Desire Lines
Have you heard of desire lines?
Surely you've seen them. They are the paths that cut through fields and across campuses; those bee-line shortcuts that connect two roads or show a way were none has been established. For many, they are an eyesore. For an experience designer, however, they are absolutely fascinating.
Desirelines are invariably the shortest distance to a destination--no one leaves the established way to find a longer route. Additionally, they reflect the method of the user; you can be guaranteed that if there's a desire line someone thinks there's a better way. At very least, you can assume the established way is not preferred.
Outside of the physical world, this concept still holds bearing. Do you know how your employees work? It may be slightly different from how you have intended. Do you know how your customers use your product? You may be surprised to discover it utilized in ways you never expected.
Keep your eye open for desire lines. At Content Greenhouse, our work revolves around such examples of user experience, which provide helpful information for the development of your existing system.
Outside of the physical world, this concept still holds bearing. Do you know how your employees work? It may be slightly different from how you have intended. Do you know how your customers use your product? You may be surprised to discover it utilized in ways you never expected.
Keep your eye open for desire lines. At Content Greenhouse, our work revolves around such examples of user experience, which provide helpful information for the development of your existing system.
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