User-Centric Design Refinements

Have you kept Thumb Zone Accessibility in mind while designing your features? If you’ve used Paytm, PhonePe, or CRED recently, you might have noticed a subtle but powerful design shift—the QR scanner now sits at the bottom of the screen, conveniently within reach. What seems like a minor tweak actually makes a huge difference in user experience! 🌟 Previously, apps like PhonePe placed the QR scanner in the top-right corner. For users with larger phones, this placement often required a two-handed reach 👆👈—an awkward, inefficient, and slightly clunky experience. By relocating the scanner to the bottom center, the app now leverages the Thumb Zone Accessibility or Thumb-Friendly Design principle, placing key features within easy reach of the thumb. This aligns with usability best practices, as the scanner is now positioned where your thumb is organically placed, making scanning faster, more intuitive, and a seamless one-tap, single-hand interaction. ✅👍 Why the Change? 🤔 The “Jobs to Be Done” Principle in Action This shift aligns perfectly with the “Jobs to Be Done” theory in product management. Users aren’t just using these apps—they’re hiring them to perform a specific job: making payments seamlessly. By moving the scanner to the bottom, apps remove unnecessary friction, making the experience smooth and intuitive. 🎯💡 Paytm picked up on this UX enhancement early on, perhaps gaining a slight edge in usability. But PhonePe recently adopted this change. This simple repositioning could not only boost accessibility but might even increase transaction frequency by making payments faster and more convenient. 💸💥 What's the takeaway? In product design, no detail is too small. Tiny UX optimizations can have a big impact on user satisfaction and engagement. Always opt for user-centered designs. Which app do you use for UPI payment and does this placement of QR scanner help you ? #ProductManagement #ProductDesign #UIUX #Design #ProductManager #Design

We will never be user centred because if we ask people what they want, we just won’t be able to deliver it. I’ve heard that a good many times now and at its heart it demonstrates a foundational misunderstanding of what user centred design actually is. Let me expand… 1. ‘User’ was never meant to only mean end users. We need to make sure that the service works for the staff delivering it too. If it’s impossible to deliver for the staff, that isn’t good user centred design. 2. User centred design doesn’t mean throwing away organisation needs. It means starting with user needs and then prioritising the ideas and services that are feasible and viable for the organisation to deliver. 3. People are brilliant at describing their own experiences, but not always great at designing the solution. If we literally ask “what do you want?” we’ll get feature requests. User centred design is more about understanding behaviours, constraints, motivations and pain points, then designing options that are deliverable. 4. User centred doesn’t mean “more work for the organisation” Done well, it reduces failure demand: repeat contacts, avoidable calls, workarounds, rework, complaints. There’s a strong case for linking user pain points to organisational waste points and cost. 5. It’s not a phase you do at the start A lot of resistance comes from assuming research is a big, slow, one-off event. In practice, it’s little and often: test, learn, iterate, keep checking you’re solving the right problem. 6. The “user” includes people who never get invited into the room or don’t use your services yet. User centred design includes actively seeking underrepresented perspectives and folks with accessibility needs and designing services that actually works for them. We can’t afford not to do this in public services. User centred design isn’t about giving everyone what they ask for. It’s about taking responsibility for understanding what people need, then making the trade-offs visible.

