Who Are You Designing For

This is a pocket reminder you can pin in Figma. Use it mid‑sprint when everything feels busy and the work risks drifting away from the person who actually needs help.

1) Principle

Good UX removes friction for a specific person today. Not for a demo, not for the board, not for a future feature. If you can’t name the person and the friction, you’re decorating.

The one‑line test: Who does this remove friction for – today?

2) Before you add anything, answer these

• Who is stuck right now and why?
• What outcome do they need in the next 2 minutes?
• What would they try first if we didn’t exist?
• How will we know we helped – what behaviour changes?

Write your answers in plain language. If it sounds like a roadmap slide, start again.

3) Example – the Reporting tab

Bad goal: “Looks good for stakeholders.”

Worse goal: “One customer mentioned visibility.”

Better goal: “Existing customers export every Friday to make a simple weekly summary. Give it to them in 2 clicks – no export.”

What shifts:

1. You remove bloat.
2. You choose sensible defaults.
3. You write copy that explains why it exists, not just what it does.

4) Red flags you’re designing for the wrong person

1. “Nobody’s complained.” Silence often means “I gave up.”
2. “It’s good for the demo.” Can real users even find it?
3. “We’ll walk them through it.” If it needs a walkthrough, it’s broken.
4. “It looks more complete.” Complete is not the same as useful.
5. “This unlocks a future feature.” What does it do now?
6. “Internally everyone gets it.” Internally everyone built it. Doesn’t count.
7. “It’s consistent with the rest of the UI.” So are the mistakes you haven’t fixed.

5) 30‑minute reset when you’re unsure

• Explain it to a stranger – a teammate who hasn’t seen the work. No context. Let them click. Note where they stall or ask why.
• Cut until you can name the benefit – one sentence, outcome first. If you can’t say it, the user can’t feel it.
• Ask better questions – not “Do you like it?” Ask: What confused you? What did you expect here? What were you trying to do next?
• Rename and reorder – use user language, not internal labels. Put the primary action where the eye lands first.
• Decide the default – make the common path the easy path.

6) Copy that helps decisions

Polite isn’t the goal – useful is. Say the fact, name the thing, give one next step.

“Oops! Something might’ve gone wrong.” Better: “We couldn’t save your changes. Try again or reload.”

“This is taking a bit longer than usual!” Better: “Still processing. You can wait or close this tab – progress is saved.”

“Are you sure you want to cancel? You’ll lose some data.” Better: “Cancel now? You’ll keep access until 12 June. Billing stops today.”

“Looks like you haven’t added anything yet!” Better: “No items here. Add a source to see results.”

Rule of thumb: One action, one escape. Truthful time. Real consequences.

7) Mini checklist for features

1. I can name the person and the friction in one sentence.
2. The design removes steps or decisions.
3. The default suits the common case.
4. Copy explains why this exists.
5. There are no dead ends – every state has a clear next step.
6. We have a small measure of success we can check in a week.

8) When to stop

Stop adding when the person you named can complete the outcome quickly without guidance. If you’re adding tooltips to explain basics, fix the basics.

9) A small story to remember

We once shipped a “pro” control that slowed everyone else. We cut it and rebuilt from a simple line: “I just want to see what changed, fast.” Engagement rose, support fell. No new feature – just the right one.

10) Keep this close

Design for the person who is stuck. If you can’t point to them, you’re probably helping no one. Ask, watch, cut, rename, set a default, ship, measure. Then do it again next week.