My project for 'As We Grow' is a prime example of how important and vital it is when making a product to considering what users ACTUALLY need vs what you THINK they need.

I started the project with just the prompt to make an app "for the greater good." 🕊 ☮ The users and their needs are limitless here! How exciting! 🤩

🎬 Take 1 ♿ : My first idea was to make an app to help wheelchair users find wheelchair accessible venues.

As an able-bodied person (who is only vaguely aware of wheelchair needs), I dove into this project without actually consulting the users. I wanted to help a minority group, but didn't actually ask them what they needed help with. And so, once I did get around to consulting them, do you know what I found?

This idea not only already exists, but is not something most wheelchair users need help to begin with.

🎬 Take 2 🏳️‍🌈 : So, I tried again by considering a different user group- queer and questioning teens.

I knew this user group a little better but maybe that was a problem too, because my next challenge was that I had too many ideas. By the time I had gathered all of my plans for this project, I had enough material for not one but THREE completely distinct projects, and no way to narrow it down.

🎬 Take 3 🏳️‍⚧: I finally learned my lesson.

I gathered a couple friends together (a few of which were trans) and asked them to tell me about struggles that they had faced. That's when I learned how challenging it can be for trans people to find realistic photos of what to expect post surgery (especially with finding photos that were not gory and full of stitches).

That single user problem became the cornerstone for the project. Thanks to what I had learned, I continued to consult trans and nonbinary people at every step of the way. This was to make sure that the features I that created and included would not only be useful, but were considerate of their needs... needs such as privacy and safety, which are especially vital during these dangerous times.

But this is a lesson that I'm sure many people are continuously having to learn. It's so easy to be in our own bubble, think we know everything, and not really truly talk to our users. Even when we, as designers, are well intentioned (such as with the prompt of making something "for the greater good"), we can get carried away in thinking that "we know what's best."

It might have taken me a few tries to get there, but in the end, I truly made a product that I am very proud of. I don't think it would have come out nearly as successful without so much communication with my user base. Truly a lesson well learned.