I’ve been saying for years that the vast majority of my job has to do with people. Being people-centered isn’t just something we say, it’s something we honestly try and work into everything we do. I’ll admit we’re better at it in some aspects of our work than we are in others, but we’re learning everyday and it’s something we’ll continue to learn about and improve on through time.
Working with and for people can be hard. Human beings are amazingly varied in just about every way you can imagine and it’s extremely difficult to find a consistent common ground—even with just one other person.
When it comes to working with people, and people-centered design, there are some things you can do to help make sure you’re doing right by others.
Develop an empathy for others
Empathy is central to a people-centered philosophy. The goal, when thinking about doing right by people and working better with others, is to get to a point where you can understand how someone else thinks and feels. You’ll want to develop a sense of selflessness that you can use to really get into someone’s mind and understand their motivations, behaviors and beliefs.
This doesn’t mean losing yourself, by any means, only that you’re able to look at things from the point of view of another person. As you develop empathy towards others you’ll begin to notice patterns that can help you in many aspects of your life as it relates to others. You should know, however, that it takes time. Lots of time.
Observe people
One of the best ways to become more people-centric is to simply spend more time with people. When it comes to usability, the thing I think helps the most is actually watching people, even if it’s just people you know, using technology. Observation and interaction are the best ways to get to know people and develop empathy.
Become a good communicator
Communication is very important. Everyone has a different communication style, and a good communicator is able to adjust to suit the needs of the people he’s talking to. It’s not an easy thing to do. Becoming an good listener is probably the best way, as through listening you’re not only developing that empathy we’ve talked about, but you’re able to pick up on verbal (and non-verbal) cues that’ll help you quite a bit when you actually need to say something.
When it comes to communication with people you don’t know well, the best thing to do (IMHO) is over communicate. Make sure your “audience” is getting the message. Ask questions and be sure and listen well to the answers.
Have an open mind
This one is a bit of an obvious one. To really understand people, and do right by them, you need to approach them with an open mind. Any prejudices you bring to a conversation, for example, will color your interaction and could give you an incorrect perception of the people you work with.
Avoid assumption
A common mistake when it comes to design for use is assumption. If you ever find yourself saying. “users do ‘x’…” or “I know people are doing react like ‘y’…” you might want to take a step back and make sure that’s the case. Ask yourself if you’re assuming that behavior because that is what you would do in that situation.
Be willing to step out of your comfort zone
Interacting with new people can be daunting. Especially with people who aren’t at all like you. But this is necessary to build up that knowledge and empathy and set yourself into a position where you can do what’s best.
By putting yourself in situations where you communicate with people you normally wouldn’t have interaction with, you are learning more and more about what it really means to be human. We come in all shapes and sizes and no two are that much alike. The more you can open up to that, the more you’ll understand what we do have in common and how you can use that to be easier to work with and have your work be better used by others.
