The UX Mindset
A way of thinking and a set of principles that will help your team become more user-centred and approach project challenges in the right way.
Adopt a UX Mindset and thrive in this new world
What is the UX Mindset?
Open-minded
- Listen to others, try new things, get out of your comfort zone.
- Accept and embrace new methods of working.
Empathetic, active, reflective listener
- Work hard to put yourself in your users' shoes.
- Active listening takes practice and you have to really take interest.
- Clarify, probe, observe, reflect.
Adaptive
- Look for more than one solution, don't be afraid to break things.
- The world and technology are constantly changing, be open to this change.
- Shit happens! Clients will change things mid-project, external factors will appear that are unavoidable - adopt methods that allow for change.
Excellent communicator, negotiator, collaborator
- You’re often the translator and bridge between the whole team and the client - learn the language, speak in simple terms everyone understands.
- You have to make things make sense between a developer and the client, this is where a lot can be lost in translation.
- Learn to facilitate - to get the best out of people, to keep your bias and ideas to yourself initially.
Passionate
- Do a good job, deliver something great.
- Passion, interest and dedication will make this work for the user, the team and the client.
- Fight your corner to create the best user experience.
The Principles
Challenge
- It’s OK to ask stupid questions - it's your role, you have permission and are expected to ask them.
- It’s not your job to have all the answers - it's your job to ask the right questions, to make sure you solve the right problem!
- Leave your ego at the door - Assumption is dangerous, you could end up answering the wrong problem, building the wrong solution - this costs money, time and users.
“Assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups”
Penn, Under Siege 2
Discover
- Embrace the chaos - at the start of a project no one knows what to do, what to prioritise, what to solve - embrace this.
- Get the right people involved - Give everyone a voice and responsibility. You need senior stakeholders and people who are on the ground in the room.
- Have difficult conversations now, because they will be harder later.
“If I only had 1 hour, I’d spend 55 minutes defining the problem…”
Albert Einstein
Problem-solve
- Park solutions - It’s human nature to want to solve things, but we need to make sure we understand the right problem first.
- Ask stupid questions - It’s very common to come with a solution to the wrong problem, this can lead to expensive mistakes. Keep asking 'why' to find the real problem.
- Focus on the real pain or challenge - keep coming back to the business challenges and users' problems.
“The only stupid question is the question never asked”
Ramon Bautista
User first
- You are NOT your user - Don’t assume you know what your users want. They have a very different perspective to you.
- Do your research - Talk to the users, find out who they are, what are their needs, pains and nirvana.
- Balance the needs - Your client is also a user - what are their needs and business goals? Marry these with the customer needs and you’ll get better results.
“When the customer comes first, the customer will last”
Robert Half
Decision maker
- Stop, listen and go last
- Remove things blocking the team
- Be the change the team needs
- Be bold and brave when you make decisions
- Protect the team members from each other
Product expert
Oracle of all things product, you have visions of the future
- Keep the current product version in mind
- Think beyond the current product features
- Bring ideas to the table from other products
- Challenge the team to be brave about product features
- Keep an eye on the design and technical experts, challenge and champion as needed
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