By removing the need for figures, such as web developers, who aren't familiar with the principles of UX design, Notion unleashes a world of possibilities for UX optimization. With its extensive background in UX design, Notioners prioritizes layouts that minimize the learning curve and enhance productivity. Our strategic use of Notion blocks like Callouts and Toggles not only simplifies interactions but also enriches the user experience for all proficiency levels, ensuring no user feels overwhelmed or lost in their digital environment.
UX design is as fundamental in a Notion build as it is for any other digital product or platform. That's why, at Notioners, one of the pillars of every Notion implementation we deliver to our clients is the concept of "knowledge in the world" as opposed to "knowledge in the head." This concept comes from Donald Norman's pivotal "The Design of Everyday Things," which has become the bible of UX design.
Donald Norman's concepts of "knowledge in the world" and "knowledge in the head" are pivotal for understanding user experience, particularly in digital environments like digital platforms and apps.
Knowledge in the world refers to information that is external to the user and can be discovered through interaction with the environment. This includes visible cues within a design that inform user interaction—things like buttons labeled "click here," labels indicating functionality, or any other element that helps guide user actions without requiring prior knowledge or memory of how the system works. For digital UX design, this translates to intuitive interfaces that guide users fluidly through tasks, leveraging design elements that are easily interpretable based on common digital conventions or clear visual hierarchies.
Knowledge in the head, on the other hand, involves information that a user is required to bring with them, relying on it from memory, to be able to interact with a system. This includes prior experience and learned skills (like knowing that a floppy disk icon represents 'save' even though newer generations might never have used a floppy disk), as well as knowledge acquired through training and studying manuals. In digital UX design, while leveraging 'knowledge in the head' means designers can create more streamlined interfaces that omit detailed instructions for users—assuming a level of pre-existing knowledge—it puts a strain on users who are normally busy performing their daily job-related tasks and are not eager to have to learn how a new design or platform works. That’s the difference between the ideal world developers often inhabit—one where users can’t wait to learn how their design functions and how they are meant to interact with it—and the real world, where a good design is one that relieves the user from having to fill in the gaps between the world as it exists in the mind of the developer and the real one.
In practice, effective digital UX design translates obscure digital conventions, which are not necessarily mastered by the average user, into easily accessible 'knowledge in the world' elements—such as tooltips, helpful icons, and detailed labels—whenever the design of the UI itself is not enough to establish clarity on how the user is supposed to interact with it.
Norman emphasizes that design must cater to both experienced and inexperienced users by providing sufficient information in the world while not overly cluttering the interface, respecting the users' ability to recall and apply their existing knowledge. This balance helps in reducing cognitive load—ensuring users don't have to memorize information from one part of the interface to use in another, which is crucial in complex systems like multi-step processes on websites or applications.
Applying UX design best practices to Notion Builds
UX design best practices can be applied to Notion developments in many different ways, especially considering that, being a no-code tool, Notion doesn’t require the UX designer to be a different individual from the system builder. And that’s exactly the case at Notioners, where our Notioner in Chief, Max Bolondi, has a solid background in UX design. In particular, at Notioners, we prioritize a well-designed layout that doesn't need any explanation and minimizes the learning curve for workspace adoption. However, where that learning curve exists and the clarity of a UX-optimized workspace isn't enough, we aid the user with visual hints and instructions placed next to where the interaction happens, rather than producing extensive documentation, manuals, and training staff, hoping that, in their next interaction with the system, they will remember how to do things correctly. This methodology leverages Notion blocks such as Callouts, Toggles, Columns, etc., to deliver a user experience that works for even the most inexperienced users.
This approach ensures that every Notion workspace we design is not only effective but also empowers users to make the most of their digital environment without feeling overwhelmed or lost.
In conclusion, our goal is to make Notion work for you, making your workflow more intuitive and less taxing, hence boosting productivity and satisfaction.