I Am Not My User
This is a core UX maxim which needs to be key to the development of any UX design project. In fact, I used to have this exact quote stuck to my monitor as a constant reminder.
As designers, we are privy to every stage of a product’s development; from conception, to research, to every design iteration. We spend hours upon hours labouring over pixels, interactions and flows. By the time it is finished*¹ we know the product inside and out. However, with this insight and understanding comes a loss of third-party perspective — we can’t look at a design and make objective design choices because we have an inherent understanding of how it functions. This makes it incredibly easy for us to wrongly assume how users will engage with an experience.
This is why it is so crucial to spend time, and test, with users. User testing brings back a fresh perspective which highlights frustrations, habits, delights and the goals you should be helping users reach. It ensures that any solution has the needs of the user at its core, and brings to light any misconceptions we may have that could be detrimental to the users experience.
You are not your user, so you need to get to know them.
*¹In the sense that it is ready for initial release. Designs are never finished, rather they are living, iterative beings that should continue to develop and change.
