Understanding Behavior
Thursday December 28, 2006 / 2 CommentsIf there’s anything I’ve learned this year, it’s that there is no substitution for observation and understanding. Asking people what they want or what they need will rarely coincide with the actual solution to the problem.
The Problem
I almost constantly have a pile of paper on my desk that needs to be filed away. All manners of paperwork just need to be put away. I needed to get more organized.
The Knee-Jerk Solution
The simple solution that popped right into my head was to buy some organizational stuff. So I purchased a 3-tier desk shelf to help me stay organized and keep my desktop free of clutter. I thought it was the solution to my problem.
My Short-sighted Solution Actually Made Things Worse
Unfortunately, while my stuff was migrated off of my desk, and onto the organizer, I only relocated the problem. I’m not any more or less organized than I was if I hadn’t bought the shelf. In fact, since the pile is out of my way now, I’m even less inclined to do my filing, and the pile is usually taller than ever when I get around to filing it away. And naturally, the bigger that pile gets, the longer it takes me to make time and get around to filing it. So I’ve actually made the problem significantly worse.
Facing the Difficult Truth
If I want to be more organized, I have to change my behavior. No amount of organizational products will fix the problem if I don’t make the effort. They might help, but the real problem can’t be solved by adding more products or stuff. I have to have discipline first.
What does this mean to developers and designers?
If I didn’t even know or understand myself well enough to know that throwing products at the problem wouldn’t fix it, how can I expect clients/customers to be that self-aware as to be able to communicate their true needs. It’s up to us to observe, understand, and interpret their needs. Asking their opinion should serve as validation of their needs, not creation of those needs.
Furthermore, what seems like the easiest and quickest solution on the surface, adding in more features, may just be ignoring a deeper problem that can be solved with a human solution.
Of course, this doesn’t even account for the hidden costs of adding those additional features. In my case, the cost of purchasing the shelf, the time to install it, the fact that the pile gets bigger than ever before being filed, etc.
We have to see beyond the surface and understand what’s really going on inside people’s heads. What do they really need to accomplish? Understand the problem, and help them envision the possible solutions. If the solution is “stop being lazy and file your paperwork as it comes in”, then that’s the solution we should offer. Of course that requires tact, but that’s out of the scope of this post.
Featured Stuff - Resources: Wireframes & Page Description Diagrames
Omnigraffle and Visio versions of the wireframe templates and stencils I use on all of my projects. There’s even a few examples included for good measure. More about Wireframe & Page Description Diagram Stencils and Templates
Often, as disinterested party, we are better placed to see both the ‘real’ problem and the solution than the client. But it is hard to resist the siren call of the client’s expectation — “Help me, by creating a really tasteful shelf, so that my desk is clearer.”
Fred YocumResistance to change is a factor. How is a solution better if no one changes to use it?
This may not apply in all cases, but a former boss had a rule that if he was going to authorize automating something, we should have a consistent way of doing it manually first. This way, by the time the automated method came around, it was easy to integrate into the workforce.
Wade WinninghamComments are closed for this entry.