Designers often forget that they are not their users, especially when designing for business experts and employees. These users don’t need to be spoon-fed—their job is to know how their work “works.”
To help navigate this challenge, Morgane Peng introduces the concept of the “UX Efficient Frontier.” This framework considers the user’s business and interface expertise, allowing designers to find the optimal balance between complexity and simplicity.
The key is understanding that the relationship between these two factors is not linear. As users progress in their business expertise, they can handle more advanced interface features, but their interface knowledge can also regress faster than their business skills. This is why the UX Efficient Frontier is a convex curve, not a straight line.
Ultimately, the message is clear: Designers are needed to tame the complexity of life, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. By understanding the nuances of our users’ expertise, we can create interfaces that empower them to do their best work.