How you see a design decision shapes how others see it. Over the years, I’ve noticed a connection between how decisions are made in a business and how a design team influences those decisions. The most effective teams actively ensure that their ideas hold up through different challenges, whether technical, strategic, or part of the user journey. When a design team assumes their decisions will "speak for themselves," frustration sets in. The work isn’t valued. And decisions are often ignored or changed without input. In a traditional, top-down approach, the project team makes a decision, then hands it off to stakeholders, and finally, it reaches customers. There’s no feedback loop. Instead, decisions are shaped by the business need, while the customer's voice slowly disappears. The design is expected to stand independently, relying purely on the team’s expertise. But when a design team actively influences decisions, everything shifts: → A feedback-driven process brings customers, stakeholders, and the project team into ongoing conversations. → Ideas go through multiple rounds of refinement based on input from different groups. → This back-and-forth ensures that design decisions reflect actual needs, not just assumptions. The old model assumes that a good design speaks for itself. But teams that embrace iteration, user feedback, and collaboration create better outcomes. And feel more invested in their work. A user-centered approach doesn’t just happen at the start. It requires influence at every step of the process! #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Recently, I conducted user testing for some exciting projects at Stanford, and decided to share some insights. This post feels especially personal because it’s not just about design—it’s about my journey as both a student and a designer. When I first came to Stanford as an international student, I struggled with navigating its complex academic systems. It was frustrating, and I remember wishing for tools that could make things simpler and more intuitive. Fast forward to today, and I have the incredible opportunity to work on improving those very systems—side by side with current students. Listening to their frustrations during user testing brings back so many of my own memories. It’s a full-circle moment, where my past experiences fuel my passion to make these tools better for everyone. Here are some interesting insights: • 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Users often approach academic tools with mental models shaped by other apps or systems they use. Identifying and aligning with these expectations can significantly reduce confusion and improve engagement. • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿: Academic tools are often used in high-pressure moments (e.g., enrollment deadlines). Testing revealed that reducing friction in the interface during these times significantly improves the overall experience. • 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Today’s students expect tools to adapt to their preferences, like saving search filters or suggesting classes based on their academic history. • 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Students value clear, visual representations of information, such as progress bars for degree completion or graphs showing their weekly workload distribution. • 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Designing for inclusivity means accounting for diverse backgrounds, from non-traditional students to those who are the first in their family to attend college. • 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱: Even after a design seems polished, user testing consistently uncovers areas for refinement, proving that the design process is never truly finished. User testing can be really challenging but truly rewarding in the end. I decided to share these moments to contribute to a community that’s all about learning and growing together. If you’ve got user testing stories or tips, I’d love to hear them—let’s inspire each other! #UXDesign #UIDesign #UserTesting #HumanCenteredDesign #DesignForEducation

Ever wondered why some systems make users feel like they need a PhD to operate them? Let's fix that. Many tech leaders think they know what users want, but often, they're missing the mark. It's time to stop designing for awards and start designing for your users. Here's how to create a truly user-friendly system: 1. Easy-to-Navigate Streets 🏙️ Imagine your software as a bustling city. A good city has clear street signs, and your software should too. Users shouldn't need GPS to find what they need. Make navigation intuitive. A well-planned grid beats a confusing tangle of alleys any day. Engagement ROI: Investing $1 in UX design can yield a $100 return. That's a 9,900% ROI! (Source: Forrester) 2. Efficient Public Transit 🚇 In cities and software, quick travel matters. Your system should be as fast as an express train. Make it run faster and simpler. Let users complete tasks before their coffee goes cold. 3. Helpful City Services 🏥 Every city faces issues. In software, they're bugs and errors. Handle them like a responsive city hall. Don't just say "Road Closed." Explain the detour and when it'll be fixed. Be the helpful mayor, not the grumpy bureaucrat. Cost Savings: Fixing design issues in development is 100x more expensive than addressing them during design. (Source: IBM) 4. Customizable Neighborhoods 🏘️ Some folks prefer downtown, others the suburbs. Let users customize their experience. It's like letting them choose their ideal neighborhood in your digital city. They'll feel more at home and stay longer. 5. Listen to the Locals 👥 Residents know their city best. Your users are the locals of your software city. Watch how they navigate. Listen to their feedback. Use their input to build a better user experience. Conversion Boost: A well-designed UI can boost website conversion rates by up to 200%, with UX improvements driving increases up to 400%. (Source: Forrester) Continuous Urban Planning 🏗️ Great cities evolve. So should your software. Keep refining based on user feedback. It's like urban renewal – consistent improvements lead to a thriving cityscape. Your goal isn't to build the tallest skyscraper. It's to create a place where users feel at home. When they can navigate your system as easily as their favorite city block, you've succeeded. Next time you're designing a system, think like an urban planner. Would YOU enjoy living in this digital city? If not, it might be time to revise those blueprints. What's your take on creating user-friendly systems? Share your best 'user-friendly' experience in the comments below. Think about a system you use regularly. What one change would make it significantly more user-friendly for you?

