There’s more to UX than just usability – or how well someone can accomplish their tasks with a product; however, it’s difficult to measure these more experiential qualities of a product like aesthetics and sensation.
We don’t expect users to make design recommendations because they are not designers and, likely, know little about the domain being designed for. Similarly, we shouldn’t expect users to voice all aspects of their experience because they are not psychologists and, likely, never think about their product interactions at this depth.
This makes me think of these film critics I’ve been watching on YouTube. They explain the significance of movie scenes (that I missed) and talk about the director, his/her philosophy and what he/she was trying to accomplish with the film. These videos reveal to me why I experienced the movie the way I did. It gives me an understanding about my experience with reference to history, art, and philosophy.
I wonder if product designers could culturally critique a company and its products in this way – to increase the “cultural awareness” of the company and craft a more attractive product vision (its “why”).
