I was reminded recently that some years ago, over the course of a couple of months, I tweeted a daily “UX Mantra”. They’re now buried somewhere in the depths of Twitter, but as I still have my original notes, I decided to put them here for future reference. Some are probably a bit ‘of their time’, but I think most remain relevant. Make of them what you will. As always, take anything that’s useful, ignore anything that’s not.

• There’s good design & there’s bad design. End of. It’s all about fitness for purpose #flat #responsive #nextbuzzwordhere
• User-centered design is a tautology. If you’re not thinking about the user you’re doing art, not design.
• Design is not a democracy. JFDI.
• Design is objective. Art is subjective. Are you a designer or an artist?
• Design like you’re right. Test like you’re wrong.
• Interviews are conversations. Have a script but don’t be a slave to it. Go with the flow.
• Pay attention to body language when doing user research. Theirs and yours.
• “A camel is a horse designed by committee” – Alec Issigonis
• Engage, collaborate, co-create. But don’t design the camel.
• Take ownership, champion the vision. It’s your responsibility.
• Make the decision.
• Forget the job title, it’s all about the role – what you do not what you call it.
• Study some philosophy. Look up #TruthTables.
• Don’t design for everyone. Design for someone.
• Easy to use does not have to mean no learning curve.
• Function follows form follows function.
• Users are not designers.
• Study some psychology. Look up #MentalModels.
• UX = Product Design.
• UX is a mindset, not a line in the project plan.
• Mistakes are good. Learn from failure. Just don’t make the same mistake twice.
• #LeanUX does not remove the need for design leadership.
• #LeanUX does not absolve us of our responsibilities as designers.
• #LeanUX is not a substitute for good design resource.
• Write real copy.
• Always proofread carefully in case you any words.
• Someone still has to define and champion the vision #LeanUX
• UX isn’t just for UXers.
• Study some General Semantics. Look up Alfred Korzybski.
• Check your assumptions.
• Benefits not features.
• Content first.
• Speed is fine so long as you’re pointing in the right direction. And there isn’t a brick wall in front of you.
• When building a team, it’s the people, not the roles, that count.
• Learn some code: know your materials.
• Customers buy solutions not features.
• “The map is not the territory” – Korzybski
• The risk in focussing on speed is that you lose sight of the destination.
• Design is not a single-player game.
• People don’t pay for content. They pay for time and convenience.
• Learn about metadata.
• Study philosophy. It promotes clear thinking, awareness of other perspectives, how to make a strong argument.
• Study psychology. It promotes empathy, understanding of people and behaviour.
• Creating artifacts need not take long. It’s the thinking that takes the time.
• Working fast does not mean doing sloppy work. Pay attention to detail.
• What’s the value exchange?
• Get away from your desk.
• Don’t be a slave to the methodology.
• Disagreement is healthy.
• There will always be a need for some level of documentation.
• Justify your design decisions. Explain your rationale. Sell your ideas.
• UX is 20% design, 80% consulting, researching, analysing, presenting, lobbying…
• Cross-functional teams are good. Teams of cross-functional people are better.
• You are not the user.
• Do not base your navigation on your organisation’s internal view of itself #WebDesign101
• Allow yourself to be challenged.
• Play devil’s advocate.
• Your org chart is rarely a good starting point for your web site #WebDesign101 #StillGoingOnEvenNow
• Read some architecture books.
• Terms you use internally may not mean anything to your users.
• Learn some code: it promotes logical thinking and problem solving skills.
• Get out of the silo.
• Users are good. Customers are better.
• Good UX needs a combination of creative and technical thinking skills. Art+Science, Design+Build.
• Design is about problem-solving. Art does not need a reason.
• Admit your mistakes. Move on.
• Leave your ego at the door.