I attended the Boston User Experience Professionals’ Association Conference (UXPA) to learn about creating meaningful and impactful experiences for website users. There were 5 tracks and 30 speakers covering UX Research, Design, Strategy, Service Design, and Career Development. I usually go to web design and WordCamp conferences, but UX is an integral part of the web design process and one of the many tasks needed to create a website.
My objective was to synthesize the UX principles learned here and bring a streamlined UX process to my small and mid-size web design clients.
Below are my notes on the best sessions I attended.
What’s so Smart about Intelligent Content?
Speakers: Jen Briselli and Marli Mesibov
Synopsis: This talk looked at anticipatory design. The speakers explained how metadata works, how semantic search supports personalization, and where personalization crosses into invasion of privacy.
Notes:
- Project steps: evaluate → discover → synthesize → focus.
- Use participatory design. Involve co-users and end users.
- Try creative exercises:
- Write a “love letter” or “break-up letter” to the company.
- In usability testing, ask users to draw a “magic button.” What should it do?
- Discover: think about context, personalization, and control.
- Synthesize: create design and format ideas.
- Focus: connect actions to outcomes.
- Take a step back early. Listen to users. Consider different scenarios and questions. Think about privacy and control. Brainstorm, gather data, and give yourself time to explore before locking into solutions.
Research & Design: Finding the Perfect Blend
Speakers: Jen Briselli and Kimberly Dowd
Synopsis: Research and design go hand in hand. While design looks different across projects, research is always a key part of creating strong user experiences.
Notes:
The Double Diamond model (UK Design Council):
- Discover: Start with ideas and explore user needs.
- Define: Align user needs with business goals.
- Develop: Create and test design solutions.
- Deliver: Finalize and launch the product or service.
Collaboration tips:
- Researchers
- Involve designers early.
- Share goals, issues, and the moderator’s guide.
- Invite designers to research sessions.
- Designers
- Help set research goals.
- Share questions and expectations.
- Show up, observe, and take notes.
- Working together
- Don’t “hand off and disappear.”
- Researchers: stop by a designer’s desk to share insights.
- Designers: bring researchers into brainstorming, critiques, and solution reviews.
- Turn vague findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
- Perfect combo: Talk early and often. Don’t disappear. Jump in and collaborate.
How to Uncover Hidden Assumptions
Speaker: Maria Matveeva
Synopsis: Assumptions are dangerous because they feel “obvious,” so no one talks about them. But when people act on different assumptions, projects can easily go wrong.
Notes:
- Set expectations with shared values and clear goals.
- Ask open-ended questions like “Talk me through what you see here.”
- Use practical prompts such as “When did you last do X?”
- Sketch ideas with clients. This speeds discussion, reveals unknowns, and surfaces hidden assumptions.
- Use design sprints. Share early and often.
IA Issues? Online Card Sorting is Not Enough
Speaker: Andrew Schall
Synopsis: If users can’t find information, it might as well not exist. Good information architecture (IA) makes content easy to find.
Notes:
- To understand how users think, ask:
- What should be grouped together?
- What should each group be called?
- How many categories should there be?
- Tools and methods:
- Optimal Sort: quantitative online tool, shows what but not why.
- Online surveys: capture the “why.”
- In-person card sorting: 1-on-1, recorded, about an hour. Lets you see thought processes and non-verbal cues.
- Hybrid: start online to spot trends, then refine with tree testing.
- Helpful tool: USB barcode scanner (add barcodes to cards).
Good research questions:
- What do these labels mean to you?
- How would you improve the labels?
- How relevant is this category?
- What context would you use it in?
- Can you explain your grouping process?
- Can you think out loud while sorting?
- End with a debrief discussion.
Key uses: Card sorting helps with navigation, taxonomy, and content priorities.
