Judge’s Q&A 2017: Jesse Williams

Judge’s Q&A 2017: Jesse Williams

Judge: Jesse Williams
Role: Interaction Designer at Google

Do you have a favourite app & website in terms of the design and user experience?
Asos have a super smart app. The discover flow is really nicely done, and makes sorting through their sizable catalogue really easy. It does of course mean, it’s a lot easier to spend lots of money.

Which industries, in your opinion, tend to deliver the worst user experiences, and why?
I’ve never really found a banking app or website that’s a joy to use. The tasks performed on banking sites are usually pretty routine, but that doesn’t mean the experience should be boring or the interactions be unimaginative. The new kid on the block (Monzo) is showing the old timers how it’s done, and I’m at last interested in exploring my spending habits and trends. 

What has been the greatest game changer in the UX and usability sectors over the past 10 years?
Maybe not the greatest, but my favourite example has to be TV. In my lifetime we’ve gone from four channels, a screen and a number keypad to thousands of channels, apps with curated content across multiple devices and screen sizes. Content has changed dramatically and the experience of discovering and consuming is having to keep up.

What do you think are the biggest challenges companies face utilising UX?
Consistency across all channels. UX isn’t limited to a screen, but includes every touch point a customer has. The experience the user has should be consistent no matter what channel they are using.

Do you have any UX pet peeves?
When people think just one person – you, the designer – is enough of a sample group. Often people don’t properly do the legwork of research and testing with their audience, and worse, forget that accessibility is a thing. When we design experiences, we have to design them for everyone.

If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
I’d rather be Batman.