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Boagworld: UX, Design Leadership, Marketing & Conversion Optimization

Boagworld: UX, Design Leadership, Marketing & Conversion Optimization

Auteur(s): Paul Boag Marcus Lillington
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 Boagworld: The podcast where digital best practices meets a terrible sense of humor! Join us for a relaxed chat about all things digital design. We dish out practical advice and industry insights, all wrapped up in friendly conversation. Whether you're looking to improve your user experience, boost your conversion or be a better design lead, we've got something for you. With over 400 episodes, we're like the cool grandads of web design podcasts – experienced, slightly inappropriate, but always entertaining. So grab a drink, get comfy, and join us for an entertaining journey through the life of a digital professional.Boagworks Ltd Économie
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  • Dark Patterns, Bright Ideas: Why Deceptive Design Belongs in Accessibility

    Dark Patterns, Bright Ideas: Why Deceptive Design Belongs in Accessibility
    Sep 23 2025
    You know, those sneaky little tricks sites use to funnel you into doing things you never intended, like paying for insurance you didn’t want or scrolling until your thumb falls off.We talked about why this stuff isn’t just bad manners, but also an accessibility issue, and how to push back when your boss is shouting about conversion rates. We also wandered off into personas, because what’s a Boagworld Show without a tangent or two?App of the WeekThis week app is Be My Eyes. It’s designed to support blind and low-vision users by letting them connect with volunteers (or increasingly, AI) who can describe what’s in front of them. It’s practical, humane, and a great reminder that sometimes technology really does make life easier. Unlike my dishwasher, which still beeps at me like I’m trying to launch a nuclear missile.Topic of the Week: Deceptive Design, Accessibility, And The Real Cost Of ManipulationThis is where we rolled up our sleeves and got into the meat of it. What actually counts as deceptive design, why it’s more than just “bad UX,” and why the accessibility crowd are getting involved.What Do We Mean By Deceptive?There’s no single definition everyone agrees on, but the gist is: if you’re deliberately steering or trapping users into something they didn’t intend or need (and especially if it lines your company’s pockets) it’s deceptive. That’s different from an anti-pattern, which is just poor design born of ignorance.Why It’s An Accessibility IssueDeceptive patterns catch everyone out eventually, but they’re especially cruel to people with cognitive disabilities, attention difficulties, or those relying on assistive tech.If you’ve ever been stuck doomscrolling until you realized it’s not lunchtime but bedtime, you’ll know the feeling. The difference is, for some users, the consequences can be more than just a lost afternoon. That’s why accessibility guidelines are starting to take these patterns seriously.If you’re keen to see where this work is going, have a poke at these:WCAG 3 Working DraftW3C User StoriesProposed Personas DraftWhere It Gets MessyOf course, it’s rarely moustache-twirling villains plotting this stuff. Most of the time it’s teams chasing KPIs (sales, clicks, engagement) and nudging too far. That’s how you get:The big shiny green “Buy with insurance” button, while the “Buy without” option is hiding in grey.Cheaper plans buried three clicks down, so the expensive ones look like the only choice.The friendly phone call that turns into a hard sell for extended warranties.On paper the numbers look great. Meanwhile, refunds, complaints, and customer churn quietly tick upward. But hey, at least the dashboard looks good, right?The Role Of AIAI has the potential to make things better (look at how Be My Eyes uses it) but it also risks making things worse. More chatbots standing between you and an actual human being, for instance.At the moment we haven’t seen a tidal wave of AI-driven trickery, but the ingredients are all there. Somewhere in Silicon Valley, there’s probably a twenty-something rubbing his hands and plotting.Pushing Back Without Becoming UnemployedTelling your boss “this is unethical” might get you a polite nod. Showing them how deceptive patterns increase refunds, tank repeat purchases, and hike up customer support costs? That’s when people start listening. Always lead with the business case, because sadly “doing the right thing” isn’t enough in most boardrooms.Offer alternatives that still meet goals but don’t annoy users. Equal-weight buttons. Clear language. Confirmations before adding sneaky extras. And if management still insists, put your concerns in an email so there’s a record. Nobody likes receiving an email that basically says, “I warned you.”Personas With A Bit More RealityWhile we’re at it, let’s talk personas. Most marketing personas are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They’re built around demographics and stereotypes. King Charles and Ozzy Osbourne would end up in the same persona (same age, same country, both live in castles). Clearly useless.Instead, think functional personas. Base them on needs, tasks, objections, and accessibility requirements.You don’t need a “disabled persona.” Just make sure some of your personas have traits like dyslexia, ADHD, low vision, or anxiety about being conned. That way, you’ve got a ready-made reason to say, “This won’t work for Priya, who relies on a screen reader.”The Big PictureDeception feels like a shortcut. It isn’t. It costs you in trust, support overhead, and long-term loyalty. Treat deceptive design as an accessibility barrier, argue with data, and keep users in your personas. That way you’ll serve both your customers and your company—and maybe sleep better at night.Read of the WeekIn this week’s show we also highlighted two cracking resources:Deceptive DesignA collection of manipulative patterns with ...
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    55 min
  • Why Your UX Needs a Trust Audit

