Most people think great UX comes from being smart. In my experience, it’s the opposite.

When I design like a genius, I make assumptions. When I design like I’m a little dumb, I actually see.

Because what I have noticed is real users don’t arrive with a manual.
They don’t read instructions. They don’t care about logic. They tap, swipe, get distracted, forget, get confused, and leave.

Most UX problems don’t come from lack of intelligence. They come from too much of it.

Smart people assume:

• users will “figure it out”

• onboarding is optional

• everyone reads

• everyone thinks logically

• nobody clicks the wrong thing
  
  

Reality:
Users are busy, distracted, impatient, annoyed, half-asleep, on a noisy train, low battery, bad Wi-Fi, hungry, multitasking, and tapping with their left thumb.

So when I’m working on a product, I try to become the dumbest version of myself: half-awake, low battery, no patience, one hand free, bad network, slightly irritated.

If the product works in that state, it’s good UX. If it doesn’t, it means I assumed too much.

The longer I work in design, the more I realize:
Good UX isn’t intelligence. It’s humility.

If I think I’m too smart for my user, I’ll build something only I can use. If I assume nothing, I’ll build something anyone can use.

So yes, I design like I’m a little dumb. It keeps me honest. It keeps the product human.
And it reminds me that simplicity is not an aesthetic, it’s a responsibility.