What is intuitive design (ID)?
A design that is intuitive, feels right to the user. It is efficient, comprehensible and flexible. It also gives the impression that it’s trustworthy. For instance, the most reliable websites are user-friendly and produce results that are as expected. People will search for a new website if one doesn’t meet their expectations.
It requires a team of people to create intuitive products. Product designers, UX designers and product managers must collaborate to design a product that fits the user’s mental model of the way it should work. This isn’t an easy task. People have a variety of mental models, depending on their age, their experiences with the kind of product and their beliefs, as well as their knowledge and their concentration level.
It is important to include usability testing into the design process. This will help you identify aspects of the design that aren’t in line with the mental model of the user and fix them prior to releasing the product.
To design an intuitive product, the design must always match the function. However it is also essential to include the user from the beginning of the design process. For instance asking the owner of the product what they’d like to achieve with the product and what they would like to achieve to accomplish this task is a great start. The information will then be passed to the UX designer who will incorporate it into the product’s UI.