First step in UXD: Identifying and understanding everyday problems
September 1, 2021
There are many things that we come across in our day-to-day life, which we ignore until someone points them out and make us think about it. As I started listening to a TED Talk given by Tony Faddell (The First Secret of Design is…Noticing), as part of my KSU UXD presentation, I realised that we are habitual to our environment and ignore imperfect designs around us.
According to Don Norman (Chapter 1: The psychopathology of everyday things, The Design of Everyday Things), “design is concerned with how things work, how they are controlled, and the nature of the interaction between people and technology.” But before we design, we need to focus on what the end-user wants to experience and incorporate that into the designing process to make the product successful. To achieve good design, we must learn to spot new problems and solve them whether they are in an existing or developing product.
In order to solve problems, Faddell said, “We need to see products through the eyes of our customers.” He advised three most important things:
• Look broader: to see if we can simplify or combine things.
• Look closer: to identify and understand minute details and get them done right.
• Think younger: so that we are motivated to think hard and have a different perspective towards problems.
Now as I take my first step towards becoming a better UX designer, I hope to keep these fundamental principles in my mind at all times.