Designers: stay psychologically flexible

3 Scenarios for how UX applies psychological flexibility to its practice.

Build Flexible Psychology — Olivia Newton-John — Physical

I recently came across the description of a personality trait and thought “this is a UX designer!”

The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest blog explains:

A psychologically flexible person is characterized by a set of attitudes and skills: they are generally open to and accepting of experiences, whether they are good or bad; they try to be mindfully aware of the present moment; they experience difficult thoughts without ruminating on them; they seek to maintain a broader perspective when faced with a challenge; they continue to pursue important goals despite setbacks; and they maintain contact with “deeper values,” no matter how stressful a day might be.

Here are 3 scenarios for how a UX designer is/should be psychologically flexible.

Scenario 1: During User Research + Observation

(note: bold in scenarios = definition above)

A UX Scenario Template