It was at a recent design conference at the California Academy of Arts, San Francisco, during a discussion on the sidelines, that I was asked about how we explain UX to those who are not really clear about the the definitive role it plays in product or application design development and the value it brings to the process.



A spontaneous analogy that I made then, has now become one of the most frequently used and easily understood when we meet with students, designers and clients. The best thing about it - it involves my favourite brew; coffee :)



Lets take a look at the standard takeaway cup of coffee you get at your favourite coffee shop. The cup is designed to hold coffee, and it does a pretty good job of it. The material is light, seems sturdy and looks smart. The design thought is spot on.



Add some freshly brewed hot coffee into it, and you realise that its not that comfortable to hold on to because,

A. the heat gets directly transferred to your hand, and

B. the cup material sometimes feels like it may collapse onto itself. Your experience is a bit shaky/uncomfortable.



This user experience problem is solved with a simple fix - the sleeve; A UX driven design element, that helps the user hold and enjoy the cup of coffee without any worries.







The design of the sleeve is driven by the following UX analysis driven engineering.

A. Heat Management- The heat gets dissipated via the corrugated paper sleeve, the three layers of paper ensuring that the cup holders hand is insulated from the heat.

B. Sturdiness - the sleeve has been shaped in a way that it hugs the cup, enabling us to grasp the cup firmly, and the material of the sleeve retains its shape to reassure against any spillage. To our subconscious, it also makes the whole setup much more reliable and comforting.

End result? You rarely notice that the simple cup you are holding has these elements to it, and you automatically focus on enjoying the coffee instead.

The best UX powered design elements are the ones that you rarely notice or give a second thought to. You just use them.



To summarise, UX is about analysis of the need so that design thought can be well used to address the users expectations, pain points and emotions when they interface with your service or product.



This narrative has helped us open many a mind to the value UX analysis brings to product and application development. I hope it helps you too.



