Thinking about UX design as a two-way conversation can be the key to creating smart sites and apps that meet users expectations, because when you begin to think about all design as a conversation, you are able to apply the rules of basic conversation to your design process. The philosopher Paul Grice has proposed that human interactions follow the cooperative principle: “Make your contribution such as it is required, at the stage at which it normally occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged.” The cooperative principle enumerates four key conversational maxims, which work equally well when applied to UX design:
Maxim of Quality: Be Truthful
- Do not say what you believe to be false.
- Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
Maxim of Quantity: Quantity of Information
- Make your contribution as informative as is required (for the current purposes of the exchange).
- Do not make your contribution more informative than is required.
Maxim of Relevance: Be Relevant
Maxim of Manner: Be Clear
- Avoid obscurity of expression.
- Avoid ambiguity.
- Be brief
- Be orderly.