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09 Feb A Little Perspective

Posted at 08:46h in User Centric Design by

As much as I love to spend time at home, I also love to get out of my comfort zone and get a little lost. Nothing upsets my sense of “normal” like travel, especially across oceans, although physical distance and cultural difference are only slightly related (third cousins, maybe).  Traveling helps me identify those ideas I hold as “fundamental” that are really just a product of my experiences. The technologies I use, my perspective on music/fashion/cars/architecture, and especially my expectations are all shaped by what I know. As certain as I am of death and taxes, I am certain that no matter what I believe to be true, somewhere, someone believes the opposite.

Think your user interface is “intuitive”? Ask your grandma to use it. Ask a doctor (if your grandma is a doctor, don’t cheat – ask another doctor… or another grandma). Ask a teenager. Take it across borders and ask again.

Did you include the right features? Not if you ask enough people.

Could you have solved that technical challenge another way (a better way)? Most definitely! If only you had the same list of priorities that your detractors do.

I’m not advocating that a device needs to be all things to all people. But, if the customer base includes various demographics and nationalities, it’s going to be helpful to know how the customers differ instead of only using my own judgment and beliefs.

Now this is a blog about product engineering, but I have a feeling this idea can spread to just about everything in my life. We just don’t want to discuss politics, religion, or sports teams here. How about you? Have you ever had your preconceptions shattered?

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