Three Things I Learned About Design—While Out of the Office
What backpacking has taught me about content strategy and UX
It seems that perfection is attained, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéri
I enjoy exploring the breathtaking outdoors of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia with my two-year-old tri-black miniature Aussie named Gamgee. We hike trails for miles during the day and camp at night. It’s not technical climbing, but it’s definitely beyond the range of casual hikers and cell phone reception. Since Gamgee isn’t exactly a beast of burden, I have to pack everything for both of us into a backpack with just 50 liters of capacity.
When packing for one of these adventures, it comes down to the essentials, i.e. tent for shelter, rain jacket, warm clothes for cold nights, food, water, and a multipurpose toolkit. I pack light, eliminating mere ounces wherever possible because I know I have to endure carrying the weight on my back over long distances and steep elevation gains. I carefully plan and place all items into the backpack using a LIFO approach, or in the reverse-order that I’ll need them during my journey.
Extraneous gear is scrutinized and eliminated at this outfitting point. If anything inessential makes it into the pack, my system will soon identify it. Not only will it not be useful, but it will also add weight to my pack that only makes the hike more challenging. It will also clutter my backpack, getting in the way of the things I need, until it eventually finds its way to the bottom through lack of use. These small equipment struggles are my pain-points, that unlike a rock in my hiking boot, cannot be remedied by a brief stop off the trail.
If I pack right, my journey is enhanced. I am free to experience the sounds, smells, and surprising vistas offered by each new trail. The effort it takes to devise a perfectly minimal and lightweight pack has also taught me three principals I am applying to my design practice. I hope to create better user experiences with just the right elements at just the right time.
Inessentials, overload, and clutter aren’t just the things that could ruin a backpacking experience; they are also the characteristics of a poor content strategy for a website or product.
Three things to avoid
Inessentials
Any design should only include information that is absolutely necessary. It’s a challenge to determine the necessities if you don’t have a clear definition of the goal of your page. On the contrary, not having enough information is a disservice; users expect to have all their questions answered.
Trailhead tip: The gear in my backpack also has a clear purpose: wilderness survival. Not having the right equipment might lead to discomfort, danger, and—not surviving : o.
Overload
Information overload is a cognitive challenge that will deter users from engaging with your site. Edit for brevity, but not at the expense of the essential support of your goal. Users have a limited attention span in the age of digital noise, and they simply don’t have time to parse the information unless motivation is extremely high.
The average human attention span has fallen to eight seconds — one second less than that of goldfish.
However, don’t ever rely on user’s high motivation because it’s not a constant. Instead, you should design everything to be as easy as possible. If simplicity in your design is always consistent, it remains easy, regardless of user’s motivation.
Another factor to consider is the actual weight of page if you have too much of nonessential content. It slows down page load if your users are not using a reliable network.
Trailhead tip: My backpack has 50 liters of capacity, and I could only carry about 30 pounds on a hike. Even if I’m highly motivated, I still prefer the lightest pack possible. It let’s me go faster and farther, without getting exhausted.
Clutter
Clutter is a result of too much information and lack of organization. It will only frustrate users because it prevents them from finding the information they seek. You should consider the purpose of each page or touchpoint in their journey and only present relevant detail.
Information layering is a method to show just the right amount of information to the users while giving them the ability to reveal more information if they need additional detail.
Trailhead tip: I need quick access to only a few key items at any one time during a hike. Knowing where these items are lets me stay in the moment longer and spend less time searching. Additionally, there isn’t anything that isn’t useful in my pack that adds weight or takes up valuable space.
I have realized that the gear is not WHY I hike and camp. I do it to achieve complete immersion in nature. By the same measure, the tech is not WHY people shop, read, search, or whatever it is that is important to them. If the design is right, the gear fades into the background, allowing the user to find their own path, discover more of what’s desired, and to totally immerse themselves in the experience.
Carefully considering only what’s essential for the journey has brought new perspective to my design approach—one that I’m taking a step further. I’m working on applying these principles to rethink my living and working spaces.
Got any Trailhead tips for me? Comment below or hit me up on Facebook, @ericduong on Instagram, or email duoeric@gmail.com.
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