UX Mindset
User experience design operates on a platform of dual relationships. Much in the way that I once built log cabins on the living room floor as a child, matching each log with its counterpart for strong construction, human-centric design requires looking at how each component depends on those at the other ends of the many possible spectrums. While some may draw a stark distinction between the physical world and the digital space, the two continue to affect each other; sometimes driving forward, other times forcing a reboot. The beauty of UX design is that it cannot be done to significant effect without continually zooming out to the many relationships that are connected to the specific task at hand.
My experience outside of the tech sector gave me a healthy perspective of how different people view its impact. There is an understandable hesitancy aimed toward its potential, as even the casual observer can see the challenges and dark shadows that it has brought about. Much of this is centered around its impact on human behavior and interconnectivity. As a result, some place themselves far away from technology, a temptation that I at times experienced myself. But what I saw in studying other aspects of history is that we very rarely rewind progress, and the blind hope that we will do so is rarely successful. Instead, leaning into the issue and our concerns is what allows us to steer the ship.
This is the opportunity that is built into legitimate UX design. But it is a motor fueled only by regular injections of dual views. Yes, at times we may dedicate our magnifying glass to perfecting the edges of the smallest corner, but we must still have an eye on the full shape on which it lives, and the real people that it will serve. If only the corner or the shape is perfect, but it does not meet the needs of its intended audience (which often goes further than what we presently know is intended), then it loses that grade. Even if we succeed in properly connecting those two elements, it is still difficult to say that we have achieved perfection. For we must remember that we are viewing merely a dot on a much larger timeline. The needs of the audience will change, which will in turn change the product. In time, the change in product will affect the audience, and once again we iterate.
It is impossible to carry out proper UX design without constantly examining the impact on humans at both the point of individual interaction and the larger stories connecting those specific experiences. This is because this take on design does not breathe without research. Not merely statistics or trends, but research rooted in the actual experiences of the people that interact with all of life’s opportunities and challenges. So by following the roadmap that UX design provides, we can move forward on the technology journey with confidence that we will not lose sight of how it truly interacts with our lives; in each small moment, and the full systematic structures that those moments together build.
