Comparison is often seen as comparing two different things, but often in design we compare a single design across multiple lenses.
Below is an example of how we might view the same marketing web page from a production standpoint:
- Content Inclusion - We might break the page into the types of content that’s included, what product benefits its speaking to, and whether we’ve met requirements. Our exampel at left is full rainbow, 100% all the way!
- Decision-maker Lens - Are we effectively communicating with our decision-maker persona? Are we effectively drawing them deeper into the site toward more pertinent content? The middle example shows our value dropping off below the top of the page.
- Product User Lens - The persona who will actually be using this software is often not the buyer, so we need to be cognizant that we’re giving them the details they need to assess the product or service. Most of this content is applicable to this lens.
We might run assessments, surveys, and user testing to validate our hunches to ensure we’re connecting with these audience. We may even develop a follow-up approach that more fully accommodates both user personas, like below.
This example looks to present broadly applicable content up front, and then allow opportunity for more advanced users to drill down and assess further.
What sort of lenses do you use to assess your work’s affectiveness?
Outside of audiences, are there other modes of assessing design that you find helpful?
How do you balance criticism of quality with accommodating user and stakeholder needs?
