Going Beyond Functional Requirements: Designing for the User Experience

Abstract

When designing an interface, there is often a tendency tofixate on what the interface can or cannot do, or more accurately, what theinterface allows the user to do. Clearly defined functional requirements are anecessary component of any useful interface, but how the user interacts with these functions is just as important. Thisholds true regardless of the type of users that will interact with theinterface, or the tasks for which the interface will be used to carry out. Whilethis concept has gained traction over the last decade, the user experience is stilloften overshadowed by the mere fact that key functionality has beenincorporated into an interface. This paper describes two case studies in whichdesigners’ best laid plans to put a multitude of functionality at users’fingertips sometimes falls short of a satisfying user experience.