“Three lessons on what’s really important,” from Good Experience:

  1. “How important are you? Just ask a customer.” Great anecdote about Google asking people what a “browser” is…
  2. “Accept your unimportance. It may help.” If you believe you are the center of the universe, then you’ve just created a very small universe for yourself.
  3. “When people start believing their own hype, run.” Cites those “in the know” before the financial meltdown… who appeared to be in the “not-know” after all.

posted by Ted Boren on Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009
tagged with perspective, humility, pride

6 comments

Great tips. Could you expound on number 1, not sure if I get the meaning. About Google and browsers? Are the questions directed at the customer or you, as the designer of an experience for the customer?

comment by Nathan Philpot 2 hours later

The tips in general are directed to user experience professionals, including designers. Most could apply equally well to companies or product teams as a whole. Or individual people just living their lives.

In the Google example, the team asked folks on the street what a “browser” was, looking for product direction on their new Chrome browser, I assume. They found that most people had no idea what a browser was, as currently defined. They conflated it with other things, especially Search Engine. The browser was pretty much invisible. I’ve seen the same thing; many people, especially older people, don’t “use a browser” they “use the Internet” or the “Web”. Ask which browser they use, and you get a blank stare. The browser “is not important,” in many ways, to the customer. The task they want to accomplish and the information they can access—THAT is important. Check the article link for the full content.

comment by Ted Boren 3 hours later

The article link appears broken, it just points back to NorthTemple for me.

comment by Logan 5 hours later

link fixed

comment by Jason Lynes 5 hours later

Thanks Jason. Oops! Maybe subconsciously I thought I was the center of the universe…

comment by Ted Boren 5 hours later

@TEd Thanks for the elaboration.

comment by Nathan Philpot 9 hours later

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