7 UX Lessons I Learned Playing Fetch with My Dog

While playing fetch with my dog, Tanner, he taught me a few lessons.

When I throw the ball to Tanner and change directions last minute he gets confused, runs in the initial direction, and loses track of the ball. I then have to go get the ball for him and re-throw it. Had I initially thrown the ball in the original direction, this mishap would have been avoided.

This incidence reaffirmed the conclusion that you should:

1.) Avoid pivoting without telling your team.

Tanner loves to chew on the ball. As the slobbery, wet ball runs across the earth, it attracts the dirt and anything else on the ground. In turn, the bright yellow tennis ball turns brown. The new minimal contrast between the ball and the earth make it extremely hard to find even when he brings his ball straight to my feet. More often than not, I have to retrace my steps which slows down the game of fetch.

2.) Be sure your team knows where you left off. Like the situation with Tanner, it is costly and time-consuming to search for something that you believe is apparent but your partner is unable to realize.

When my dog gets tired, he will run to get the ball but won’t bring it back. If I get excited even when he’s tired, he’ll sprint his hardest to me.

3.) Get excited! If you aren’t excited, why are you in this industry?

I can only throw the ball halfway across the field with my chuck-it. If I stand in the middle of the field, my dog and I get into a rhythm. He anticipates that I am going to throw the ball to the opposite side of the field and before I even throw the ball, he’s running there.

4.) When your team gets in a rhythm, everyone wins.

There was one time when we had lost all of the tennis balls. I went out into the park to look across the field where we lost them. We found all three of them and naturally, my dog tried to fit all three balls into his mouth. His head lunged back and forth and he tried not to lose a ball. He never stopped trying to fit all three into his mouth. He only stopped when I took one ball away.

5.) Avoid letting your team members take on too many responsibilities. Like Tanner, some of your team members may try to take on too many responsibilities and fail at juggling them all. Create an environment conducive to people rejecting tasks when their plate is full.

In the snow, my dog never gets tired. Unlike my dog, my arm gets tired. One day, I tried throwing the ball with my left hand. Most of the time, I was able to successfully throw the ball and give my right arm a break. Fortunately, when I failed, it was okay because it was such a short throw that my dog could quickly recover my fumble.

6.) Let people try on different hats if he doesn’t hinder the company.

There was one time when I threw the tennis ball so far that it went into the street. Tanner came leaping off the field to get the ball. Luckily, the car saw him and stopped. However, from then on I was always sure not to throw the ball so far that it left the field.

7.) Don’t lead your team off a cliff. Assumptions can be the cliff.

I hope you liked the article. Please reach out if you’d like to be in contact.