steve kwan user experience designer

Intended vs. actual use

(March 11th, 2006 - 2:04PM)

It's amazing how a software product can take on a life of its own.

I'm referring to the bizarre phenomenon where a piece of software can grow and expand into something that the developers didn't even think of. It's amazing how the intended use of a product can be so different from its actual use.

There are cases when this is beneficial. I can think of examples where people discovered things they could do with WebGENCAT that the developers never even thought of. It's quite a humbling experience when one of your users calls you and teaches you something about your own product.

However, most of the time the discrepancies between developers and users aren't so positive. Generally, when the users are zigging and the developers are zagging, the result is software that doesn't work as advertised. That's why it's important to work with your users so you can create a product that behaves as they expect.

I've certainly worked on projects where the developers think they know better than users. I've seen managers make software decisions based on nothing but their own experience: "I did it this way in the past, so I'm doing it this way again." The results of ignoring what your users want are disastrous.

Modern software development is a much different field than it was in the past; "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" no longer applies. Experience is still tremendously valuable, but the most valuable decision-making tool you have is your user's opinion. When making decisions in a software project, be sure to remember that what the user wants trumps your own personal feelings and thoughts.