How User Experience Designers are like Therapists
In writing for NYEWeek, I always try to think of topics that will relate to the Entrepreneurial mind. The post I write today may or may not do so, but my hope is that it will invoke some ideas that will change your thinking about how you approach your customer. As I’ve mentioned in several previous posts on my blog I’m surrounded by counselors and therapists of all kinds. In talking with these folks, I can’t help but see the similarities that keep coming up between our two professions, those of Therapy and UX Design.
Recently, I asked a seasoned therapist how he chooses to deliver responses to his clients. Basically I wanted to know; if Client A came to him with a problem and Client B came to him with the same problem, would he give them the same response? His reply to my question was eye opening.
The therapist replied “It is not my job to push my thoughts and ideas onto my clients. I am not their friends. Friends do that. When someone comes to them with a problem they respond ‘well this is what I would do…’ then explain their point of view instead of giving tailored advice. My job is to listen to my clients, take their needs & personalities as well as the way in which they explained their problem into account, and really understand what kind of help they are asking for. From there, I tailor a response that the specific client will be able to absorb best as well as one that their personality will be able to use. My personal opinions are thrown out the window.”
Wow, if this didn’t make some connections in my head.
That is precisely how a User Experience Designer is different from the majority of professionals out there in corporate or start up land. Let me explain further. Our job is not to push our opinions about how to create websites or features we like onto our users. There are a ton of interactions out there that I personally despise that I include in my designs. You may ask “Well if you despise them, why do you include them in your work?”
I do so simply because the majority of the users that I’m designing for do NOT share my opinion. These interactions and features are ones that they actually feel comfortable using or that make their experience delightful. My role as a UX Designer is not to force my opinions about certain treatments or interactions onto users. Just because I love or hate something does not mean it will facilitate a great user experience. A UX Designer should NEVER talk in opinions. That is one of the first things we learn in our profession. Instead we take a great deal of our time, including “non-work” time, to study people. We learn what works for users and what doesn’t. We try to understand others’ behaviors and by doing so are coming to our clients with facts and not opinions.
When I tell a client “That is not something that users will understand.” It is because I have studied users, not because I don’t understand it myself. This is a key feature to look for when hiring and working with a UX Designer.
This thinking is a big shift for most people dealing with the web. For example, many people tend to pick colors for their websites because they like the colors, not because these colors facilitate easier reading or emotional response. This same behavior happens with other features (i.e. I like drag and drop and I want it on my site, even if there is no need for this type of treatment). There is actually a science to website creation and the number one rule is to throw away your personal opinion.
You are not your user, and your opinions may or may not match theirs. The fact is you are the one that needs your users to use your website or buy your product and you should make that experience enjoyable. The way to do this is to remove the subjective and work in the objective.
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About the Blogger: Lis is the Founder of Hubert Experience Design, a boutique user experience firm based in NYC. Her firm has worked with a wide range of organizations, from Fortune 500 to start-up. Hubert Experience Design takes pride in making websites better and easier to use.
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