UI and UX - A Glance at Europe
This is not an article so much, rather a transcript of an email between myself and a lead UX Director for a global business. The discussion was focused on what will be the main drivers and influences in the area of (I suppose it would be called) user experience within Europe.
…So, broadly - I believe there are three interdependent EU markets that will see a huge increase in the need for effective and alternative approaches to interaction design and product development.
Two of them I've already mentioned - Health and Wealth. I won't dwell on these two much - there is a significant amount of research that is coming out of (albeit) the US that is reshaping and reframing the delivery of Health services and also with the pressures on Governments to underpin economies also the (self) management of wealth - be this investments or accessing more available income.
But focusing briefly on health - personalised medicine and services I think will be a key driver. This is far in excess of accessing video consultations as per Babylon etc. and is being led in Germany and indeed in the Baltic States. There is a plethora of information in this link Personalised medicine | Mar 12th 2020 | The Economist - if you cannot access this - let me know and I can copy and send some information across.
I personally believe that the way we interact with the healthcare space will change - this is one area where the balance of data privacy vs treatments may well lean away from privacy - however guarantees over the influence (or otherwise) of those involved in the management of data and its effective use may be a tricky one - more in the UK than in Europe - simply because of the increased use of private insurance companies in the EU for personal healthcare.
Onto Wealth - looking (for example) at the manner in which states have provided free money to the population - has increased the use and adoption of online tools. We only need to take a look at Robin Hood in the US as an example. People have seen 'Free' money as something they can 'play' with - this naturally leads to an exposure to other tools and a (misguided in many cases) belief that 'I can do better than the professionals'.
Added to this the impact of forced behaviour change as seen in the UK with middle income households saved an additional £400 per month during the first and second lockdowns - there is a growing awareness of the need to manage ones 'wealth' in a more hands on manner. You can also see this being the case in Europe - again across middle income families with increased uptake in the use of savings and trading apps.
A slight diversion here is into the payment platforms - it goes without saying these will become increasingly important and become more exposed to users - although many business leaders (Including the head of LMVH and also Next) believe that after the lockdowns we'll see something similar to the 1920's in terms of spending and hedonism - the use and access to payment platforms (specifically I think those integrated with SM platforms - see Pinduoduo in China) will directly affect this. https://econ.st/39nJRPy
All of this wealth talk ignores the wealth gap. It will be ever more important - especially in southern EU countries to have the tech in place to be able to support those either out of work or unable to work. This is a massive challenge for tech businesses and governments - how can states support those that need it in an effective, usable and responsible manner. Now this is not particularly sexy but if its not addressed the schism in society across Europe will only grow - tech could offer the answer.
Underpinning all of this is 'dispersion' - everyone and everything is everywhere - this is a good (US focused) piece which explains the dispersion principle - The Great Dispersion | No Mercy / No Malice (profgalloway.com)
Finally underpinning Health and Wealth moving forward - Education. It''s changed forever I think and Europe is no different to the UK or US. I'm getting carried away with Economist links today - but this 25 minute podcast explains the thinking and impact and outputs of this much better than I - https://econ.st/3syJg59
Much more to say - but I won't bore you anymore…