Keeping UX Design Human

UX (User Experience) Design is one of the fastest growing fields in graphic design. The change in growth was more than 15% from 2010 to 2016, close to double the national average. The field is exciting, new, and still emerging. In 2016, UX/UI job postings comprised 28% of the list.Roles on a UX team change and overlap. It's also a place where today's graphic designers are likely to find work and a career. Eventually their role may fall under the category of visual designer, however the field is so new that we don't know yet what other job titles will emerge. The State of UX in 2018 by UX Trends discusses what some of the associated areas that designers are venturing into. AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), motion design, prototyping, and product design are just some of the places. No matter what the job title, all involve engaging the end user and ultimately, creating their experience.Creating a user's experience is exciting, and full of responsibility. The line between authentic persuasion and manipulation is not a strong one. Ethical issues come into play in every aspect. How often a user waits, the imagery and colors used to engage them, the size of the elements along their path, are all design decisions that have ethical implications.In his Podcast, How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind, former Google ethicist Tristan Harris, discusses the ways in which tech designers use techniques like intermittent variable rewards, the number one psychological ingredient in slot machines. In the 1950s BF Skinner researched this concept and how effective unpredictable rewards are in keeping behavior going. FOMS (Fear of Missing Something) is another technique used by designers along with social Approval and social Reciprocity.Human-centered design expert Don Norman recently wrote an article for Fast Company, The Myth of Human-Centered Design, where he says that we design for "technology first" rather than putting the user first. Studies show us that users will adapt to these conditions and their behavior will be formed by technological advances, rather than a human-centered approach. Norman raises many questions about how experiences are created, including what defines the truth if anything can be simulated. Norman states that it's now time to produce a more sophisticated view of human-centered design, not just responding to what technology can do and what users crave.Graphic designers need to include what is in the best interest of the human race, rather than responding to technological advances. In this way, they will truly be participating in human-centered design.Sources:https://www.fastcompany.com/90208681/the-myth-of-human-centered-designhttps://medium.muz.li/2018s-ux-designer-salary-forecast-32ccc1dfcd5fhttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/home.htmhttps://designation.io/blog/now-is-the-time-for-ux-uihttps://trends.uxdesign.cc/https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3