Element 02
User / Customer
Who you build for. Their needs, behaviors and expectations decide whether the proposition lands.
What it is
The user is who the value is for. Understanding them is what keeps the proposition honest and the experience relevant. In the cycle, everything downstream is shaped by how well you know this person.
Its role in the loop
The user receives the proposition and judges it. Their behavior and feedback are what the cycle learns from, so a clear read on the user improves both the devices you prioritize and the experience you design.
What you need to understand
Needs
The job they are trying to get done.
Behaviors
How they actually act, not how you wish they did.
Expectations
The standard set by every other product they use.
Context
Where and when they show up.
In practice, by industry
E-commerce: price-sensitive comparison shopper
Social Media: content creator vs passive scroller
eHealth: patient managing a chronic condition
In practice
How it looks in the real world
Duolingo
Built around the casual learner with five minutes, not the language student.
Airbnb
Understood two very different users, hosts and guests, at once.
Nintendo
Designed the Wii for people who never called themselves gamers.
Common pitfalls
- 01Designing for the user you wish you had.
- 02Treating one persona as if it were everyone.
- 03Confusing what users say with what they do.
Ask yourself
- Do you know the job your user is hiring you for?
- Are you designing for behavior you have observed, or behavior you assume?
- Which user are you quietly ignoring?