UX design without data is like driving blindfolded. But at the same time, data alone won't tell you the whole story. Here’s how we balance both for stellar results at UN/COMMON: ↓ 1️⃣ Start with well-tested strategies After building hundreds of eCommerce funnels, we’ve seen certain UX approaches consistently perform well. We focus on designs that: -> Keep users moving down the funnel -> Guide them smoothly from home page to checkout …this sets the foundation. 2️⃣ Dig into the numbers Leveraging data platforms like Triple Whale and GA4 allow us to understand consumer behavior in a funnel at a micro level. They let us analyze every step of the user journey. We use them to: -> Find winning patterns -> Spot conversion roadblocks -> Make data-backed UX decisions From home page to the “thank you” page, we leave no stone unturned. 3️⃣ Get inside customers’ heads Numbers tell a story… …but they don’t tell the *whole* story. So, we put ourselves in the shopper’s shoes and ask: -> How does this design make them feel? -> What motivates them to keep clicking? -> Where might they get stuck or confused? To make conversions, we don’t only analyze behavior— We decode the human behind every click. Because at the end of the day, we’re all consumers— We shop. We browse. We buy. …and the best UX taps into that shared experience. 4️⃣ Balance quant and qual Magic happens when we combine hard data with human insight. This dual approach helps us: -> Validate our hunches with numbers -> Explain our numbers with real user feedback The result? ↳ UX that’s both data-driven *and* user-centric 5️⃣ Keep learning and applying Every project and partnership is a chance to get better— We take lessons from each client and apply them to the next. This constant evolution means: -> Our designs keep improving -> Our strategies stay current -> Our results get stronger At UN/COMMON, we’re never satisfied with “good enough.” The bottom line? Great UX is where quantitative analysis intersects with human psychology. It's not just about data or design. It's about decoding human behavior at scale— That's how we create experiences that convert.

💡Combining Design Thinking, Lean UX, and Agile A combination of Design Thinking, Lean UX, and Agile methodologies offers a powerful approach to product development—it helps balance user-centered design with efficient concept validation and iterative product development. 1️⃣ User-centered foundation (Design Thinking): Begin by understanding the needs, emotions, and problems of the end-users. ✔ Start by conducting user research to identify and understand user needs. ✔ Gather insights through direct interaction with users (e.g., through interviews, surveys, etc.). Spend time understanding users' behavior, focusing on "why" rather than "what" they do. ✔ After gathering research, prioritize the most critical user insights to guide your design focus. Create a 2x2 matrix to prioritize insights based on impact (high vs low business impact) and feasibility (easy vs hard to implement) ✔ Begin brainstorming potential solutions based on these prioritized insights and formulate a hypothesis. Encourage cross-functional collaboration during brainstorming sessions to generate diverse ideas. 2️⃣ Hypothesis-driven testing (Lean UX): Lean UX helps quickly validate key assumptions. It fits perfectly between Design Thinking's ideation and Agile's development processes, ensuring that critical hypothesis are validated with users before actual development started. ✔ Formulate a testable hypothesis around a potential solution that addresses the user needs uncovered in the Design Thinking phase. ✔ Conduct experiment—develop a Minimum Viable Product (https://lnkd.in/dQg_siZG) to test the hypothesis. Build just enough functionality to test your hypothesis—focus on speed and simplicity. ✔ Based on the experiment's outcome, refine or revise the hypothesis and repeat the cycle. 3️⃣ Iterative product development (Agile): Once the Lean UX process produces validated concepts, Agile takes over for incremental development. Agile's iterative sprints will help you continuously build, test, and refine the concept. Agile complements Lean UX by providing the structure for frequent releases, allowing teams to adapt and deliver value consistently. ✔ Break down work into small, manageable chunks that can be delivered iteratively. ✔ Embrace iterative development—continue refining your product through iterative build-measure-learn sprints. Keep the user feedback loop tight by involving users in sprint reviews or testing sessions. ✔ Gather user feedback after each sprint and adapt the product according to the findings. Measure user satisfaction and track usability metrics to ensure improvements align with user needs. 🖼️ Design thinking, Lean UX and Agile better together by Dave Landis #UX #agile #designthinking #productdesign #leanux #lean  

