Keeping assumptions and biases in check while doing UX
One of the things I am constantly learning and focusing on in my work is to challenge every assumption every I have when it comes to design. Initially, I feel like everyone learning design tries to go through the “design process” but we are very much prone to getting biased when we start assuming what and how the users will interact with our system/product.
I feel like these two things are the leading cause of creating preconceived assumptions about our product
Before starting the project we already build a “How might it look”
We don’t know how to do proper research that might lead us to get better insights.
The HOW MIGHT IT LOOK problem
The how might it look problem doesn’t look like it could do much harm as it makes us feel like we are on the right track. The problem starts when you see the solution as the final solution and instead of challenging the assumed solution, we look for backup or support.
The way I found to mitigate this problem is, to not take the design solution personally and think of it as “a solution” not “the solution”. Knowing that design is iterative and no design is final, helps. Test your design, scrutinize it, discuss it, and find its drawbacks.
The Problem with Research
We all know that research is important but we don’t know how to conduct it. When we first start doing research we try to map out demographics and characteristics. But knowing things like age, gender, and location doesn’t provide much unless you have more insights within. We knowingly or unknowingly are just looking for proof that confirms our biases, beliefs, and assumptions.
Instead of trying to confirm your biases, ask questions about how people deal with the particular problem, how they try to solve it or do they even try to solve it. This does a lot of benefits including challenging your biases and finding interesting ways people look at and solve particular problems. The more varied answers you get, the more data you’ll have to work upon.
For any project I start, I am prone to the problem of assumption and guesswork but I try to step back at every stage of design and understand that I am designing USERS and not just for myself. There are a lot of ways to solve a problem. As UX Designers we are here to find the best solution according to the means we have.