A Journey Through Identity, Products, and New Visuals for our Socials
As we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, BIBB ventures into 2024 with a fresh rebrand, transforming from "Design Driven" to "UX Driven" BI. This isn't just a shift in label; it's a holistic commitment to enhancing user experience across multiple layers: our identity, our products, and various social media platforms.
Let's start our journey by looking at who we are as BIBB - where we started - how we build our products, how we present ourselves, and what to expect from us, as our main goal focuses on UX driven mastery:
Setting the Stage
Embracing Evolution
At BIBB, our primary mission revolves around elevating the user experience in the dynamic landscape of Business Intelligence. Our journey from "Design Driven" to "UX Driven" signifies more than a mere change; it's a strategic pivot, placing user-centricity at the heart of everything we do. You are invited to explore the driving forces behind this decision and how it unfolds as a blueprint for delivering value to our users.
Aligning with User-Centricity - BIBB to UX Driven Mastery
The rebrand signifies our departure from a solely design-centric approach to a more holistic user experience mindset. It is an acknowledgment that true value lies not just in the aesthetics but in the seamless fusion of design and functionality - where every feature and interaction is purposeful and enhances the user's journey.
The Evolution of our Visual Identity
A Tale of Growth
Recalling my role as a designer orchestrating the visual landscape of the BIBB website in 2022 initiated the shaping of the BIBB identity. A pivotal question was and still is, of course, "What is BIBB?" From its acronym, Business Intelligence Building Blocks, I took the visual representation of a 3D cube - as the fundamental block in the process of building Power BI reports/dashboards.
In this journey of visualization, the cube transitioned from a mere geometric form to a dynamic representation of our main product: "The Vault". Zooming into the cube, the narrative of the UX process unfolds:
The Vault Journey: Crafting the Facets
1. Persona Creation: One facet of the cube is dedicated to understanding and creating detailed personas - representations of end-users, laying the foundation for user-centricity.
2. Inspiration Gathering: Another facet is reserved for the ideation process, bringing ideas and exploring our templates and resources.
3. Wireframing: Another facet is dedicated to facilitating the visualization of the desired look and feel.
4. Prototyping: As the cube gains depth, the prototyping face comes to life. The Vault tool empowers users to swiftly create prototypes, fine-tuning designs based on real-time feedback.
5. Documenting: The documentation facet emerges, capturing the process with The Vault's project documentation template.
6. Iterating: The final facet echoes the iterative nature of design, a continuous refinement and improvement.
With the journey of The Vault, users traverse the facets of the cube, each representing a stage in the UX process, constructing an excellent product in the realm of Power BI. You can check this success case if you want to read more about the use of The Vault in the development process. The cube isn't just a visual; it's a narrative --just like in user experience - design is more than polishing UI.
The UX-Centric approach in Action: Beyond the Surface
Our latest project, The Theme Generator, stands as a true example of our commitment to user-centricity. Received and used by thousands of people, we now have lined up 4 exciting new features that include changes based on observing real user interaction. How is that possible? The answer is Clarity - a free tool designed to capture and analyze user interactions, providing valuable insights for user behavior. Using Clarity, we found ourselves immersed in the 6th stage of the cube's facet - Iteration.
With Clarity, we delved into the vast realms of user patterns, drawing on real-user interactions to enhance the Theme Generator's usability. The Theme Generator, powered by Clarity's insights, exemplifies our commitment to continuous improvement, and we can't wait to unveil the enhanced experience to our users.
Our New Visual Identity: Elevating your Digital Experience
With the shift to "UX Driven", we are thrilled to also unveil a fresh and cohesive thumbnail aesthetic for our social media posts - including our blog, YouTube channel, and LinkedIn posts. This revamped visual identity not only signifies a shift in our approach, but also holds the promise of enhancing the overall learning experience. The goals in not only to be recognizable but to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for.
Do you like it? Do you find it visually appealing, easy to read, and intrigued to find out more about the titled topics? If the answer is yes, I might know why.
So, at the end, allow me to present to you two of the main sets of principles and biases designers are taking into consideration when constructing a digital experience: the preference of naturalness and the Gestalt principles.
The Preference for Naturalness
When designers use this principle, they try to mimic or replicate elements from the real world in digital form. The premise is that users find familiarity and comfort in designs that resemble aspects of the physical environment they are surrounded by. Look around and notice how the sunlight, or any other light source, affects the surfaces around you, creating shadows and gradients.
By incorporating elements like shadows, gradients, and organic shapes, the design becomes more intuitive and user-friendly. The preference for naturalness aligns with the human tendency to respond positively to designs that mirror the visual cues and patterns found in the real world, contributing to a more aesthetically pleasing and engaging user interface.
Our design mimics this natural phenomenon. Look at the colorful blobs with a smooth color transition, replicating the beauty of gradients - this is the natural gradient preference. Feel the safety curves. They soften designs like soft elements in real life - this is the contour bias. Our blobs float gracefully, providing a sense of comfort.
Gestalt Principles:
The Gestalt Principles are a set of principles that describe how humans perceive and interpret visual elements in the context of a whole. When encountering complex visual scenes, people tend to organize visual elements into groups. The job of the designer is to help the user easily discover and understand these elements, manipulating the way the eye is scanning and grouping these elements.
The main principle I used to ease readability and discoverability is the Law of Figure and Ground (how the mind separates visual elements into the main object (figure) and the background (ground). With the use of figure and ground, alongside good contrast, and whitespace - we have established a visual hierarchy - that enhances discoverability, readability, and quick processing.
You first notice the title and next to it - due to proximity, you look at the abstract visual shape. Then, you might notice the BIBB logo and the blob it sits on. At last, you notice the background blobs - as their opacity is lower.
If you naturally gravitate towards the title, feel intrigued by the visuals, and find comfort in the design, you have experienced the magic of UX principles at play!
In conclusion, at BIBB, we don't just create tools; we craft experiences. Whether it's "The Vault" "The Theme Generator", or the playful allure of our thumbnails, every element is part of your digital exploration and work improvement. Join us on this exciting venture where UX isn't just a concept - it's a dynamic force that shapes every interaction, making your experience with BIBB easier, thus better. Let's continue elevating our user experiences together!