What is UX?
UX is an abbreviation for user experience. Technology is everywhere and people interact with it, have user experiences, everyday.
Poor experiences create frustration, waste time and effort, and raise costs. Good experiences reduce project cost and risk while creating user satisfaction for everyone.
The UX design process enables teams to build interfaces that support excellent user experiences. UX design is about knowing your audience, designing for their needs, and testing your designs to see if they support your users needs.
How can the UXO help with your projects?
We offer a variety of services to help with you engage with your end-user community at any stage of your project. The UX methods we employ are designed to gather input from your users about their preferences, behaviors, their work processes, and how well your user interfaces support them as they perform their work tasks.
To initiate a consultation please submit a request form and we will reply promptly.
We also welcome you to explore our offerings to learn more about our usability lab, design reviews, and training opportunities. We look forward to collaborating with you!
“If it’s not a friendly system it makes my job harder.”
– Denise Cox, Payroll Coordinator, Dining Services
Common Questions
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What is a Usability Test?
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It is a facilitated, focused, guided exercise designed to reveal usage patterns and pain points. Participants for the study are identified from your end-user community and are observed one at a time as they interact with your software, service, application, or website.
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I already launched my site. Can I still perform a usability test?
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Sure! It is best to conduct the exercise while the team members are still engaged with the project, but observing your end-user community as interact with the site is always informative and enlightening. Chances are you will learn something that will motivate you to modify the interface so it can better service the needs of your audience.
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What is the difference between QA and Usability Testing?
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The purpose of QA (Quality Assurance) Testing) is to uncover bugs or error in the software. The purpose of Usability Testing is to see if people can make use of software or websites easily and without confusion or making errors.
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How can UX help when I am selecting and implementing vendor-supplied software?
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When selecting and configuring vendor products, there are several points where UX can help you. These include (1) understanding what users want and need, (2) evaluating how well a product fits the workflow, (3) evaluating vendor demonstrations, (4) configuring the software for the best possible ease of use, and (5) usability testing the software after implementation and configuration to make sure it is intuitive and easy to use.
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Which campus partners have you collaborated with?
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Lots. The Pace Center, The Keller Center, High Meadow Environmental Institute, Web Development Services, The Financial Aid Office, Graduate School Finances, just to name a few.
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How do I engage with your services? Are they free?
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Our services are offered without charge to any member or department of Princeton University. You can contact us for an initial consultation so we can introduce ourselves. learn about your project, and collaboratively determine which UX method is best aligned with your current needs and perhaps your future needs.