How teaching scuba diving showed me the importance of user experience
We’re the total sum of our experiences, right? Well, teaching backpackers how to scuba dive shaped the way I write about and explain complex processes.
I got certified to teach people how to scuba dive in December 2017.
I’d just graduated college with a degree in Psychology and had zero intentions of settling into a full-time job.
Instead, I bought a one-way ticket to a Caribbean island where I planned to do my scuba instructor training.
Then, who knew? I wanted to see the world.
I ended up staying on that island for nearly two years and experienced more than I ever could’ve imagined.
Becoming a scuba diving instructor
I hate public speaking. I was never good at it. Too often, I’d have the perfect speech planned out in my head. Then, when it came time to stand in front of everyone, I’d freeze. My palms would sweat. My heart would pound.
So, that part of becoming a scuba instructor was intimidating. On top of that, I was young, brand new to the industry, and had never taught anything to anyone before.
How could I expect my students to take me seriously?
Teaching my first course
In the beginning, I fell back on old habits. I did the same thing I used to in college when I wasn’t confident and needed to speak in front of a group.
I padded my speech. I used big, technical words and long sentences. It made me sound smarter, right? And surely that would make my students take me seriously.
It didn’t take long for me to realize I was completely wrong.
Traveler’s paradise
You see, Utila is a magical little place. It’s an island off the coast of Honduras.
Picture crystal-clear water, beautiful blood-orange sunsets, and no shortage of cervezas if you know what I mean.
It’s also one of the most popular stops for backpackers traveling through Central America.
Remember when I said I wanted to see the world? Well, I didn’t have to leave this stretch of seven-mile-long Caribbean paradise to do so.
I met people from more countries than I ever could’ve hoped to visit. Seriously, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, South Africa, England, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the list goes on and on and on.
My main point in saying this is that the majority of my students spoke English as a second language.
So, my long, English sentences filled with big, complicated words didn’t make me sound smarter. They just really confused my students.
Which is not something you want to do when you’re explaining new concepts, equipment, and procedures to someone.
Changing strategies
Enter, my degree in Psychology.
I quickly learned how to change strategies so my students and I could understand each other better.
I started analyzing their body language to see who looked nervous versus confident. I studied their facial expressions to see who understood something I said and who looked completely lost.
Instead of rattling off information, I asked my students questions so they could answer, interact, and show that they’d understood something.
And I didn’t use uncommon words like inflate and deflate, ascend and descend, and inhale and exhale.
While they’re common in scuba diving, they’re not common words to learn in your second language.
Instead of saying ‘inflate’ and ‘deflate’, I used ‘add air’ and ‘take out air’.
Rather than ‘ascend’ and ‘descend’, I said ‘go up’ and ‘go down in the water’.
And I no longer used ‘inhale’ and ‘exhale’. I simply said ‘breathe in’ and ‘breathe out’ instead.
You wouldn’t believe how much of an effect this had on my students’ success during their courses.
In the beginning, I watched my students struggle with things I thought I’d explained well.
But, as I learned to focus on how my students understood and experienced things instead of how smart I could make my explanations sound, I watched them succeed faster and more effectively.
And you know what happened? The more I watched my students succeed, the more confident I became.
Conclusion
Let me tell you, scuba diving is complex!
There’s a lot of equipment, important physiology to understand, and skills you need to master. You need to learn all of this so you can do something the human body is not naturally designed to do — breathe underwater.
Scuba diving is safe when done correctly, but, needless to say, learning how to scuba dive can be nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing.
That’s why teaching scuba diving showed me how important user experience is.
The words you use and the way you explain something make the difference between learning a fun, new hobby and having a confusing, scary experience.
For me, it all came down to understanding my audience.
First, I did my research by studying my students’ reactions, talking them through their anxieties and misunderstandings, and asking for feedback after the course.
I empathized with the problems and pain points we ran into underwater and on the surface. I understood my students’ motivations and goals for becoming scuba divers in the first place.
Then, I changed my strategies by rewriting my explanations. I adjusted the course structure or reworded my briefings.
And finally, I tested my new copy with each course. I found out what worked best and what didn’t. I made more adjustments and repeated the cycle.
Fast-forward to today and I’m a UX writer. It’s funny, right? Seeing how your past experiences have shaped the person you are today.
When I graduated from college, I never thought I’d use my Psychology degree.
When I was teaching scuba diving, I never thought I’d use that skill in my next job.
But, we’re the total sum of our experiences. I use my past experiences in everything I do today.
Without my background in psychology and working as a scuba diving instructor, I wouldn’t be the writer I am now.
