Four new articles from UX matters

UX matters posted yesterday four new articles:

The world of services user experience
By Baruch Sachs
In a services organization, you are not only the UX expert, you are also expected to be a thought leader in areas that go far beyond UX. How will your user experience interact with other initiatives within an enterprise? Will the success of your project give you the ability to shine and offer you greater opportunity with your client? Is the organization for which you’re working mature enough to handle a robust UX program?

Cargo-cult user experience? There’s an app for that
By Peter Hornsby
In user experience, as in other fields, accepting received wisdom may seem to be the safe path. If a client is saying they want everything above the fold or a maximum of three clicks away, pushing back in a way that the client can understand can be hard. It’s harder still to push back if the received wisdom happens to be accepted by your peers in user experience. However, by spending the time to reflect on when and why something works and what its limitations are, you’ll become a better UX designer—without succumbing to the delusions of the cargo cult.

More lessons in the art of empathetic design and spontaneity from Degas
By Traci Lepore
Degas may have said that he knew nothing of inspiration or spontaneity, but in reality, he knew their meaning better than most artists. More important, he understood the work that is necessary to make either happen. So, I continue to be fascinated by Degas, his process, and the beauty of his work. Therefore, I am choosing to get a little off topic to explore some important lessons from Degas and what I like to call his performance art.

Gaining control over chaos: designing the emergency service experience
by Laura Keller
When service design is done well, the outcome may be a memorable vacation or a perfect latte. On the other hand, unsuccessful service design leads to unhappy customers, disgruntled employees, and often a floundering business. However, such outcomes pale in comparison to what’s at stake when designing emergency services. When emergency services are successful, their outcome is much simpler: people are safe and secure.