As engineers and designers, we need to focus on building products that have empathy and forgiveness for their users.
Software is eating the world, but as it optimizes for engagement and retention, it leaves behind confused and exhausted users.
Companies raise millions of dollars at billion-dollar valuations. With those valuations comes a drive to add new features. With the move to SaaS for everything, user interfaces and modes of interaction seem to change overnight.
Perhaps we could take inspiration from the consumer packaged goods industry.
As a new father, I have changed diapers in various circumstances. In the dark, in the park, trying to mitigate a full-on meltdown and sometimes just trying to stem an avalanche of 💩.
And yet, the diaper works as intended. Forgiveness is built into the design. I can operate it one-handed if I have to, and it gives some protection even when not used correctly. I can be confident that the design won’t change dramatically in the next iteration.
So, dear UX designer, next time you fire up Figma, think of the humble diaper, and a poor sleep-deprived dad dealing with a poop 🌋 at 3am.
Think of the mistakes a user may make and design your application to forgive them and not punish them when they make those mistakes when addled, distracted, or simply exhausted.