UX of Everyday Things, UX
Kayla Heffernan
From 2015 to 2024: how real estate websites ...

In 2015, I embarked on the journey of buying my first home. At that time, I wrote a blog post critiquing the UX of real estate websites through a, somewhat sarcastic, persona named ‘Kayla’ and listed out ‘her’ (my) user needs and how they weren’t being met. Discover how real estate websites have evolved from 2015 to 2024 through a personal lens. Spoiler alert – it still sucks, but it sucks a little less.

In this blog post, I evaluate how current real estate platforms address user needs such as viewing new properties, staying within budget, accessing accurate information, and managing inspection schedules. It suggests key improvements and practical recommendations for improving real estate website UX.

From 2015 to 2024: how real estate websites have evolved
UX
Kayla Heffernan
Why you need to observe your users

Sometimes it feels that UX Research has become synonymous with surveys. They’re cheap, easy & can reach large amounts of users. Sounds great, right? Wrong. Surveys are not enough

Why you need to observe your users
Kayla Heffernan
Four things I wish I knew earlier in my career ...

I took a pause and then answered four things I am sure they were not expecting. My tips are about how to improve the health and happiness of your work life.

Four things I wish I knew earlier in my career that I now know
SEEK, Portfolio, UX
Kayla Heffernan
Warping the space-time continuum with design

After just 0.1 second users start to perceive a delay if your app isn’t doing The Thing™ that they just told it to do. We needed to buy 8.5 seconds. We had to manipulate (percieved) time.

Warping the space-time continuum with design
Insertables
Kayla Heffernan
NFC & RFID Microchip FAQ’S

There are predictable questions I get asked over and over again when someone finds out what I research, and that I have 2 microchips inside my body. These same questions pop up on social media every time I appear on TV or in the news.

Some people refused to believe the reality of how these chips work, and there’s no point trying to change these minds; the “the Government is secretley tracking you with a microchip you received at birth, it’s all about the New World Order and they’ll switch you off if you don’t comply” crowd.

This post is not for them. This post answers the FAQs for people genuinely interested in learning about the technology and educating themselves on the reality.

NFC & RFID Microchip FAQ’S

UX

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From 2015 to 2024: how real estate websites have evolved

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From 2015 to 2024: how real estate websites have evolved

In 2015, I embarked on the journey of buying my first home. At that time, I wrote a blog post critiquing the UX of real estate websites through a, somewhat sarcastic, persona named ‘Kayla’ and listed out ‘her’ (my) user needs and how they weren’t being met. Discover how real estate websites have evolved from 2015 to 2024 through a personal lens. Spoiler alert – it still sucks, but it sucks a little less.

In this blog post, I evaluate how current real estate platforms address user needs such as viewing new properties, staying within budget, accessing accurate information, and managing inspection schedules. It suggests key improvements and practical recommendations for improving real estate website UX.

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It’s not a bug, it’s a feature… no really

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It’s not a bug, it’s a feature… no really

Bugs, put simply, are errors or defects in a software system. If you work in tech, you’ve probably heard someone say the half-joke, half-truth line “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature”. Often this is used in jest or to justify not wanting to fix a particularly difficult bug. But when is a bug really a feature? And what does this mean for your users?

Don’t forget design research in design thinking

Don’t forget design research in design thinking

“Design thinking” and “the double diamond” are perhaps some of the most abused terms in tech today. While exploring more than one solution is a step in the right direction, design thinking without design research is only a quarter of the way there…

Where are the ethics in design ethics?

Where are the ethics in design ethics?

So often when we state “this is unethical” we really aren’t applying ethics at all. At best we are saying “I think this is wrong, so doing this is against my ethics”. In my latest post I give an overview of ethical theories and apply these theories to some “unethical tech” scenarios. I show most of them can be argued as ethical by applying these theories. I end with what is, I hope, a better frame to have these discussions going forward.

https://medium.com/@kaylajheffernan/where-are-the-ethics-in-design-ethics-1a9f5bc5641f?source=friends_link&sk=2512284a7a216d140aa4f7130c6089b1

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Communicating a Rebrand to Your Users

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Communicating a Rebrand to Your Users

Rebranding? There’s a lot online about why to rebrand, how to decide new colours, how to get people on board etc. But how should we alert users to the change? These 4 principles should help you guide your choices

https://medium.com/seer-medical/communicating-a-rebrand-to-your-users-eba127a19e0e

SUPR-Q 2: SUPR-Q Harder

SUPR-Q 2: SUPR-Q Harder

At SEEK we’ve been experimenting with the SUPR-Q. We had a few hypotheses from our first study that we’ve explored through our second SUPR-Q Study. These are:

  1. Tool limitations may negatively impact scores 

  2. Drop off could be addressed by improving the survey design

  3. Even with addressing 1) and 2) the NPS would likely still be lower when measured as part of the SUPR-Q than an individual NPS rating, and skew towards aesthetic feedback given the questions asked.

The UX of Using a Microchip for Access

The UX of Using a Microchip for Access

According to Tile, Australian’s spend an average of 29 minutes per day searching for something they have lost. To get around the fallibility of human memory, people have taken to ‘life hacks’ so that they can’t forget their pass. Some individuals have gotten small microchips, the size of a grain of rice, underneath their skin for the guarantee that as long as they have their hand (which for the record, none of them have forgotten) they cannot forget their keys.



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Understanding how the SUPR-Q impacts the NPS

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Understanding how the SUPR-Q impacts the NPS

At SEEK we’ve been experimenting with the SUPR-Q. We first ran it as part of a usability test in face to face research (n=5) to trial, and then went full scale using an on site Hotjar poll (n=1,811) to get a more representative sample for our first benchmark.  The SUPR-Q (Standardized User Experience Percentile Rank Questionnaire) is an 8 item questionnaire developed by MeasuringU that is used to measure the quality of the user experience. What actually impacts users likelihood to recommend?

The UX of Using an NFC Ring as a Business Card

The UX of Using an NFC Ring as a Business Card

I tried a little experiment using an NFC ring as a replacement for my business card at a conference. This post looks at my experiences with this, and the limitations.

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Online & Search Behaviours of Blind Users

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Online & Search Behaviours of Blind Users

We often make assumptions about blind users, however blind users are not homogenous. They differ as much as sighted users in terms of technical ability and search strategies. Just as not every sighted person is tech savvy, not every blind person knows how to use a screen reader well, or utilizes all the power features. This literature review explains the online and search behaviours of blind individuals

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Does the NPS tell us what users really mean?

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We’ve trained users with the five or seven point Likert scale survey questions, where the middle point means “neither likely nor unlikely”. Yet on the NPS a 5 does not mean "neither" it means the users is a detractor. Does the NPS tell us what users really mean?

Design is as good (or as flawed) as the people who make it

Design is as good (or as flawed) as the people who make it

gave a talk at UX Australia 2016 in Melbourne (August 25–26) . No one sets out to intentionally design a system that is hard to use for — or worse, excludes or discriminates against —  some users. Designers are trying their best. You’re probably a good person, but a human nonetheless, therefore not perfect. Design can only be as good as the people who make it. Conversely, design is as flawed as the people who make it. 

Drunk Kayla & Uber UX

I had a few after-work drinks last Friday and caught an Uber home — this was always the plan, although I probably had one (or three) too many drinks on an empty stomach and was a little drunk (not part of the original intention). I lost my phone and this is a story of that UX. 

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