pixelated raster graphics, and distracting Flash-based animations. Design unification is a sign of progress – the Web has become more accessible, friendly, and structured. A set of standardized patterns makes it possible to pay more attention to tasks instead of reinventing the wheel. At the same time, when every product and experience looks the same, we risk making them bland and uninteresting. Design is about communication and impact, and there’s less impact when everything is the same.
The Era of UI Unification
Back in the early days of the Web, a lot of UI decisions were made on the fly, often having completely different sources of inspiration. There were few boundaries set: no pattern libraries, no widely-used design systems, pixelated raster graphics, and distracting Flash-based animations. Design unification is a sign of progress – the Web has become more accessible, friendly, and structured. A set of standardized patterns makes it possible to pay more attention to tasks instead of reinventing the wheel. At the same time, when every product and experience looks the same, we risk making them bland and uninteresting. Design is about communication and impact, and there’s less impact when everything is the same.