Having recently been thrust into the position of buying a new car, I’d entered into the task with much gusto and verve. Surely everyman’s dream; weekends spent sampling automotive delights of Champagne White and Phantom Black whilst nonchalantly brushing past any rust-bucket reds.
By day three I had finally had enough of sitting in cars I couldn’t justify, so I quickly settled back to the task in hand, frantically adjusting rake and reach and prodding a multitude of garish over-engineered plastic buttons which seemed to illuminate a brighter light with every touch: one tap for on, 3 taps for off and 4 out of pure frustration.
From that moment I decided to focus on UX and time after time I’d leave disappointed. The car I finally drove off the forecourt, was the one with the most intuitive and well-considered user experience. And it was the right colour.
All this goes to show that user-centric design should be at the forefront of both client and designer minds alike. It’s all too easy to get carried away adding unnecessary content with overelaborate functionality and design.
Whether it’s finding the auto search on the radio or purchasing a product online, give me beautifully considered content and you know what I would probably buy. It’s not what you add, it’s what you leave out.