A Well-Designed Digital Product Through the Lens of the UX Honeycomb

Thearakim
Bootcamp
Published in
4 min readJun 19, 2023

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In 2023, User Experience (UX) designers are still greatly demanded, playing an important role in various sectors. Nonetheless, debates on the internet surface whether AI, could eventually take over UX design positions within a shorter or longer time frame. It is important to note that even though AI can enhance certain aspects of UX design work, but I’m strongly believe that it would not fully replace humans due to unique traits.
Follow this link to read more and get some insight of AI.

The Demand of User Experiences

Due to the steady increase in demand for UX design, many individuals wish to involve into this field. The good thing is that there are countless learning materials available on the internet, including tutorials, eBooks, workshops, and UX training programs. You can now choose exactly what fits your interests and requirements by taking advantage of these excellent resources.

Credit : Altavia-act

The struggling part of UX beginner

Junior UX designers try to navigate the field, they often face difficulties understanding all the rules and principles involved. One significant challenge arises because various companies follow distinct frameworks or guidelines while building interfaces. To simplify matters, let just concentrate on the UX Honeycomb, which serves as an effective design standard. By examining this principal approach, newbies in the UX industry can grasp practical insights and concepts for creating well-designed products.

The UX Honeycomb

The UX Honeycomb is an established design model crafted by prominent UX expert, Peter Morville, and published in his book titled ‘Search Patterns.’ He explains six critical qualities that any exceptional user interface should possess. Each hexagonal segment stands for particular characteristics that collectively ensure a superlative end-user experience. In summary, the ideal UX is:

  • Visible, with clear indicators allowing users to orient themselves within the system and prepare for forthcoming events. Familiar conventions and conspicuous elements facilitate recognition and confidence. Example below :
UI Visible
Credit : Patrick Marx
  • Findable, enabling content and features to be discovered under varying conditions based on diverse human capabilities. Accessible tags, straightforward navigation, adaptability features, and effortless transitions broaden discovery potential. Example below :
UI Finable
Credit : MUSE
  • Usable, guaranteeing everyone can interact with ease, irrespective of differences like age, ability, environment, language, literacy, motivation, or technology limitations. Intuitive layouts, gratifying feedback, and fluid procedures nurture user enthusiasm. Example below :
Final Usable
Credit: Kevin Dukkon
  • Desirable, providing inherent benefits leading to enjoyment and fulfillment through visual charm, streamlined performance, and emotionally resonant components. Engaging sounds, feedback signals, and captivating movements boost user interest. Example below :
UI desirable
Credit : Agilie Team
  • Valuable, delivering meaningfulness relative to individual problems and supplying demonstrable advantages rooted in cost savings, productivity increases, efficiency improvements, or reduced burdens. Personalized user experiences and optimized paths render the process fruitful and beneficial. Example below :
UI Valuable
Credit : Antilustrations
  • Credible, ensuring trustworthiness via dependable and accurate info, transparent practices, privacy protection, data security, and accountability measures. Confidence inspires long-term relationships, enhanced loyalty, and heightened support. Example below :
UI Credible
Credit : Apple

Conclusion

When working on improving digital products to meet target audience needs, there are various UX principles/guidelines. These strategies can all contribute, but implementing them effectively in the actual product is paramount. Remember, as a UX designer, you should consider this phrase by Jason Fried ‘Here is what our product can do’ and ‘Here is what you can do with our product’ sounds similar, but they are completely different approaches.

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Hi! I'm Theara (Kim). I'm a UX/UI and product specialist based in Japan. I would love to expand your digital perspective with my creative ideas and thoughts.