Using Stoicism to improve our work as UX Designers
What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is a philosophy school founded in Athens in BC 301. It encourages us to be rational, altruistic, psychologically stronger and humbler. Some of the Stoic principles are today considered common knowledge thanks to its influence on Christianity, Psychotherapy and Minimalism.
You can learn more about Stoicism on Wikipedia, The Daily Stoic or Psychology Today.
Why mixing Stoicism with UX?
It is known that a multicultural society is a richer and far more interesting society. We also know that a multidisciplinary team can accomplish much more than a monodisciplinary team ever will. However, when it comes to design it seems like many designers limit themselves to learn about design and nothing else, as if they couldn’t ignore the fact that oftentimes they are consuming the same content presented in different ways.
Ours is an ever changing industry and one needs to stay fresh, but I believe that beyond a certain point, one can get to more interesting places by also learning other disciplines and interlacing them with design. Think of architecture, anthropology, psychology or like in this case, philosophy.
How can we apply Stoicism to UX Design?
1. Use plain language
Unlike their rival school at the time, the Sophists, Stoics didn’t use language to impress others and earn their admiration. Instead, they aimed to use the simplest way of speaking to help their audience become the best version of themselves, achieving virtue and wisdom.
One way of translating this principle into our UX work would be to write UX copy in the simplest possible way. At this point it is common knowledge that people don’t read, so all the more reason for making things ridiculously easy to understand for them.
Accessibility is not limited to people with vision or hearing disabilities. Some of your users may present cognitive and learning disabilities, and it’s your duty to make the extra effort so they don’t have to.
2. Wear simple but comfortable clothes
“Inwardly, we ought to be different in all respects, but our exterior should conform to society”
Stoics avoided any form of self-display. They focused all their energies on improving themselves and helping others without thinking they were superior. Does that mean you should ditch your jewelry collection, become a minimalist and walk barefoot? Certainly not.
The way this principle could be applied to UX goes back to the usability heuristic of maintaining consistency and adhering to standards. In an attempt to visually differentiate themselves from the rest, many products try to reinvent the wheel and in consequence end up providing an inferior UX.
Not only you should strive to keep things simple by using design conventions and patterns that are familiar to the users, but also make sure that nothing gets in the way between people and the core of your product, which should be the main differentiator. Many apps look the same nowadays, but it’s their functionality and ease of use what makes a difference for people.
3. Amor Fati: Embrace change
Translated as “Love of one’s fate”, Amor Fati is an attitude that Stoics embraced to face adversity. It doesn’t mean to just be ok with whatever unfortunate event that happens to you, but to welcome it with open arms and be at peace with it.
“Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens: then you will be happy.”
You must have heard before that “We shouldn’t marry our designs”. I believe that’s the best way to translate Amor Fati into our daily work. A digital product is never finished, and therefore it’s not up to us to define the fate of the products we design. Users come and go, companies change their board of directors, requirements are updated, the market’s needs are in constant evolution — And sometimes things will not evolve the way that we would like.
4. Differentiate between what you can change and what you cannot
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Related to the previous point, Stoics were well aware of what was under their control and what was not. By trying to control things that are out of your control, you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Things that are out of your control include:
What people will think of your designs.
Other people’s beliefs.
How well developers will implement your designs.
People’s actions during a usability test.
This one takes a lot of effort, but with practice you will learn to let go of the illusion of control, and hopefully you will be at peace knowing your limits when it comes to controlables.
5. Negative visualization
What’s the worst thing that could happen? That’s what Stoics asked themselves in order to be prepared for whatever life had in store for them. They did not just question it — that would be overthinking and being anxious. Rather, they acted upon it by getting mentally or physically prepared for the worst-case scenario.
You use a web-based design tool (UXPin, Figma...). What’s the worst thing that could happen? If they experience a server outage, you might temporarily lose access to your designs, and that would be an hour/day/week of lost work. Visualizing this will give you ideas of things you can do offline, so when it actually happens, you can remain calm and make the most out of time.
6. Do the right thing
Stoics had a strong sense of ethics. They lived by principles that got them closer to ‘eudaimonia’ (blessedness), the highest human good according to them. Stoics realized that humans seek pleasure, and they knew that while alcohol or sex could provide temporary pleasure, doing the right thing provides everlasting fulfillment and happiness.
We sit at the spot between users and the business, and claim to defend users while trying to please the business requirements, so ethics can be tricky to discuss within our field. However, there are many simple ways to do the right thing within our daily design work, like avoiding deceptive patterns or pushing back abusive requirements and presenting cohesive alternatives to the business.
7. Realize nobody does wrong willingly
Related to my last comment on the previous point, it’s important to realize that effectively no one does wrong on purpose. Socrates believed that evil was a result of ignorance rather than intention.
If we see abusive requirements coming down from stakeholders, it’s important to understand that usually they don’t have knowledge about design, psychology or even development. Therefore it’s our duty to teach them when we believe something is not fair for users, as stakeholders may be unfamiliar with better ways—otherwise they wouldn’t need us in the first place.
8. Question yourself
Stoics questioned everything they did to ensure they were on the pilot seat of their life. As designers, there are many healthy ways in which we can question ourselves to ensure we are doing good work without falling into the hands of the impostor syndrome.
Be aware of your biases as a designer. The most typical one is the confirmation bias, which is when someone seeks out information that supports their point of view about a certain topic. Having awareness of your biases will contribute to a healthier work environment and better design solutions.
Another trap designers fall into is the purpose of what they are doing. Who are you designing for? Are you designing for people, for your portfolio, or to earn praise? Remember the purpose of what you are doing or the reason why you were hired, and stay true to it.
9. Turn obstacles into opportunities
Thanks to techniques like negative visualization, Stoics were able to face adversity in a calm manner. In fact, they would go beyond and make the most out of any adversity. A modern Stoic would not be the person who gets anxious and mad while waiting to get off a plane. Instead, they would control their impulses and take the opportunity to catch up on email, news, organize their To-Do list for the following day, or simply relax.
What lenses you use to see the world impacts the way you see the world. Maybe you had a great idea but when you go to the developers it’s not possible to do? If you detach yourself from the initial idea and listen to them, maybe you can come up with something even better. Embrace constraints and build upon them.
10. Practice reflection
Endless meetings, deadlines, KPIs, pressure from management... there are many factors that can make us get caught up in our work routine and not have a time to reflect.
Stoics used to reflect early on in the day about the tasks they had to do, and in the evening about their performance for the day. We can do the same and ask ourselves:
Did I do anything wrong today? If so, how can I prevent it from happening again in the future?
What good did I do today?
What did I leave undone?
Review your list, reflect on what you can do better next time and soak in the good things that you did. The goal is not to punish yourself, but to be more aware of your wrongs so you can avoid them and realize that you do many good things as well.
Do you know about Stoicism and would like to contribute to this post? Contact me at: contact@aday.design
