Programmers Versus Users. What a boxing match.
I’ve only recently taken an interest in this topic. We had a module at university that introduced us to the user experience. It was my least favourite module. I wanted to write code, not engage with users, dammit! If only I had known that users use software!
There is a lot more going on than I anticipated, and I wrongly assumed a few things:
It’s bloody difficult.
It’s easy to make a mess that does the job. Complex screens and clever functionality are fun for us programmers, but users want a Magic Button, and those are difficult to build.
It won’t.
Knowing how to make a piece of software delightful to use is an art form. The best software is so easy to use that you don’t even know you’re using it.
Good design takes years of practice.
They don’t.
Users are smart. But they’re not me. In fact, users and programmers think nothing alike. Which means they’ll use programs differently to me, take different routes and understand things differently.
On top of that, users have varying levels of computer literacy and skill. This makes designing a consistent and engaging experience extremely challenging. After all, the goal is to cater to as wide an audience as possible.
Gotta keep it clear and simple.
Not. Even. Close
Users don’t even know what users need and want. It takes time, patience, good questions and sharp observational skills to determine this.
Get your notepad out, you’re going to learn a lot before you code anything useful.
I want to write great software. But I don’t want to be the only one who thinks it’s great. There are so many hats to wear as a programmer. I think I need to take off my programmer hat every now and then and try out my user hat. More on that in The Hat Rack.
