ICAEW's principles echo the culture of designing experiences for our users, not for the organisation. Our 10 global UX Principles offer a framework to evaluate our work and inform everyone how we deliver useful, elegant ad simple-to-use interfaces.
These principles are coupled with our Design Vision to ensure we deliver rewarding and engaging visual experiences that satisfy our users needs, throughout their digital journey with us.
UX Principles
Users want
Designing for users is at the centre of everything we do.
Why?
Understanding our users, their goals, behaviours and frustrations and shaping solutions using this insight improves engagement, satisfaction and retention.
Discoverable content
We deliver systems that find, sort and present information so the right content is found at the first time of asking.
Why?
64% of users start their journey to ICAEW on a search engine
92% of these search journeys use Google
Users don’t want to put effort into finding content through menus
Personal experiences
As humans we will speak to our users as individuals with an understanding of their context and their intentions.
Why?
Everyone is different
By using data we hold on an individual we can make experiences both enjoyable and rewarding
In real-time
Align data-points so that we deliver content and information immediately.
Why?
Humans have uncertainty and insecurities – they deserve feedback and assurance straight away
Technological advancement increasingly means expectations of such immediacy are set by our competitors and big brands
Members and students are being passed to call centre operators before the system loads queries, frustrating the caller and the agent and starting the call off on a poor footing
On any device
We design solutions to work on any device, at any time.
Why?
In 2017 33% of all sessions on icaew.com were accessed through a mobile or tablet. A 79% increase on 2016 our members and students demonstrate comfort with all devices.
They read emails on the phone in the morning, work on the laptop in the office, check the news on the phone during the train journey home and reads a book on the tablet in the evening.
Using any technology
Although future-proofing isn’t possible, we’ll define open solutions that offer flexibility in the long term.
Why?
It provides the opportunity to explore and test emerging or alternative or technologies.
The freedom to experiment enables us to react to changing market conditions
Across boundaries
As far as it’s in our control a user in Singapore with the same needs as a user in London will be able to access the same content, seek the same information and complete the same tasks as a user in London.
Why?
We aspire to be a fully international organisation and don’t discriminate against individuals for being based outside the UK ICAEW’s 149,000 members are spread across 154 countries
In 2017 42% of sessions on icaew.com came from outside the UK
Quickly
The target average page download duration is three seconds.
Why?
The fast our digital services perform, the fewer users will abandon and go on to achieve their goal.
Various studies have found that 40% of users abandon a page if it takes >3s to load
Three seconds was recommended to ICAEW as part of a 2016 consultation with NCC after competitor benchmarking Google include site speed as a ranking factor
On solutions that are tested
We validate our solutions with users right throughout the design process, placing emphasis on what they do, not what they say.
Why?
So that we can iterate whilst we design
If it doesn’t work with users we ‘fail fast’
We release solutions sooner, with a greater chance of success
For humans
Keep designs simple, straightforward and accessible. We follow conventions and avoid deviating from the norm unless it adds to the value of the experience.
Why?
Everyone is different (again)
Inconsistency leads to hesitation and uncertainty
Designing for the few often adds complexity
Design Vision
Our rules of play
- Does the design embody our brand and ethos?
- Is the design unified and consistent?
- Is the design transparent and intuitive?
- Is the design innovative and inspiring?
- Does the design seek to engage and delight?
- Is the design consumable and digestible?
- Is the design organic and progressive?