Some usual suspects are engaged in a feverish discussion on what UX “did” to this or that related practice — and now is the time to stop it from further destruction!
Let’s be clear: UX cannot do anything to anyone. UX is two letters of the alphabet, representing a philosophy, a process, a practice of designing with the user in mind. If another related discipline expanded or contracted due to the focus on (or buzz around) UX, it was and still remains the people who practice it, not the discipline itself, who are responsible — to credit or to blame.
Human beings evolve. Their interests change, shift, oscillate. The focal point of society moves, business adapts, the world keeps on spinning. When ideas are forgotten, principles demoted, it is due to the natural evolution of life. When we claim that one body of work is the cause of increasing or decreasing focus of another body of work — without recognizing the people who are responsible for creating, shaping, sharing, influencing it — we abstract away once again from human beings at the core of everything we do. It is the goal of user experience to prevent this abstraction.
Thoughts have the power to control us, when we give them that power. It’s up to us to remind ourselves and each other that we are not our thoughts, that we are more than the sum of our beliefs and ideas.
Related Posts:
- If VCs Understood UX… September 13, 2012 | 50 comments
- Bill Maher makes fun of Captcha’s poor usability May 12, 2010 | 8 comments
- A Hippocratic Oath for User Experience Designers October 2, 2009 | 4 comments
- The Enduring Misconceptions of User Experience Design February 8, 2013 | 29 comments
- Why I detest the term “Lean UX” February 27, 2011 | 26 comments
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