    Why Your UX Needs a Trust Audit
    Aug 19 2025
    In this episode, we look at why trust is key to good UX, especially with scams, deepfakes, and AI blurring the line between helpful and deceptive. We also ask if emotion-reading apps are helpful or just unsettling, and explore the tricky process of turning services into products. Plus, we discuss a framework from Nielsen Norman Group, tackle a listener's question on productization, and end with Marcus's joke.App of the WeekCheck out Emotion Sense Pro—a Chrome extension that analyzes micro‑expressions and emotional tone in real time during Google Meet calls, while keeping all data safely on your device. It's privacy-first, insightful, and a bit unsettling. But if you're moderating user tests, hosting webinars, or running interviews, it gives a useful look into unseen emotional cues.Topic of the Week: Trust as Your UX SuperpowerThis week's topic dives into why trust is absolutely essential in today's digital landscape. Here's a summary of what was discussed, but we encourage you to listen to the whole show for more detailed insights.We're convinced trust isn't optional, it's foundational. Amid a haze of misinformation, broken customer promises, slick AI-generated content, and user fatigue, building trust isn't just ethical, it's strategic.Why Trust Is Harder to Earn (But More Rewarding)Trust isn't automatic anymore. Big brands used to get the benefit of the doubt. Now users are skeptical. Scams and data breaches have made people cautious. Small problems like unfamiliar checkout pages, strange wording, or awkward user flows make people suspicious.UX Choices That Build (or Break) TrustKeep your visuals and interface consistent so users don't have to work hard. When people get confused, they put their guard up. Think about clicking through to a payment page with no familiar branding. That tiny moment can kill trust. Messages like "Only 3 left in stock" can seem manipulative if users don't trust you yet.Speak Like a HumanTalking about "the company" instead of "we" creates distance. Use normal conversation with "you" and "we" instead of "students" or "customers." Skip the marketing language. And remember that if your photos don't show people like your users, they might leave without saying why.Trust-Building in ActionHere are concrete steps that showcase trust-building in real-world scenarios. Implementing these practices can transform how users perceive and interact with your digital experiences:Audit for trust breakpoints. Look for spots where your UI might confuse users.Loop in legal early. This stops compliance from ruining your tone with last-minute jargon.Test trust directly. Ask "Would you feel comfortable sharing your data here?" during testing.Use authentic social proof. Link testimonials to sources, use third-party reviews. Even better? Simple, unpolished video testimonials.Prioritize clarity over cleverness. Skip the buzzwords.Make human support obvious. This is one of the strongest trust signals you can offer.Trust runs through every part of your experience. Get it right and it becomes your biggest advantage.Read of the WeekThis week's read is "Hierarchy of Trust: The 5 Experiential Levels of Commitment" by Nielsen Norman Group. They outline a trust pyramid:Baseline trust. Can the site meet my needs?Interest & preference. Is this better than alternatives?Trust with personal info. Worth registering?Trust with sensitive data. Can I trust you with payments?Long-term commitment. Will I come back?Main point? Don't ask for level-3 or level-4 commitments before earning levels 1 and 2. Users leave when you push for sign-ups or newsletter pop-ups too early. Build trust in stages.Listener Question of the Week"Is productizing my services a good idea, and if so, how should I approach it?It depends. Productisation can add clarity but might limit your value by putting your service in a rigid box. We find it works better to focus on outcomes rather than fixed processes.If you do want to productise:Focus on the outcome, not the deliverable. Example: "Conversion rate strategy" not "5 interviews and wireframes."Stay flexible. Your process should change as the project develops.Don't use fixed pricing that punishes change.Think about your service's value, not just features.Most of us will get further with a custom toolkit and clear outcomes than a one-size-fits-all "product."Marcus’s Joke“I removed the shell from my racing snail. I thought it would make it faster, but if anything, it’s more sluggish.” Find The Latest Show Notes
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    59 min
  • Scaling UX in a Decentralized World: Inside Oxford

