UX for Beginners

Chapter 32. What Is Intuition?

One word you will hear fairly often in UX design is “intuitive.” That means the user will understand without much explanation or training. Not you.

Intuition is often called common sense. Or, your “gut feeling.” And some people believe they have a special talent for intuition (nope). But, for everyone, your intuition always feels true. However, common sense isn’t as common as you might think. Intuition is not something you are born with. Trust me, babies make terrible UX designers. Intuition is constructed from your experiences; you expect certain things based on what you have experienced before.

People from North America might be confused when they go to a public toilet in Asia and only see a hole in the floor. Whereas two people from Asia might be equally confused about squatting over those crazy water chairs in North America.

Intuitive, schmintuitive. Normal is relative.

The tricky part for many people is that your beloved intuition can also be wrong when there is a right answer. Really, really often.

As a UX Designer, Gut Feelings Can Be Your Worst Enemy

You will often hear people say “trust your gut.” That is stupid advice, because everybody trusts their gut. You’re born that way. It’s like saying “eat what tastes good.” I might not be a doctor, but that isn’t the best advice if you want to be healthy. (We will learn why it still feels like good advice, in the next lesson, What Is a Cognitive Bias?)

Trusting your gut guarantees you will be wrong eventually. ...