Recently, during some downtime, I found myself down a research rabbit hole, fascinated by the evolution of modern car keys. Almost totally utilitarian, we rarely consider how much innovation has happened to car keys over the last 75 years.

In 1949, Chrysler debuted the first key that would start the car with a turn of the ignition tumbler, effectively replacing the two-step turn-key-and-press-starter process before it. Innovation stalled for 15 years until Ford released the first double-sided key that allowed the driver to insert it into the tumbler in either orientation.

From 1965 on, car keys have seen many more iterations—from laser cuts for increased security to proximity fobs and remote start to app-only entry in the modern Tesla.

But why does all of this matter? The key (pun intended) design principle that continues through each of these iterations is that every improvement is meant to make the experience more natural for the consumer, more frictionless. So much so that, today, many of us don’t realize our car keys are not with us until our car doesn’t start.

I believe that the same can be said of user experience (UX) in modern technology. Good UX is, indeed, no UX at all. In other words, the technology we interact with daily should fold so seamlessly into our regular lives that we don’t know it’s there.

I’m certainly not the first founder or technologist to have said this, but I fundamentally believe that this principle underscores the very best in user experience design and is essential to creating enduring products. Invisible UX should be something to aspire to. To borrow from a fellow founder and author, Amber Case, when design, like glass windows, is transparent, users can focus on what’s beyond the interface and how their lives are made easier by the technology they interact with.

As you endeavor to build tools that integrate seamlessly into your customers’ lives, consider taking these three steps to achieve UX excellence.

MEET CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY ARE

An industry colleague once described our platform, StreamAlive, as “a way for the audience to engage without learning something new.” The comment underscores what I believe to be the first principle of strong design: meeting your customers where they are.

As you design a product, it’s important to understand how your interface aligns with your user’s existing behavior and knowledge.

• Is your product intuitive?
• Does it operate similarly enough to widely adopted tech like, in our case, PowerPoint that users are already familiar with?
• How effortlessly does your product integrate with daily tools?

When you make it easy to fold your tool into users’ existing routines, you are well on your way to maximizing adoption and creating magical experiences.