Designing for my life
As a UX designer at Kabbage, I focus on bringing positive experiences to users through web and mobile platforms. The basis of this process is research and design that help make interactions easier, efficient and hopefully frictionless.
My job is to reduce mental burden, solve for fringe use cases and simplify user journeys for our customers all the time. I recently came to the realization that I need to turn the microscope on myself and be more deliberate in how I “design” my life, increasing my day-to-day efficiency to maximize my time with my wife and dogs.
My problem is that adulting is one heck of a ride, and I have a lot of responsibilities that need to be juggled. Here are some of the design-for-life decisions (and potential neuroticisms) I’m using to simplify.
Using a password manager
I had an epiphany when I recently tried to remember a variation of my login and password for an obscure events ticketing site:Why am I cluttering my mind and increasing cognitive load by trying to remember all my passwords?
I decided to finally use a password manager to ease that burden and generate some random passwords, which also reduces my odds of ending up on this site and the floodgates opening on all my accounts. Net result: I wish I switched over much sooner.
Managing information overload
With the internet on demand at my hands and so many streams of information available to me, I’m able to consume way too much information, and not all of it is very useful.
One day I was on Instagram, mindlessly scrolling for new content, when I realized a solid 35 minutes had passed without learning anything tangible. Telling someone I had a really good time refreshing on Instagram is not a very interesting party story.
So I made the decision to actively curtail the amount of content I consume each day. Being more picky about the kinds of content I read or view each day allows me to focus energy on content that brings added value to my life.
I have specific sites I go to for sports, world / local news, UX related content and I’ve allowed everything else to fall to the wayside.
For the record, I still find it hard to resist a funny GIF or video, so I will always click on those.
Screen Time
It was way too easy for me to get into a rabbit hole on Wikipedia, Twitter or Instagram — exploring, reading and refreshing. After coming to the unhappy and cynical realization that apps have features designed for engagement and that using my phone excessively had physical implications like text neck, I knew I had to cut back. Ironically, and with a tip of the cap to Apple, I can self-police with their Screen Time app.
Putting my phone down allows me to spend more time in the present in addition to managing and regaining control over my resources in an attention economy.
Organizing apps on my iPhone
I have a method to the madness that can be an iPhone homepage — no one understands this more than my sister-in-law. I keep important and frequently used apps on the edges of the screen, roughly organized by color and type. When I’m multitasking, it’s easier for me to access those apps I use the most.
Note: Snapchat is here purely out of nostalgia, I am no longer a daily or monthly active user. The last big redesign threw me off and I never really returned.
Google Maps before I drive
Atlanta traffic is a huge pain point for me, so I like to check Google Maps for prevailing traffic conditions before I go anywhere. To quote the late John Wooden, “When you fail to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.”
Sitting in traffic is simply time I can’t get back, and I’m unable to be productive in that timeframe. I’ve tried going down the road of listening to podcasts, but while I’m focused on driving I don’t retain information very well.
Automation
I have fully embraced the Nest — Hue partnership. My porch and garage lights go on automagically as the sun rises and sets, so that is one less thing I have to worry about. My kitchen light is on as I groggily walk down to start my day, and it turns off as I leave the house. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, Nest also senses when I am away from the house and adjusts the thermostat accordingly.
Little tweaks like this remove me from daily minutiae and allow me to focus on bigger picture items like making breakfast and thinking about my day at work.
According to this article, wearing the same thing everyday prevents decision-making fatigue, allowing practitioners to channel their energy towards productivity. While I don’t have the immediate gravitas or willpower to wear a turtleneck everyday, I do appreciate how creating routine and habit results in the ‘removal of distraction by trivia,’ allowing me to focus on what matters.
What matters to me most is being able to spend the time I have in the way I want it to, and I use these tools to achieve those goals. Please leave any hacks, tips or techniques you use in the comments!
