UX as Kung Fu (a guide for trolling and staffing adjustments)
It is no secret that during the crisis, many companies are looking for ways to optimize costs in order to survive in this difficult time. Some, like “Yolki-Palki” or “Sbarro” - thousands of employees of the lowest qualifications are laid off by thousands, who just made the most profit while being at the most advanced. Others act smarter, looking for the most inefficient and low-profit office experts with blurred KPIs. In order to prevent such companies from reducing their beginner design specialists and future usability gurus, this article will offer a simple and clear analogy between modern UX design and kung fu skills.
As you know, both of these arts have become overgrown with cults and legends long ago, and here and there you can constantly hear stories of fascinating imagination about how, one great master defeated thousands of troops or earned billions, simply changing the color of the button and rounding it. I will not dispute, probably somewhere far away in Tibet, far from human eyes and tourist routes, there are indeed such masters who are capable of showing just transcendental level of mastery of their art, but in real life even after 3-5 years of daily classes and both. , the skill of an average kungfuist and a usability player will obviously not be enough simply to survive in a duel with three or four gunmen armed with knives, brass knuckles or crowbars (discounts, logistics and technical support).
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When a competitor is simply able to give a price lower by 10%, and delivery is faster by 200%, then no standing in a pose, beautiful howls or bright kimono are simply not able to give you a single chance to survive forgiveness of such prohibited methods. If a competitor in the current bout turned out to be able to just hire polite and non-boorish employees to answer the phone, then no flat, material, or drunken turtle style will save you from complete defeat in an open bout.
However, this does not mean at all that the entire design and the UX in particular are a ridiculous and ridiculous dummy, by no means. Indeed, 99% of both art became a thing in itself when initiates gather in strictly defined places, cut air at public seminars and conferences for a long time, scream their shoulders and, to the applause of their colleagues, distribute belts to each other. And then they create their own schools so that they can hire students for a lot of money and train them for a long time to chop the hands of them.
However, the real combat effect of the remaining 1% of the experts is there and it is quite self-perceptible precisely in terms of the psychological impact on the opponent. The history knows several dozens of cases when just a rumor about the presence of one opponent in the army, but a super-legendary Master — caused such horror and sowed panic that the matter itself did not even reach the battle. And no matter what were the real skills of the Legendary Master, when only his name in itself was already able to turn the hordes of enemies into a shameful flight.
By the way, modern North American sports leagues also show us a similar effect today, when shares of a club grow in price by several tens of millions of dollars only after information about hiring a certain eminent expert to get advice on choosing a club jumps in the press. this or that player in the draft. I am also glad thoughtfully: the only advice about signing a single student from the “right expert” is in itself capable of earning a few real millions to the club. The young player has not yet scored a single ball, he may even get injured and retire for a couple of seasons, but the club has already become richer only thanks to receiving "magic" advice from the "legendary master".
Exactly the same Olympus from the great Masters has developed in our runet, and it has long been absolutely unnecessary to challenge the real conversion fight, for example, “Lebedev Studio” or measure the real sales funnel after the advice of Dmitry Satin and a certain audacious newcomer. Legendary masters no longer conduct fights in reality, their whole battle now proceeds only in thoughts, when rivals, competitors and other envious people scatter in horror themselves, having only heard the name of the legendary invincible champion of the past years.
Does it have a real effect? - What else. In itself, the name of a famous studio or the famous great and invincible master of UX is still capable of catching up traffic to any site, creating a sensation in the press and creating a precedent for numerous disputes, discussions and mentions in social networks. Where traffic is, there is sales; where there is hype, there are necessary images and messages that penetrate into the subconscious, which can emerge even after a year if a real need arises to use the service that preaches exactly the “right kung fu”.
Do not just think that a similar horror and stupor on the enemy is able to catch up on any one unknown name or brand that appeared only yesterday by the design office. “The Great Dragon Warrior” Vasya Pupkin will be obliged to go through a thousand battles and injuries - and survive, in order to prove to everyone that he really deserves to stand on a par with the legendary masters of the past and start the mechanism of spreading rumors about his invincibility, invulnerability, monstrous power and pervasive wisdom.
