Trust the Experts: A Lesson on Living in Design Hell

I had a lovely lunchtime meeting today with a wonderful woman who runs a very important service. I'll protect her anonymity since her environment is filled with red tape and bureaucracy. We discussed some of the usability problems plaguing a system she works on and the challenges she faces when trying to make improvements. These challenges are almost always due to a person who isn't "in the know" about design or usability, yet has the authority to make drastic (and poorly researched) decisions that negatively impact the customer.

This is not okay.

I am a firm believer that people should either stick to what they know or get educated on a topic on which they'd like to provide input. That means if you aren't a designer, human factors expert, usability analyst, etc., and have absolutely no education, training, or practical expertise on the subject, don't make an executive decision about the design of a product. That doesn't mean you can't provide an opinion, state a business case, or enjoy a friendly conversation about a design, but if you don't have the expertise, don't make decisions that counter the experts.

I listened to a story today that made me cringe. A new system was underway that could significantly improve customer experience. It was within budget, approved, and moving forward. After a completely unrelated experience with a different system in a different scenario, a person of authority decided the planned system won't work and had to be completely changed (and, in my opinion, not for the better). 

As user experience professionals, we say this all the time, "you are not the user". What could this executive done better?

1. Step back from the situation. Take a few days away from the project.

2. Compare the use cases for these two different systems. How are they used? When are they used? Ask lots of questions!

3. Research the customers for each system. How are they the same or different? How often do they use the system? How many people need to use it? Again, ask lots of questions!

4. Don't make a rash decision based on a personal experience. Don't ignore the experience, but use it to inform your own design or project process.

5. Know your own customer. Observe them. Talk to them. Hire usability experts (shameless plug)!

In this case, the customer base was completely different and the usage level was not even close. The problems the executive encountered would not been likely to happen the way it would have been implemented at his business.

This was a case of an executive decision made without research, without considering expert opinions, and unfortunately, the company is paying for it with a poorly implemented alternative.

That said, the people in charge of the project do care. They care a lot about their customers and now are trying to find ways to resolve all the problems without changing out the system. This could have been prevented if the experts were given decision-making responsibility and the business representatives stayed out of the design.

Remember, though, that there is nothing wrong with getting educated in a new area, whether by traditional coursework or on-the-job experience. Get some knowledge before making a major decision. You wouldn't buy a new car without some research, so why spend thousands of dollars without doing your homework?