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How to embrace uncertainty in your design process
Gain alignment, reduce risk and create better user outcomes
When I dropped out of the computer science program at the University of Waterloo, it wasn’t because I hated coding or I was bad at math.
Okay, maybe I didn’t do the best in calculus class, but I actually really enjoyed programming. For me, the aspects of solving problems and creating programs was what interested me, until I discovered a passion for design.
Being able to solve problems but also design the visual component to an application made the most sense to me. As much as I enjoyed coding, I am a visual person so I began to pursue a career in design.
I was curious and analytical, which naturally lead me to question many things.
“Why is this the way it is?”
“Is there a better way to solve this problem?”
“What solutions exist out there today?”
Question everything
As a UX or product designer, your job is to solve problems for other people and help make their lives a little easier. In doing so, you should remain curious and question things that don’t make sense to you.
You should even question things that make sense to you to understand other perspectives and ways of thinking. Don’t just blindly do what you’re told or follow the same design process for every project.
When you are faced with an obstacle during your design process and you’re not sure how to proceed, it might be a good opportunity to apply design thinking to clear up confusion and gain alignment with your stakeholders.
Understand the problem
During the requirements gathering phase, you will need some context on the problem and any previous decisions that were made to arrive at the current situation.
Be curious about what the user’s pain points are and dig deeper into the problem. Ask your stakeholders about your users, why things are the way they are and what the user’s current experience is like.
