UX recipe in pandemic times

We're living in uncertain times. Distant relationships and climate change mark them with a bleak imprint. As UX designers, it's no more enough to design functional interfaces, we have to design interfaces that feels good, refreshing, caring more empathy and warmth than ever. We have to design interfaces that tell to the user : – We're from the same world, we get it. We're here to help and you're in control.

Besides the User Research, how to do it ? Let me introduce two ingredients we employed in recent projects.

The first one is based on the use of illustrations. Illustrations forces to focus the messages, therefore dividing processes in simpler parts. They tend to achieve many goals that we seek: 

• Refreshing from standard, expected...boring user interfaces
• Giving personality and uniqueness
• Connecting emotionally the user to the content 
• Communicating accessibility and proximity
• Rewarding the discovery by making the look&feel more enjoyable and playful

It's worth noting that all these aspects are not only to the benefit of the app itself, but to the brand as well, consolidating positively its visual communication.

When drawing illustrations, three tips are good to keep in mind :

• People connects more easily with illustrations containing human beings
• Illustrations with a touch of nature are perceived more positively that others
• Lightness and humor are always appreciated

The recipe, however, is not so straightforward. In order to be successful, illustrations should not be used as decorative patches, but as a fundamental principle for the overall design: it's a global endeavour for lightness, accessibility and simplicity, it's the promise of a friendly tone that is consistent.

Another ingredient that works pretty well to spice up an app is the use of motion design and particularly UI animation.

On mobiles, we're familiar with it. We're even so used to it that an app without motion doesn't feel natural and desirable. Recently, we have noticed a shift in the demands of our clients, requiring apps with native interfaces instead of web based interfaces – web still being perceived comparatively as a static, page-per-page media (which it is not, but that's for another story).

Transforming gradually a page into the next one gives a satisfying feeling to the user, who therefore perceives the interface as a reinsuring whole. It communicates: – You see, what's happening you can follow, it's what you were looking for and there is a simple correlation with what you've just seen.

Still, motion design has to be carefully crafted to be efficient. From subtile transitions to more prominent animations, each move must only exist for the sole purpose of serving the storytelling.

There are other levers to play with in order to make apps stand out, some being more appropriate to a brand than others. Don't hesitate to come to us at ELCA, we will help you to leverage the potential of these times.