Experience Design Cheat Sheet
I find this set of themes is helpful when thinking about creating impactful product experiences. It starts with five themes that are standard for products in any domain, and then builds upon those five with three additional themes that apply to products which are transformative in nature (see Transformation Design).
You’ll find the TLDR version at the top of this page with a more detailed breakdown below. Thanks for reading, and I hope you find these principles useful in your work!
Experience Design Themes
Minimize effort & stress by not requiring the user to complete inessential tasks, remember things, learn new language/concepts, or wonder what next steps are.
Keep it simple. Avoid overwhelming the user with unnecessary information. Instead, progressively disclose details & build upon concepts as they are needed and can be acted upon.
Harmonize touchpoints by removing redundancies, creating smooth transitions, and prioritizing consistency in messaging and design.
Build brand trust and affinity by reliably meeting needs and embodying consistent principles.
Set appropriate expectations, then deliver beyond them to create memorable and significant experiences worth sharing. In essence, “delight” is unexpected value and it occurs when a users’ expectations are surpassed.
For transformational experiences:
Cater to the user’s psychological needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness within 5 domains including (1) the point of adoption, (2) engaging with the interface, (3) goal/task completion, (4) behavior change, and (5) within life and society.
Plan for fluctuating motivational and emotional states. Inspiration and energy is rarely stable when working through a transformative experience. Support emotional regulation within your experience so that the user is equipped with strategies when motivation inevitably wanes.
Leverage the power of vision. Transformative experiences are sought after to reduce the discrepancy between a current and ideal future self. Take the time to deeply understand the vision your users hold and tap into it to harness the strength of human imagination.
Cheat Sheet
Minimize effort & stress by not requiring the user to complete inessential tasks, remember things, learn new language/concepts, or wonder what next steps are.
Is this touch point requiring effort from the user that is possible to automate or simplify?
Does this touch point require the user to remember important information? Can we instead automate a reminder or resurface the information at a better time?
Does this touch point require the user to learn and adopt new language or concepts? If so, can this be simplified?
Are we leaving the user wondering what the next steps are? If not, can we better set expectations?
Keep it simple. Avoid overwhelming the user with unnecessary information. Instead, progressively disclose details & build upon concepts as they are needed and can be acted upon.
Is this touch point providing more information than can realistically be processed at once, in the context in which we think it is being consumed? If so, how might we progressively distribute it throughout the journey as-needed or deliver it in a better context?
Harmonize touchpoints by removing redundancies, creating smooth transitions, and prioritizing consistency in messaging and design.
Does this touch point look, feel, and sound like all other surrounding touch points? If not, how can we better align it?
Is this touch point serving a singular purpose, or trying to do too many things at once? How could we simplify it to better serve its intended purpose?
Is this touch point playing a unique & valuable role? If not, can it be removed? Or, could it be modified to provide unique value?
Does this touchpoint feel complimentary to the previous one, and the next one? Are there ways to build better continuity between them?
Build brand trust and affinity by reliably meeting needs and embodying consistent principles.
What needs does the user have at this moment? What tasks do they need to complete? What information do they need to progress? Is this touchpoint effectively meeting those needs? How might we modify it to better meet them?
Does this touch point represent our brand values & aspirations? If not, how might we better embody them?
Set appropriate expectations, then deliver beyond them to create memorable and significant experiences worth sharing. In essence, “delight” is unexpected value and it occurs when a users’ expectations are surpassed.
What expectations might the user have about this touch point or journey stage based on their previous experiences? How might we better meet them?
How could we exceed them and provide a moment of surprise and delight?
Is this touchpoint the “start” or the “end” of any significant journey stage? If so, how can we make it more special or stand-out to create a richer & more memorable experience?
Cater to the user’s psychological needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness within 5 domains including (1) the point of adoption, (2) engaging with the interface, (3) goal/task completion, (4) behavior change, and (5) within life and society.
Is the user autonomous in their decision to adopt your product? How can you boost their perceived autonomy throughout the experience?
Do the interface and workflows allow the user to feel competent? Do the aesthetics contribute to an anticipated ease-of-use?
Does the experience foster moments of connection with other people in the user’s life or create a sense of interconnection with other users of the product?
Do the tasks the product enables support psychological need satisfaction in the user’s life? Does it enable them to meet their goals?
Plan for fluctuating motivational and emotional states. Inspiration and energy is rarely stable when working through a transformative experience. Support emotional regulation within your experience so that the user is equipped with strategies when motivation inevitably wanes.
Do you thoroughly understand the points or triggers in the customer journey when motivation is most likely to suffer? Are there ways you can prepare your users with strategies for when this happens that make them feel supported and keep them engaged and hopeful?
Leverage the power of vision. Transformative experiences are sought after to reduce the discrepancy between a current and ideal future self. Take the time to deeply understand the vision your users hold and tap into it to harness the strength of human imagination.
How can you enhance and sharpen the user’s own vision for their life and keep them present to it throughout the experience?
How can you support your users in leveraging the power of their vision and imagination to create positive change?