This is just a casual personal reminder to myself as a designer:
I adore tools like user journeys and personas.
They're fantastic starting points, but let's face it, life is predominantly mundane.
The truth hits hard – people often don't read thoroughly, their enthusiasm may be less than I anticipate, and convenience is their king. Moreover, while I design and build, it's easy to fall into the illusion that my creation will be the epicenter of a user's life at the moment of interaction. But let's get real.
In all likelihood, they're engaging with it while hardcore multitasking – maybe snacking, queued up for a random drop, with a cookie clicker game running in the background, chatting with friends, and half-attending a Zoom call, all as something wild unfolds outside their window.
There are countless events occurring beyond the user journey, offering unique perspectives to review a product. It leads me to ask, "What can I Marie Kondo out?" It's not about sparking joy, but more ruthlessly, questioning if it even needs to exist.
If I tuck a function into a secondary menu, is the effort required for a user to discover it justified (that's the word I was looking for) by the time invested in its development? And if its value is so significant, why hide it?
The myriad situations outside our design window deeply impact our work, and I often find a wealth of inspiration there. So, I've made a small tool to ground me. It prompts me to consider: If I designed my product for that specific situation, would it turn out better? And then, would this new approach enhance another, equally humble scenario?
Life is mundane, and we deal with it every day. However, when I design, I tend to forget this.
The Tool (Acess or Mint):
https://zora.co/collect/zora:0xcf84e40643374b784f34b4dae5b10e1b2bab4041/19
