The UX Object Model Test
by Scott Belsky • Chief Strategy Officer & EVP Design / Former CPO at Adobe
Scott Belsky is an executive at Adobe, overseeing strategy, design, and emerging products. He was the founder of Behance (acquired by Adobe), is an active angel investor (Uber, Pinterest, Airtable), and authored the book 'The Messy Middle'.
🎙️ Episode Context
Scott Belsky shares his deep product philosophy, focusing on the psychology of the 'First Mile' of user experience and the importance of editing features down to the essentials. He also discusses navigating the 'Messy Middle' of company building, how to maintain team morale through volatility, and provides a forward-looking perspective on how AI will collapse the organizational stack and empower product builders.
Problem It Solves
Confusing user interfaces and lack of intuitive navigation in complex products.
Framework Overview
A framework to evaluate the structural integrity of a product's design. It ensures users always maintain their orientation within the application.
🧠 Framework Structure
Question 1: How did I get here? (Clea...
Question 2: What do I do now? (Clear ...
Question 3: Where do I go next? (Clea...
When to Use
During design reviews (Critiques) or when auditing a competitor's product.
Common Mistakes
Focusing on the aesthetics (UI) before the structure (Object Model); hiding navigation to be 'clean'.
Real World Example
Scott uses this when angel investing. If a founder shows a demo where he can't answer these three questions, it's a red flag that they don't understand product structure.
I look for an object model way of thinking... clear breadcrumbs.
— Scott Belsky