Intro
In the world of user experience, the term “not giving a fck” might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t the essence of UX about empathizing with users, addressing their needs, and creating delightful experiences?
Well, in this article, I’ll try to explore how the principles from Mark Manson’s best-selling book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck,” can be reframed to highlight the importance of caring deeply about our users. I’ll do that by addressing, chapter by chapter, Manson’s great work.
Let’s dive into this intriguing journey of :
UX: The Subtle Art of Giving a Fck
Chapter 1: Keep Trying. The Feedback Loop from Heaven
Manson’s book starts with the notion that trying too hard can lead to a feedback loop from hell. In UX, stop trying means forcing your preconceived ideas onto users. Instead, listen to them, gather feedback, and keep trying new solutions by iterating on your designs.
The feedback loop from heaven in UX is the one where user needs to inform your decisions, leading to intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
Chapter 2: Happiness is a Problem. The Adventures of Delighted Users
In the book, Manson argues that happiness comes from solving problems. In UX, this translates to the idea that the happiness of our users arises from their ability to solve problems efficiently using our products.
Emotions in UX are not overrated but essential. Design should aim to create positive emotional responses. Users should feel delighted, satisfied, and empowered.
Chapter 3: Your Users Are Special. Treating Users Like the Unique Individuals They Are
In “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck,” the notion of not being special is emphasized. In UX, we flip the script. Our users are unique, with their own goals, frustrations, and expectations. Treating users as special is at the core of creating personalized and exceptional user experiences.
At time, it may be convinient to create general solutions and patterns, or to group your userbase into different personas. But even then, each persona will have their own set of goals and needs.
When getting inspired by other solutions or designs, remind yourself that different products have different personas. Therefore, as much as it is good to look for inspiration as well, as UX and Product Designers our task is then to tailor such experiences to our unique users.
Chapter 4: The Value of Suffering. User-Centered Suffering
Manson discusses the value of suffering as a path to growth. In UX, we understand that users may encounter difficulties while interacting with our products. We should empathize with their struggles and work tirelessly to minimize their suffering.
The self-awareness onion in UX involves peeling back layers to understand users better. We do this through several studies and activities. Either remotely, face-to-face, or even async thanks to analytics insights. Nonetheless, more often than not, similarly to what Manson discussed in his work, our aim as designers should be to:
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Know what users feel
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Know why they feel this way
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Research user values
Manson accepts that suffering is inevitable but then challenges us to ask ourselves a significant question: “Why am I suffering — for what purpose?” rather than asking “How do I stop suffering?”.
Similarly, we need to ask ourselves:
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“Why do users consider this product as a success/failure?”
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“How are they choosing to measure it?”
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“By what standard are they judging the product and everything around it?”
Chapter 5: Your Users Are Always Choosing. Facilitating Informed Choices
Just as Manson explores choice and responsibility, UX is about enabling users to make informed choices. It’s our responsibility to provide clear, accessible information and intuitive interfaces.
While Manson cautions against playing the victim, UX teaches us to reduce user frustration and enhance their decision-making processes.
Chapter 6: Your Users Are Wrong About Everything (But So Are You). Embracing User-Centered Flexibility
The book discusses challenging beliefs. In UX, this means staying open to users’ feedback and evolving our designs. Users are not always right, but their perspectives are invaluable. We aim to be less certain of our designs, using user feedback to guide us.
The title is a bit pushy, I understand that. In fact, some people could argue the complete opposite: Your users are right about everything.
That said, I deliberately wanted to stress on the fact that blindly trust your users’ word may be a dangerous activity. Hence, the strong title.
What I mean by that is that YES, your users must be the main source of insights for your product. However, if you ask them WHAT they want or HOW they want something, they may come up with farfetched solutions, either not feasible, too hyper personalised, or simply impossible to deliver.
When you do ask them these sort of questions, make sure to dig deeper into the WHY they would like such thing. What problem are they trying to solve? What struggle are they trying to leave behind? There may be a better, less expensive way to deliver the same results. This is an essential step to keep in mind especially in an agile product delivery setup.
Embracing user-centred flexibility is about gathering the deepest insights from your users without stopping at the surface of their requests, leveraging quantitative data to back them up, and then not being afraid to pivot if a better path for your product seems to be appearing.
Chapter 7: Failure is the Way Forward. Failing Forward in UX
Manson’s “failure/success paradox” is akin to UX’s iterative design process. We embrace failures and view them as opportunities for growth. User testing and feedback often reveal areas for improvement, and we use them to move forward in designing better experiences.
DO NOT be afraid of shipping your product or designs too early. “Pain is part of the process”.
As a designer, allowing yourself to be vulnerable is the catalyst for the growth of your designs.
Shipping early, will allow you to gather insights sooner, correct the trajectory of your work, and deliver better results.
Chapter 8: The Importance of Saying No. Setting User-Centered Boundaries
Manson discusses the value of saying no. In UX, saying no to unnecessary features or complexities helps maintain a user-centered focus. Boundaries in UX define what’s most important for the user and prevent feature bloat. Trust is built through consistently delivering what users truly need.
Avoid being a feature machine for a product that’s nothing more than a feature build-up.
Chapter 9: … And Then You Die. Leaving a Lasting User-Centered Legacy
In Manson’s book, the journey is about leaving a meaningful legacy.
In UX, our legacy is the lasting impression our designs leave on users and peers. We aim to create experiences that users will remember, value, and recommend to others. It’s about designing products that outlive their creators. Sure thing, these products will morph, evolve, and maybe completely pivot, or even die. This is especially emphasized by the iterative approach of design.
You are not to aim to design the FINAL product. There is no final product. As said before, products should sit in a constant feedback-loop lifecycle and new designs should aim to solve new and old struggles.
BUT, you will die. Not physically (or at least, hopefully, not anytime soon🥲), but metaphorically. Whether you work in-house and you change team or leave the company. OR whether you are in an agency or a studio and the project gets taken away from you. There will come a time when you are not going to be the one iterating the product anymore.
With that in mind, design something that can be:
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Remembered, valued, and recommended by people.
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Understood and digested by others. Documenting it may seem tedious when actively doing the work, but it will be life-changing for those to come to pick up the pieces.
Conclusion
In this exploration of “UX: The Subtle Art of Giving a Fck,” we had some fun looking at how Manson’s principles can be reinterpreted in the context of user experience.
UX is is about giving a damn. Its core is to understand users deeply, and design with their needs at the forefront. By adopting these user-centered principles, we can create products and experiences that truly resonate with and serve our users.
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