Flight of the Buffalo

Appa — the flying bison. This is an awesome still from one of the worst movies of all time. Unfortunate, because it’s one of the best animated series of all time.

There is a fantastic book called The Flight of The Buffalo. It’s one of those “managing people” books, and the title is actually very apt once you learn the metaphor. Buy it and read it. You’ll be glad you did.

Anyway…One of the major premises of the book that I loved was this: When something isn’t going the way you want, always begin your inquiry into the problem with:

“What is it that I am doing wrong?”

The idea is this: If you’re the leader and your minions aren’t performing up to snuff, or business isn’t going the way you want/expect — you need to introspect your query into the cause because it’s probably you. If Johnson didn’t land that account that was in the bag, it’s probably because either a) YOU didn’t train/inspire/counsel/trust, etc. her/him well enough or b) YOU shouldn’t have hired her/him in the first place. Nearly every problem a leader sees in their team is due to a lack or failure in themselves. Good leaders know this. Great leaders do something about it.

So what has this got to do with design?

“Who me!?” — Han Solo

Most, if not all, of us, have sat across the table/monitor while we’ve watched users click the wrong link, choose the wrong option, go down the wrong path, stare blindly at the screen, lost, confused, bored, angry or apathetic. I myself have felt the desire to perform a remote Jedi choke when the user I was watching said something so obtuse and moronic I could’ve died. Then, when my pride had stopped choking me, I was able to sit back and ask myself “What is it that I am doing wrong?” And that’s the key. As UX/UI designers we are Tron — we “…fight for the users.” Notice the ‘for’ — it’s really important. We aren’t CLU or the MCP who fight against the user. So when the user isn’t successful, it is often us that have failed them and we need to ask ourselves what we’re doing wrong.

Introspection Brings Insight

I find that this kind of introspection to be incredibly insightful. It sheds light on end-user issues, biases, misinterpretations, misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions, process holes, bad data, poor design, bad choices, bad marketing, poor user experience, bad business practices, flawed methodologies, skewed perceptions, prejudices, pride, stupidity, apathy, and simple mistakes. <breathes> But what I find most amazing about approaching an issue from this tack is this: When I am the problem, I am also the solution. I can change me. I can change my processes. I can improve this or that. I can modify this, that, or the other thing. When you can follow the problem all the way back to yourself you’re equipped and able to begin setting things in motion to affect (and effect!) change for the greater good — and not just in your designs, but in your entire organization.

So the next time something goes awry with that thing/person that upsets you all the time, take some time and ask yourself: “What is it that I am doing wrong?” and you may find some new epiphanies that lead you down a more enlightened path — where buffaloes take wing.

Seriously, read the book. Then you’ll totally get it.