The best and most influential UX videos from around the web

Timothy Prestero – Design for people, not awards

Timothy Prestero thought he’d designed the perfect incubator for newborns in the developing world — but his team learned a hard lesson when it failed to go into production. A manifesto on the importance of designing for real-world use, rather than accolades. (Filmed at TEDxBoston.)

 

David McCandless – The beauty of data visualization

David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world.

 

Don Norman – 3 ways good design makes us happy

In this talk from 2003, design critic Don Norman turns his incisive eye toward beauty, fun, pleasure and emotion, as he looks at design that makes people happy. He names the three emotional cues that a well-designed product must hit to succeed.

 

Simon Sinek – How great leaders inspire action

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers … (Filmed at TEDxPugetSound.)

 

Rory Sutherland – Life lessons from an ad man

Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value — and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life.

 

Google Analytics in real life – site search

What is the roadblock between finding semi-skim milk and milk skim-semi? Check out this video and learn how improving your site search can help.

Google Analytics in real life – Online checkout

Shopping online is meant to be easy. Find out where your customers are “checking out” with Google Analytics.

 

Google search – If Google was a guy

Everything you ask Google sounds a lot stranger when you actually ask Google