“Pay attention to what users do, not what they say.”
― Jakob Nielson Co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group
In an era where digital transformation is reshaping how we interact, the importance of experience design cannot be overstated.
Reflecting on Oosh's human-centred approach, together with insights from other leaders in the space, it becomes clear that experience design is not just about crafting visually appealing content, but about shaping learning experiences that deeply resonate with diverse audiences.
Why should experience design matter to L&D teams?
In the evolving domain of learning and development, understanding the essence of user experience design is vital. Research at Gartner has uncovered a profound change in employee attitudes post-pandemic, emphasising personal value and purpose at work.
This shift indicates that employees are reevaluating the role of work in their lives, with a significant percentage seeking more meaningful connection and contributions.
With the technological evolution of educational platforms, focus must now expand beyond aesthetics to ensure engaging and inclusive experiences for your learners. L&D teams, by applying UX principles, must develop educational content that is functional in practice but also resonates deeply with learners' in a "relevant, meaningful, [and] usable" way.
Consequently, understanding user behaviours and preferences remains paramount for learning and development teams, ensuring that educational content is not only visually appealing but also intuitively structured to meet the needs of the learner.
What is experience design to Oosh?
The Interaction Design Foundation offers a simple yet functional definition of experience design.
"UX designers aim to create products with relevant, meaningful, usable, and pleasurable experiences. They look at a product holistically and focus on meeting the users' needs."
Rooted in a human-centred and consultative approach, we actively involve both our clients and the end-users right from the start of any experience design project. This is crucial for aligning with the expected outcomes and the intended impact of any learning program.
This includes in-depth consultations with all internal stakeholders, ranging from learners and facilitators to managers and any other individuals who are affected by the program.
At Oosh, we believe that if we want to change human behaviour, we need to make learning sticky.
By consistently incorporating multiple opportunities for learners to try out the desired behaviour and then reflect on the experience, we maintain a balance between pragmatic application and structured reflection that keeps both our clients and their learners satisfied and engaged.
In practice at Oosh:
Working with one of Australia’s largest and oldest financial services organisations, Oosh was tasked with helping them provide the optimal customer experience by supporting their team to identify and respectfully engage with vulnerable customers.
We designed a budget-friendly, simple and effective online learning solution driven by six customer characters, each with a different vulnerability - providing learners with the opportunity to interact with the content and apply their knowledge to specific customer scenarios.
Our solution aimed to humanise each vulnerability – no small feat in a highly regulated environment which can often inadvertently lead to a process-driven mindset.
Inquiry is essential for UX designers
According to Fabricio Teixeira and Caio Braga from the UX Collective in their "State of UX in 2024" report, the realm of experience design has transitioned into a role of community advocacy, particularly under the pressure of organisational goals and financial performance indicators.
“To be able to advocate for users in such a results-oriented market, designers need to feel comfortable asking new types of questions."
In such a goal-driven market, it's crucial for designers to adapt by posing innovative questions to truly represent the users' interests.
Are we genuinely aiming to enhance customer satisfaction, or are we just attempting to reduce the expenses of customer service?
Are we balancing empathy for user welfare with the needs of our organisation?
Adopting this approach to experience design is key for learning and development teams. It allows them to craft educational experiences that are not only impactful but also deeply connect with and actively engage their intended audience.
Good experience design = thriving community
Ultimately, good experience design serves as the connective tissue that weaves individuals into vibrant communities. When it comes to learning, it should encourage collaboration, facilitate open communication and foster meaningful connections among community members.
This mirrors our own mantra, "connection before content," which is particularly important for both in-person and facilitated remote programs.
For online learning, maintaining this sense of connection in self-paced environments remains an ongoing challenge.
Here at Oosh, this demands innovative approaches - ranging from using inclusive language to setting up chat services for facilitator-learner and peer-to-peer interactions. These strategies, along with a mix of individual, paired, and group activities, facilitate a self-guided learning process among participants.
By prioritising the user, we ensure that everyone, regardless of background, can actively participate and achieve their learning goals.
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