Lesson 1: Stop and Observe

We all look for familiarity. People tend to take from their experiences and project them onto interfaces or products, which is why it’s important for us to design for the people whom it would matter most to. Our role in the user experience field is to help others solve the puzzle to their problems.

And so, we observe and listen. We learn to ask the right questions in order to get more insight on their struggles. Once we diagnose their pain points, we are able to treat them by brainstorming the solutions. In a way, we work to provide our users a great customer service in every touchpoint of their journey.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” — Simon Sinek

Another trick is to build the muscle to appreciate good UX. It is easy to notice the surface of beautiful interfaces (Shiny things!!) or really bad experiences, as it would directly cause frustration or even make us give up using the app altogether. When it comes to good UX, we tend to be in a hurry to complete our tasks without realizing how each step was thoroughly planned out with their users in mind. Seek out the clever stuff. Evaluate why it worked so well, how it made brought you from point A to point B within 3 steps instead of the usual 4.

Before we hop right into the drawing board, let’s practice to examine our surroundings and get to know the needs of the people we’re designing for.