    Scaling UX in a Decentralized World: Inside Oxford
    Jul 22 2025
    In this episode, we chat with Sarah Zama from the University of Oxford about how she's helping to influence UX across one of the most complex and decentralized organizations in the world.We explore how she built a UX center of excellence almost from scratch, how the team is transforming culture through coaching and community, and what it takes to push UX forward in a challenging environment. There's also a digression into Apple's questionable design choices, a fantastic app recommendation, and of course, Marcus' joke.App Of The WeekThis week’s app recommendation is Zuko Form Analytics. It’s an incredibly helpful tool for anyone involved in conversion rate optimization or form design.Zuko tracks detailed interactions with every field in a form—like how long someone spends in a field, where they drop off, and what fields trigger abandonment.You get session-level insights, and it all works via a simple JavaScript snippet. There's a free tier to get started (up to 1,000 sessions), and pricing starts around £40/month for 5,000 tracked sessions. It’s the kind of tool we wish we’d known about sooner.Topic Of The Week: Building UX Capability at Oxford UniversityWe were thrilled to be joined by Sarah Zama, UX Lead at the University of Oxford, to discuss a journey we’ve had the privilege of being part of: building a UX center of excellence in one of the most decentralized institutions in the world.Getting Started With Limited ResourcesPaul originally worked with a small team at Oxford to create the business case for a UX team, ultimately recommending a center of excellence model rather than a centralized tactical team.Why? Because hiring enough UXers to match developer headcount across such a massive organization was never going to be viable. Instead, a small, strategic team could focus on enabling others.Sarah took that vision and ran with it. She started with a written plan—not just a strategy that collects dust but a living, practical document with measurable outcomes. She quickly assembled a lean team, brought in an existing accessibility lead, and even secured a six-month secondee to help with projects and spread good UX practice further into the organization.A Consultative, Empowering ApproachThe Oxford UX team doesn’t do UX for people. Instead, they help others do UX better. Through consulting, coaching, training, and providing reusable assets (like a design system), the team makes itself useful across a broad landscape without getting dragged into execution.This consultative model includes:Workshops to support high-profile projectsGuest training sessions with external speakersCustom-built resources tailored to Oxford’s contextSupportive relationships with departments already doing good UXThey’ve also cleverly leveraged accessibility requirements as a wedge to introduce better UX thinking, combining compliance with best practices to gain traction.Growing a UX CulturePerhaps most impressively, Sarah and her team have focused on growing a UX culture through grassroots advocacy. They’ve built a UX Champions network that now includes over 150 people from across the university. This community shares knowledge, resources, and a passion for improving user experience, even when UX isn’t in their job title.It’s a smart way to scale. By empowering individuals and embedding UX thinking across departments, Sarah's team extends its reach far beyond what any centralized team could manage.The Frustrations and the WinsSarah admits the biggest challenge is visibility. Getting buy-in across such a large institution takes time and constant communication. There’s also the frustration that people still perceive UX as a cost or blocker rather than an enabler of success.But the wins are meaningful. A growing, skilled team. A network of passionate advocates. And projects where UX clearly moved the needle. Sarah credits much of the team’s progress to strong collaboration, openness to learning, and sheer persistence. It’s a long game, but one that’s already paying off.You can follow Sarah’s team and explore their resources at staff.admin.ox.ac.uk/ux. They welcome feedback, iteration, and anyone who wants to borrow from their growing UX playbook.Read Of The WeekThis episode’s recommended read is The Leadership Dilemma, an article Paul wrote for Smashing Magazine. It reflects on the exact challenges Oxford faced: how do you scale UX influence when your team is too small to do all the work? The article walks through a strategic approach to UX leadership that empowers others, shifts the organizational mindset, and creates lasting change.If you’re trying to build UX maturity in a large or slow-moving organization, this is worth your time.Question Of The WeekThis week’s question wasn’t submitted via email but came up naturally during the show: "What does a typical week look like for a small UX team in a large organization?"Sarah’s answer? There’s no such thing as a typical week. Her team ...
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    56 min
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