(Photo: Stephen Cummings)
UX stands for “user experience.” It’s a field of web development that examines how ordinary people would understand and use a website. There’s demand for UX professionals because many developers have difficulty thinking like an outsider with limited understanding of the website. UX consultants can help shape websites that are user-friendly.
Richard Littauer, a UX expert, says that one of the principles of his field is that “the user is drunk.” A website should be designed simple enough that a drunk person could navigate it without difficulty. In exchange for money, Littauer will get very drunk and evaluate your website while screencasting his reactions.
I’m a librarian and UX is a very big topic in professional conferences and publications these days. For libraries, UX includes both websites and in-person experiences. A shrewd library director could do well by hiring patrons to get completely snockered and then attempt to use the library’s resources. It would be a great test of the library staff’s customer service skills.
-via The Presurfer