Good UX is Good Chemistry



User engagement is all about the right chemistry.

Here's how you can improve your product adoption with first-time users and build engagement.
This is the immutable first rule. User Experience is a continuous and meaningful dialogue with the user. Know how to start and have a dialogue. When we design products or interfaces, one should design for generating the right chemistry. Designers should deeply understand, what drives the user in a specific context. Know that your product has potential to think like a thoughtful system that understands people by appealing to their right emotional set.

To keep it simple, this is empathy in action.

For instance, on a payment page, you might not want to appeal to the user's curiosity and sell more products. Understand the user's primary mindset in a given context. Map user agenda to business agenda. Products should know exactly, when to talk, when they shouldn't, what to talk and what they shouldn't.

Context drives the conversation.

The moment someone downloads your app or is a first-time user, don't overwhelm the onboarding experience by asking endless permissions, pushing for referrals, or seeking feedback on app stores. This is a big turn-off, building the wrong chemistry, and just feels like a date gone wrong. Imagine asking all the irrelevant questions when you meet your date. You should time your questions and know when to ask what.

Ask only in context! For example, if the product needs access to the device's microphone, ask for permission at the right time, when the feature needs to be used and not on first-time login, bombarding the user with irrelevant permissions. Don't overwhelm first-time users. You're not in a position to demand permissions, when you have not yet built the trust with your new users. Take it slow!

Good chemistry is subtle.

Some emotions might need pacifiers as a response from your product interface. Let's say a user needs to complete a laborious task on your interface. Pep up the context with right messaging, however don't over do it. The interface should work like an enabler in a given context for certain set of users.

Create a map of emotions for each user group's journey. Identify clear responses for these emotions through appropriate copy and relevant system actions. Most importantly, know what are the inappropriate product actions that could act as potential turn-offs in the user journey.

You lose trust and the opportunity to influence, when you build bad chemistry.

Create good chemistry by design.

Good first-time UX is simple. 

Follow the date rules.

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