Let me challenge the way you think

Picture a cloud. This is your cloud.

How big is it?

What shape is it?

What colour is it?

What do the borders look like?

What texture is it?

What does it contain?

What kind of sky is it in?

Now close your eyes and take a moment to appreciate it.

I bet it means something pretty special to you.

Was your cloud big? Spread horizontally across the sky? With edges that faded gently? In a smooth, multi-tone dark purple across a pink sky? Did it contain light vapours, not quiet rain but enough to form in the sky?

I’m going to take a good guess and say no. Your cloud was none of these things. Your cloud is unique to you.

We all have a different way of thinking, of interpreting, and being able to utilise this to gain a better understanding is such a powerful tool.

For me, this random thought came to me on my lunch time walk, dazing off into the sky and reflecting on the learnings from my current General Assembly UX design course. The psychological element of the design process shines through in every stage, user research, ideating, user testing — whether it be from your different users or the people in your team.

A critical learning I’ve gained for becoming successful in UX — respect opinions, harness other peoples unique thinking, and allow your mindset to grow.