Understanding and Bridging the UX Abstract Gap
From the “Harsh Realities of UX Maturity” series from The World of UX podcast
Introduction
Today, we’re diving into a subtopic that’s rarely discussed but incredibly vital: the abstract gap in UX. This gap often hinders our progress and clarity within organizations. The aim is to help you, whether you’re a UX practitioner or stakeholder, understand this concept and bridge the gap effectively.
The Abstract Gap Explained
The “Abstract Gap” refers to the disconnect that occurs when stakeholders can’t immediately grasp the intangible aspects of UX. Good UX work often appears invisible, a concept difficult to communicate without comprehensive visual aids or prototypes. Understanding this gap is crucial because the lower someone’s UX maturity, the more abstract our work may seem to them, especially when discussed in terms of heuristics, micro experiences, or affordances.
Navigating the Abstract Gap
Here are a few examples of abstract perceptions of UX operation:
- Heuristics: These best practices might seem straightforward to practitioners, but often remain abstract to stakeholders. For instance, understanding why a particular design choice reduces cognitive load requires not only telling but also showing, using data visualizations or A/B tests.
- Bias Management: Managing biases — our own, our stakeholders’, and our research participants’ — requires emotional intelligence and awareness. It’s an abstract practice that involves translating complex biases into understandable impacts on UX design and decision-making
- Microexperiences: These are specific steps within larger tasks that stakeholders may overlook. Our role is to highlight these nuances and demonstrate their impact on user satisfaction.
- Qualitative Research: Data from diary studies and field research may initially seem abstract due to their subjective nature. Translating this into business-relevant insights is key to bridging the gap.
- Affordances: Stakeholders might not grasp the significance of designing with faithful affordances in mind. This includes ensuring users understand the available actions within an interface, which often requires demonstrative prototypes or user testing feedback.
Strategies for Bridging the Gap
- Visual Aids and Prototypes: To make the abstract concrete, use wireframes, prototypes, and user journey maps. These tools help stakeholders visualize and comprehend the UX elements in question.
- Speak the Language of Business: Avoid UX jargon when communicating with stakeholders. Translate UX principles into terms of metrics or outcomes that align with business goals.
- Educate Stakeholders: Regularly share insights through workshops or meetings where you explain UX concepts and their relevance to organizational goals.
Conclusion
The abstract gap in UX represents both a challenge and an opportunity to elevate organizational and personal UX maturity. By understanding and addressing this gap, we enhance our practice and the perception of UX within our organizations. Remember, effective UX is not only in doing but also in communicating and illustrating the value of what we do. So let’s strive to bridge the abstract gap and elevate our practice and our organizations to new heights.
Get it? Got it? Good. Until next time, let’s improve our UX maturity, embrace the abstract elements, and become advocates of clearer, more effective communication within our field.
Happy UX-ing, everyone!
Interested in listening to the associated podcast episode?
About Darren
Darren Hood is a 30+-year UX practitioner with a broad professional footprint across B2B and B2C operations. In addition to serving as a UX manager, individual contributor, and freelancer in the business world, Darren is serving or has served as an adjunct professor at Michigan State University, Champlain College, Brandeis University, Lawrence Tech University, Kent State University, UCLA, and Harrisburg University. He is also one of the authors featured in “97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know.” He also regularly speaks at conferences and mentors people worldwide.
You can hear more from Darren by visiting the KaizenUX Medium blog landing page, the KaizenUX YouTube channel, or by listening to The World of UX with Darren Hood wherever podcasts are available.
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Note: This blog post marks my foray into using AI to transform podcast episodes. It was generated with the aid of Descript’s AI functionality.
