Women and men differ in their perceptions of color, brightness, and sizes. This can have an impact on how well UI design works for them.
For example, a pink power tool may be appealing to some women, but it will not appeal to all. Similarly, the reach of their hands could influence how they interact with certain aspects of a UI.
1. Understand the Differences Between the Two Genders
Women and men are often stereotyped as having a variety of characteristics. For example, in the workplace, if a woman doesn’t fit the caring, nurturing feminine stereotype, she may be negatively impacted. In personal relationships, best-selling books and popular magazines claim that it’s hard for men and women to get along because they have different communication styles.
Gender is more than just sex; it’s the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors, values and relative power and influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a differential basis. It’s important to understand these differences because they can be very real, influencing the way we communicate and interact with one another.
For example, men and women differ in their eye sight and hand size; this can impact how they interact with UI, for example, how easy it is to reach small UI components. In the design industry, it’s not uncommon to see products that have been designed for men scaled down and pinked for women.
2. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is essential in marketing. It helps you figure out what content and messages they care about, as well as how to speak to them. It also gives you a good idea of what type of tone and voice to use in your marketing.
One of the best ways to get to know your audience is through surveys. This can be done for both new and existing audiences. Surveys can provide you with very specific details on what your audiences enjoy about your products or services, what they recommend you work on, and more.
For example, men like to see testimonials and evidence that others have benefited from a product or service. Women, on the other hand, prefer more detailed stories with a well-composed conclusion. Knowing this can help you create a more effective advertisement for men or women. It can also make your writing much more persuasive. If you can convince your audience that what you have to say is valuable, they are more likely to buy your product or service.
3. Know the Differences Between the Two Genders
Gender is highly personal and central to who people are. It isn’t something that should be ignored by designers or treated as a binary choice.
Gender identity is different from sex, which refers to the biological differences between male, female and intersex. Gender is also related to how a person might dress, present themselves and even their gender presentation isn’t necessarily the way they identify – they may use he/him or she/her or a combination of both.
The problem with stereotypes is that they can be detrimental to people, especially when it comes to a product or service they use. It can be offensive, it can cause problems for a user experience and in some cases can result in significant product debt as AirBnb discovered when they forgot to include gender as part of their design process. They ended up spending a lot of time trying to fix their product. This is something that can be avoided by ensuring gender is taken into account from the beginning of the design process.
4. Understand The Differences Between the Two Genders
Men and women process information differently. Women operate on an emotional and tactile basis, while men are more analytical. In order to design products that appeal to both genders, it is necessary to understand their differing perspectives.
For example, if a product is designed for men and then “shrunk” and “pinkened” for women, it may be counter-productive. It could lead to an inferior product and a negative perception of the brand.
It is also important to note that sex and gender are not the same thing. Sex refers to physical characteristics, such as a person’s internal and external genitalia, while gender is the array of complex psychosocial self-perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, values, and relative power and influence that society assigns to men and women on a differential basis. Gender differences influence many determinants of health and disease. This is true for developing and industrialized countries alike.