And having reduced today such a novice specialist, who is still not really able to resist even a village brew with reduced prices, the company makes it impossible for 10-15 years to weigh out in every article and article about how they came out of the monstrous crisis, out of the abyss, they managed and plunged all competitors only due to the presence in their squadron of the legendary and invincible "Master of the Invisible Hand" of Pupkin himself, who in time rounded the button and thus dealt a fatal blow to the evil to the bushnogo and cowardly leader of your competitors.
As you know, both of these arts have become overgrown with cults and legends long ago, and here and there you can constantly hear stories of fascinating imagination about how, one great master defeated thousands of troops or earned billions, simply changing the color of the button and rounding it. I will not dispute, probably somewhere far away in Tibet, far from human eyes and tourist routes, there are indeed such masters who are capable of showing just transcendental level of mastery of their art, but in real life even after 3-5 years of daily classes and both. , the skill of an average kungfuist and a usability player will obviously not be enough simply to survive in a duel with three or four gunmen armed with knives, brass knuckles or crowbars (discounts, logistics and technical support).
')
When a competitor is simply able to give a price lower by 10%, and delivery is faster by 200%, then no standing in a pose, beautiful howls or bright kimono are simply not able to give you a single chance to survive forgiveness of such prohibited methods. If a competitor in the current bout turned out to be able to just hire polite and non-boorish employees to answer the phone, then no flat, material, or drunken turtle style will save you from complete defeat in an open bout.
However, this does not mean at all that the entire design and the UX in particular are a ridiculous and ridiculous dummy, by no means. Indeed, 99% of both art became a thing in itself when initiates gather in strictly defined places, cut air at public seminars and conferences for a long time, scream their shoulders and, to the applause of their colleagues, distribute belts to each other. And then they create their own schools so that they can hire students for a lot of money and train them for a long time to chop the hands of them.
However, the real combat effect of the remaining 1% of the experts is there and it is quite self-perceptible precisely in terms of the psychological impact on the opponent. The history knows several dozens of cases when just a rumor about the presence of one opponent in the army, but a super-legendary Master — caused such horror and sowed panic that the matter itself did not even reach the battle. And no matter what were the real skills of the Legendary Master, when only his name in itself was already able to turn the hordes of enemies into a shameful flight.
By the way, modern North American sports leagues also show us a similar effect today, when shares of a club grow in price by several tens of millions of dollars only after information about hiring a certain eminent expert to get advice on choosing a club jumps in the press. this or that player in the draft. I am also glad thoughtfully: the only advice about signing a single student from the “right expert” is in itself capable of earning a few real millions to the club. The young player has not yet scored a single ball, he may even get injured and retire for a couple of seasons, but the club has already become richer only thanks to receiving "magic" advice from the "legendary master".
Exactly the same Olympus from the great Masters has developed in our runet, and it has long been absolutely unnecessary to challenge the real conversion fight, for example, “Lebedev Studio” or measure the real sales funnel after the advice of Dmitry Satin and a certain audacious newcomer. Legendary masters no longer conduct fights in reality, their whole battle now proceeds only in thoughts, when rivals, competitors and other envious people scatter in horror themselves, having only heard the name of the legendary invincible champion of the past years.
Does it have a real effect? - What else. In itself, the name of a famous studio or the famous great and invincible master of UX is still capable of catching up traffic to any site, creating a sensation in the press and creating a precedent for numerous disputes, discussions and mentions in social networks. Where traffic is, there is sales; where there is hype, there are necessary images and messages that penetrate into the subconscious, which can emerge even after a year if a real need arises to use the service that preaches exactly the “right kung fu”.
Do not just think that a similar horror and stupor on the enemy is able to catch up on any one unknown name or brand that appeared only yesterday by the design office. “The Great Dragon Warrior” Vasya Pupkin will be obliged to go through a thousand battles and injuries - and survive, in order to prove to everyone that he really deserves to stand on a par with the legendary masters of the past and start the mechanism of spreading rumors about his invincibility, invulnerability, monstrous power and pervasive wisdom.
And having reduced today such a novice specialist, who is still not really able to resist even a village brew with reduced prices, the company makes it impossible for 10-15 years to weigh out in every article and article about how they came out of the monstrous crisis, out of the abyss, they managed and plunged all competitors only due to the presence in their squadron of the legendary and invincible "Master of the Invisible Hand" of Pupkin himself, who in time rounded the button and thus dealt a fatal blow to the evil to the bushnogo and cowardly leader of your competitors.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/276223/
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