You are a designer.
You may not claim it, or even acknowledge it, but consider these questions:
Have you ever planned an event?
A family outing or vacation?
Maybe set an agenda for a meeting?
Or perhaps started a new initiative at work?
I’m guessing you said yes to at least one of those things. And that makes you an experience designer.
We need to broaden our understanding of design, from the visual to something much more expansive. Design is not simply how things look, but also how they work. It is not just graphics or objects. While it can be those things, we also design systems, processes, services. Experience design is all about bringing intention to how people immerse and interact with those things. It’s about thoughts, emotions, and actions. Both the moments and the whole of an experience.
While there are some specific language and methods to learn to become an expert, we are all natural experience designers. Like creativity or critical thinking, it is a skill that can be honed with practice. A simple way to get started is to adopt an experience designer mindset. Of the best experience designers I’ve worked with, they share three common traits.
- They show initiative.
- They are highly observant.
- They experiment and tinker with things.
Show Initiative.
To be a great experience designer, you first have to give yourself permission to make change, then take initiative. Permission is an important part of taking initiative. From consulting with many different organizations of all stripes, I’ve seen time and time again how often people underestimate their ability to make a difference. They see a problem, but don’t act, usually fearful of stepping on toes, hoping someone else will do it, or thinking a leader will assign solving the issue to someone. Permission from others may never come—you need to just give it to yourself. From there, taking initiative can start with simply asking questions or sharing an idea. Great experience designers are the ones who step up and say, “Hey! Let’s fix this.”
Be Observant.
The start of designing great experiences is seeing an opportunity or challenge in the first place. Those who are naturally empathetic or curious do well here, but you can train yourself to become a better noticer. Where are people struggling? Where are things messy or chaotic? Ask people to show you how they do things. Take note of the people, the physical environment, the interactions. Observe first —watching, listening, and asking questions—before trying to solve anything.
Experiment.
While they take initiative, the best experience designers don’t jump in and solve with their first idea. They are wired to explore, tinker, and test out a variety of things. Experimenting is especially important when you’re improving or creating a complex process or service with a lot of steps or interactions. Trying out different things helps you see how one solution works, and what unexpected reactions it may cause. With trial and error, you expect some failure, so it isn’t debilitating when something doesn’t work. It’s easier to learn from those failures, and to move onto better iterations or entirely new solutions. A confident experience designer understands this is part of the process.
So, go forth and embrace your inner designer. Try carrying a notebook around for a week. Write down any time you or others around you struggle with something. What opportunities do you notice to make the world a better place?