You know that feeling you get when you see someone else carry out a task you’ve done thousands of times, but they do it differently from the way you would’ve done it
Recently, my girlfriend put something in the microwave and button smashed the :30 button until the timer on the display reflected 3 minutes.
I sat there dumbfounded…
I use the 30-second button sparingly. Actually, I use it for one reason: To heat up something for 30 seconds or less. Anything over 30 seconds and I poke the appropriate digits into the keypad in full.
3 minutes? 3-0-0-start.
2 minutes and 30 seconds? 2-3-0-start
1 minute? 1-0-0-start
I’ve never used the 30-second button to build up to a minute mark.
Why does this experience throw me off so much? I design user experiences for a living. I think about user flows and efficiency every day.
And yet, I’m surprised by all the emotions I feel when I experience these moments. I feel overwhelmed, excited, shocked, jealous, curious, defensive, alive…
- Overwhelmed because I fear I might have been doing something wrong my entire life
- Excited because I just saw something so different that I have to ask questions
- Shocked because I haven't seen anyone do that before.
- Jealous because maybe that really is the “right way”
And the list goes on. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions.
I came to realize this moment I was experiencing is a special one. One of my things to experience. Especially when it takes place around close friends with whom you have less friction to engage with. These experiences typically end with a comical back-and-forth debate about the “right way”.
It’s so so silly to see how defensive we get about “our way”. As if something big is at stake.
The truth is, and I'd say the best part about this is that there is no “right way”. There are just different ways of accomplishing a task using the resources at hand.
It’s a reason I love UX research and design. It's a never ending experience of discovering and acknowledging the different ways to engage in everyday activities.
P.S: Here's a link to a fun game that gives you the exact experience I describe above. Try it out!
neal.fun/lets-settle-this