The 7 unwritten rules of successful user-centred design
… that I can think of right now.
Before you turn away in loathing and disgust at the very sight of stickies, don’t fear my philomathic reader, this blog is about much more than the mundanity 3" x 3" wall-based note-taking and its frustrating overuse by certain designers. I mean, that should be an unwritten rule gosh-darn it! I’m the one writing this hack piece after all! But, no. Let’s save that petty diatribe for another time.
What I actually wish to impart include some of the most useful tit-bits I picked up working as a designer. “Like what?” I hear you rapturously ask. “Well”, says I, “things like creative detachment and design debt!”, in a bid to sound like I might actually have something to say. Fear not, full refunds will be issued via a link at bottom of this post but first, let’s get cracking with rule №1…
1. Casual communication is king
I’ve touched this a couple of times before so apologies for my torrid repetition. An intrinsically people-orientated method for solving problems — user-centred design requires that we (as designers) understand our audiences well enough to bridge any gulf of comprehension that might exist. What I mean by this, for anyone who isn’t aware, is that we talk to loads of different people…
… and that’s fantastic. But to be a successful operator you’ve got to know how to talk to and empathise with each one. It’s not just the user’s needs and goals that need to be considered, it’s the client, the devs, the marketing department and the c-suite execs. Your well researched and excellently designed fix to the usability problem you’ve been dealing with is only as good as your pitch.
As cynical as that sounds there’s a kernel of truth in it. Most of your audiences won’t know what UX or product design is, conflating it with graphic design or the way new and improved double-enders are produced. As an aside, the first time I met a (physical) product designer, he was creating a newfangled device for feminine pleasure. By that, I mean a dildo. I was also a bit confused.
It’s up to us, therefore to actively edify our audiences and the best way to do it is by discussing what we do informally and sans jargon for everyone’s benefit.
2. Avoid asking what the user wants, at all costs
So this one isn’t a terribly uncommon unwritten rule and I’ve definitely read it in a couple of books, so yeah. Its place here is debatable, but let's take a second to remember who’s writing this again. I feel it’s worth a mention since it was a mistake I made early on and oh boy what a mistake it was. Foolishly asking the user ‘what they wanted’ I became privy to a slew of nonsensical bibble.
After almost an hour of politely listening to what had become a misplaced and caustic rant about the one-way system in the user’s local town — a far cry from the initial query pertaining to a messaging app — I began to contemplate if life was worth living. Salvaging myself from a lugubrious stupor I cut things short and learned a lesson I won’t soon forget.
The trick, as designers the world over will attest, is in asking the right series of exploratory questions to help you arrive at the needs and goals of the user. It’s on us to probe in ways by asking “how might you improve this” or “can you tell me what frustrates you about that” to avoid the rookie pitfall I found myself in once upon a time. What an absolute tit.
3. Keep your team Agile
This rule shares a lot in common with №1 and whilst it sounds rather obvious to get the very best out of your team you’ve got to be on the same wavelength. Now that’s easier said than done. Especially in larger groups where traditional emasculation and bullying tactics simply don’t wash. Bummer, right? Nope. In all seriousness, you’ve got to find a way that works for you all.
On any given project there are always a host of different challenges we face as designers and to maximise efficiency — delegation is out best friend. “No shit” I hear you retort (that’s so weird, I have to get my hearing checked). Yes, yes I know but I’m not suggesting we stop there. This is where I drop ‘Agile’ into the mix, an idea that runs contrary to traditional waterfall design processes.
Maintaining a board that starts from the broadest of EPICS (essentially a body of work that can be broken down into small tasks) creates an immutable list of tasks for a team to tick-off. Used correctly, it becomes a roadmap broken down into manageable sprints. Combined with good communication, accountability and daily stand-ups, you get the design equivalent of the north fucking star!
Hooray!
4. Don’t become too attached to your designs
A wise man once said long ago that ‘art is personal, but to design is collective!’ His clumsy maxim aside, the man has a point. Even if he’s a goddam fiend. We design things not just to titillate and impress but to serve a purpose for people — meaning our work must undergo careful scrutiny to ensure it does just that; help, not hinder. Enter dead-eyed creative detachment.
Whilst unpleasant, critique makes us develop as designers. No one likes seeing their precious design get curb stomped and set ablaze, but understanding why it’s being kicked to ashy bits is crucial. Detaching ourselves from designs keeps our minds open and receptive, both core tenets of good user-centred design. It goes without saying we’ll all face lots of critique during our careers…
…plus it helps not to completely lose your shit when it happens. I’ve witnessed some fairly egregious displays thanks to ‘creative differences’; shrill exchanges punctuated by physical violence and tear-soaked MacBooks. Whipping the ego into submission is essential, lest we continue to output aesthetically appeasing hot garbage forevermore. Take me for instance, I haven’t felt a thing in years.
5. Keep an open mind, but learn to trust your gut
Starting a new project in an unfamiliar industry can be daunting since it’s easy to feel like you don’t know a goddam thing. In an ideal world, we’d spend a lot more time researching. But due to the limited time and resources real projects typically have, we as designers must know when to cut and run. Whilst it’s not always ideal a lot of what we do comes down to trusting our gut.
If left unchecked this doubt can cause design paralysis stalling a project before it has started. “But trusting instinct over empiricism sounds fraught with error does it not?” — yes, old-timey positivist reader, it does (who are these people). I’ll admit, gut instinct runs contrary to good principles of user-centred design, but I’d argue it’s better to iterate on something than ponder on nothing.
Another thing is, the more you do as a designer the more patterns you’ll begin to recognise across industries. In some agencies ‘parking lots’ are used to store initial ‘gut’ ideas at the start of a project for this exact same reason. Ultimately though we never cease learning throughout a project. With frequent, iterative user-testing and an open-mind, it’s hard to go too wrong, unless you're a spaz.
6. Try to weave a story
Again this rule shares a lot in common with rule №1 so I shan’t spend long on it don’t worry. We’re so nearly there. It’s that refund that’s keeping you going, isn’t it? Vampire. Anyway one of the best ways I’ve found for getting across my message is by telling a narrative. Whether in a presentation or in my portfolio, it’s arguably the most engaging way to compress lots of information.
The human brain is naturally disposed to receiving information in this format, hence it’s effectiveness. Working in concert with informal communication I’ve found it to be a very useful way for earning allies in lots of different places and helping me to get traction where I least expected it. I’ll admit though that it’s not something you can do quickly. But nothing worthwhile ever is.
What a nauseating sentiment to end on…
7. Select the right tool for the job
Right! It’s the home straight. One last unwritten sodding rule, then you can go outside and play. Or whatever it is you do. I have to say, this last one is a tough one because you mightn't be able to do a damn thing about it where you work! Choosing the right tool for the job is a tricky balancing act because one way or another the dreaded design debt could be incurred.
If you choose Sketch or Figma, for example, it’ll be easy to quickly create some nice looking designs and that might suit some situations. But if you want to do some complex prototyping with lots of interactivity Invision, Figma and XD all struggle to hold up. I recently built a prototype dashboard in Figma for a client and it nearly made me kill lots and lots and lots of people. See the pic below.
However, if you start using something like Axure, for example — a prototyping tool, not a vector graphics editor — you’ll find there’s a lot to think about from the get-go. Although this helps enormously later on down the line it can make the build process quite rigid and unfriendly. What you get though is a product as close to the real thing that most designers can achieve. So, yeah.
Ultimately it’s up to you to figure out what you want to get out of your build! I now wish you farewell and until next time, take it easy! Oh, for those you who were compelled to read this entire post, driven by nought but your rancourous lust for a full refund of your misspent time, I refer you here.
