Design for people, not users

A few months ago, I read an amazing article by Adam Lefton about why he refuses to call people “users.” He had a very well-founded point of view. Defining a person as a user deprives him of his individuality and turns him into a robot with brains. We definitely do not design products for robots, we do this for HUMANS! For children, for adults, for everyone!

Let s start with what I mean when I say design for people.

What is design?

It s a difficult question! Each person has their own unique definition of design, but what is it really? Wikipedia says: “Design Is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system, or for the implementation of an activity or process. It could also be the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product or process. “

Well, it s a little tricky, but I think design is nothing more than

Simple and efficient communication of information

Is not it? Write your definition of design in the comments. Let s discuss it !!

Purpose of design

Design has a single purpose, and that is to make people feel good when they use it. Sounds easy? However, it is not.

There are many designs out there that are visually appealing but are downright awful when it comes to usability and user experience. Likewise, you may have come across many designs that are very easy to use but very weak in terms of visuals.

A product or UI / UX designer, whatever you call him, needs to find the perfect balance between visuals and user experience. Otherwise, you will be in complete failure.

Design for people

So what do I mean when I say “design for people”? I literally mean design for people and nothing more. People are unique in the way they experience emotions and feelings. You could argue that dogs have feelings too, but we don t make apps for them, do we? ?

So let s just say what we design for people, and if you can make a person feel happy or comfortable with one line of text or just a cute panda. It s enough! Don t believe me? Take a look at this!

Imagine being presented with this same information, in the style of a user manual. It s boring. You don t want to bore people while they are using your product.

It s hard to get people to smile, but if you can do it, customer satisfaction takes it to a whole new level.

What s better than a witty remark, a nod to your favorite movie, or just a cute panda craving your attention?

Not everyone will smile, but hey! This is definitely better than plain boring text.

This is just a simple example of how little things can create a great user experience for people. It is not as difficult as it might seem, but it is certainly not easy.

Who is your target audience?

We cannot ignore the target audience, because it is they who are going to use your product in real life. As you can see in the screenshot above, the design adds cute pandas and nods to the characters in the movie. It is definitely not meant for seniors who may not like it or even understand it at all.

The target audience here was people between the ages of 13 and 25 who can relate to all of this with ease.

KISS

Kiss (Keep it simple, silly (and short). Nobody likes to read long texts, try to be precise and concise. But make it interesting, grab the user s attention. Don t make them feel frustrated or tired.

Always test

No matter how much you try to be in the client s shoes, it is difficult for a designer to do it and visualize the client s point of view. This is why we always need to check our designs. What if only 5% of people understand your witty remark?

This is a bad sign and you definitely don t want it. The best way to avoid this is to get to know your target audience first and do TESTS!

Finally

Like it if you liked this article, it will encourage me to write more!

Thanks for reading! If you want to collaborate, talk about product design, have suggestions or just want to say hello, email the author [email protected] or on LinkedIn.