As designers, one of the most valuable resources, if not the most valuable, is the customer. I’ve never been one that subscribes to the mantra that ‘the customer is always right’, but in the case of UX, they truly can never be wrong. The customer’s only responsibility is to use the product the best way they know how. Each individual has different capabilities and intentions for the product, so there will be a range in how customers are using the product AND how they react to the product. 

At a young age, I have one particularly memorable experience with user interfaces. I remember in my later elementary school years, my family switched from a Windows desktop to an Apple desktop. Whether it was my young age or inexperience with computers, I remember being strongly frustrated trying to close and minimize internet pages. Apple has since updated the ‘close’, ‘minimize’, and ‘full screen’ buttons to be color red, yellow, and green to make it more intuitive. I like this example because it highlights that something very simple and seemingly intuitive can still be a pain point for someone else. 

I examined a range of applications including music, gaming, and travel. Across these apps, there were a lot of similarities regarding the nature of the complaints. What was most frustrating for users was when the application was not working as they expected it to. This most commonly followed updates to the application that had bugs or led to connectivity issues and prevented users from their normal use habits. 

For music, the reviews made it clear that for a lot users, music is central to their daily experience, so having consistency in their experience is crucial. Additionally, a lot of users use multiple platforms, so if one is lacking in what another is proficient in, the experience will be more agonizing.

For gaming, the reviews made it clear that the users highly value a ‘fair’ game. Generally,  adding paid options or new elements to the game creates new imbalances within the gameplay or at the bare minimum creates strategy changes which is uncomfortable for users.

For traveling, the reviews made it clear that customer service is a top priority. This makes a lot of sense based on the nature and design of the app. For the app to be effective, users and property owners must be organized and complete real-world actions. Naturally, for any number of reasons, some of the real-world actions aren’t completed in a timely manner. That coupled with actual design issues within the app means that they have to have a high level of customer service to help troubleshoot any problems.