The main objective of What UX is Really About: Introducing a Mindset for Great Experiences is to provide a quick introduction to user experience (UX 101) for students, professionals, or simply curious readers who want to understand this trendy yet commonly misunderstood practice better but who do not have the time to do a deep dive. Readers will learn that UX is much more than a set of techniques, guidelines, and tools. It is a mindset; a philosophy that takes the perspective of the humans that will use a product. It is about solving their problems, offering them a pleasurable experience, and building a win-win, long-lasting relationship between them and the company developing the product. Above all, it is about improving people's lives with technology. What UX is Really About is informative, concise, and provides readers with a high-level overview of the science, design, and methodologies of UX, presented as a mindset.





Key Features:








The most approachable book about UX. Many books on the topic are highly specialized and are not easy to read for people who just want to understand it better.







Easy to read and aims to popularize the UX mindset while debunking its main misconceptions.







Small format size makes it easy to carry around.







Includes content relatable and meaningful to the readers by taking many examples from everyday life with a conversational and light writing style.







Tackles the psychology, design, research, process, strategy, and ethics behind offering the best experience with products, systems, or services.







Includes a glossary.


Celia Hodent is an expert in the application of cognitive science and psychology to improve products, systems, services, and video games. She currently leads an independent UX consultancy, working with a wide range of international media and enterprise companies. She works in-depth with companies to help ensure their products are both engaging and successful by considering the entire user experience (UX) they will provide to their audience. Celia conducts workshops and provides guidance on the topics of game-based UX, playful learning ("gamification"), ethics, implicit biases, and inclusion in tech and video games.


Celia holds a PhD in psychology and has more than 12 years of experience in the development of UX strategy in the entertainment industry, and more specifically with video game studios through her work at Ubisoft, LucasArts, and as Director of UX at Epic Games (Fortnite). Celia is the author of The Gamer's Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact Video Game Design and The Psychology of Video Games.





Praise:


"In this not-too-long and easy-to-read book, author Celia Hodent presents a clear overview of the challenges, demands, and rewards of becoming a user experience professional. If this field interests you, there's no better place to start than with the volume you now hold in your hand."


Alan Cooper, Ancestry Thinker, Software Alchemist, Regenerative Rancher, author of The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity


"This is a clear and compelling introduction to a topic that affects us all-UX and how it shapes the technology experiences we have every day. I can see using this in my general education HCI introduction course-it covers key aspects of the field and also raises important questions of ethics and of inclusion."


Katherine Isbister, Professor of Computational Media, Jack Baskin School of Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, author of How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design


"In this approachable book, Celia Hodent distills her decades of knowledge and experience into a practical guide. She gives her voice to typical topics, such as the importance of understanding human capability and limitations, but also to rare ones, such as ethics in design. Light on jargon and heavy on practical questions, this is an ideal book for anyone exploring the possibility of a career in UX."


Anne Collins McLaughlin, PhD Professor, North Carolina State University, co-author of Aging, Technology and Health