Recent debate in the world of design finds ourselves confused between design as personal choice or the product of a well calculated UX strategy. It’s tempting to lean on aesthetics that feel “right” or ideas that align with personal taste. But when designing for business, it's crucial to look beyond what we like and focus on what works. Here’s why aligning design choices with KPIs and UX metrics drives results. Imagine designing a user interface based purely on color schemes we love or animations that feel fun. While personal style brings creativity to the table, it often lacks a strategic focus. For example, a designer might feel that an intricate navigation system looks sleek. But if UX metrics reveal high abandonment rates at navigation points, that “cool” design is clearly not resonating with users. Here, usability should trump aesthetics every time. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and UX metrics – like conversion rates, task success rates, or time-on-task – are not just data points. They’re our users’ voices, telling us what they need and expect. When a design aligns with these metrics, it speaks directly to user behavior and business objectives. This is where real value is created. Let’s prioritize intuitive, data-driven design that serves the user and meets business goals. Personal taste may spark inspiration, but data is what drives sustainable impact. Design that’s user-centered, measurable, and flexible isn’t just visually appealing; it’s strategically valuable. So, next time you face a design decision, ask yourself: Is this about personal taste, or does it align with key metrics? The answer might just change the way you design. 💡 #DesignThinking #UserExperience #UXMetrics #KPIs #ProductDesign

Do you sometimes feel frustration, as you are building a product to get the management off your back, rather than address the users? Here are 6 ways to become user-centric again: 1) Prioritize in a transparent way This is a great place to start. If your backlog is prioritized based on data and potential opportunity, risk, and cost, it will be easier to put forth user-centric initiatives ahead of those that came from upstairs. At the very least, you will have a good basis for an educated discussion. 2) Utilize users' perspective using user stories and personas If your team understands the users and their problems, it will be easier to craft something great that will later appeal to the same users. Just keep up the empathy of creating something by people for other people, and not get some metric magically go up! 3) Understand user problems If everyone in the company can see the themes that come from user feedback, it will be way harder to ignore it in favor of some corporate nonsense. Let those voices be heard by everyone! What if there are 100,000s of voices? Here is where this post's partner comes in: Productboard , and their new release: Productboard Pulse. It's a powerful new tool you can use either as a standalone solution or to elevate your work within an existing Productboard product management suite. This new AI will help you make sense of all the feedback and comments, quickly transforming them into actionable, user-centric tasks. Check out the comments for more details :) Now, back to the post: 4) Have the NPS and user ratings at the forefront The same goes for a single metric representing the general product sentiment. If the number is low or, worse, is going down and everyone can see that, the responsible Product Manager has to react. 5) Focus on your product goals Now, upstairs mandates might not be the only distraction you face when trying to improve your product. To survive them all, focus on one thing: your product goals. This will allow you to demonstrate you are doing what you are asked for and you can use user feedback and points 1-4 to pursue those goals. Thus, it's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. However, you can also simply: 6) Have the confidence to say "No" Not all company/legal/management requests can be ignored. Sometimes changing the law or a wider company initiative will require you to comply and that is OK! However, there will also be times when someone will try to force your compliance. This is where you need to be confident, and exercise your Product Manager's independence, especially when there is no data to support a specific request. There you go! My 6 ways you can become a user-centric Product Manager. Do you put your users first in your product? Sound off in the comments! #productmanagement #productmanager #usercentricity

Good product design is about reducing unnecessary cognitive load. Every push notification I get is a touchpoint but when timed well, it adds value. When mistimed, it can feel out of place. It’s not about reducing notifications but about making them more context-aware. That’s why personally I find FastingMode on Swiggy so interesting. It doesn’t remove notifications, it simply gives users the choice to pause food-related ones during fasting hours. A tiny tweak, but one that makes the experience feel more user-first. From a product and UX standpoint, here’s why it works: 👉 Intent-driven activation: The feature is surfaced contextually instead of buried in settings. 👉 Non-disruptive design: No forced pop-ups or alerts, just an option available when needed. 👉 User-centric approach: Prioritizes experience over default engagement metrics. Good tech isn’t just about building more features. Sometimes, the best engineering decision is knowing when to stay out of the way. 😉 #marketing #networking #connections LinkedIn LinkedIn News