I am not a user. I am not traffic. I am a person.
A real person made of flesh and bone, with feelings too. So why has everything become all about data, stats and technology – where’s the humanity?!
The people trying to sell things to us don’t see us as human at all. We’re just ‘users’ to them. Or ‘traffic’. Well I’ve got news for them. We’re neither. We are people, and its about time they recognised that.
Boring!
We’re sick of seeing the same web designs, the same logo designs and the same average marketing techniques. They never think about what people want. Instead they come up with the same robotic approach, and it’s senseless.
We don’t want to be ‘data-driven’. We don’t care if you are ‘disruptive’. Usability is nice but it’s not exactly captivating stuff. And congratulations on being 1st place on google – shame you bore people rigid when they visit your website.
Robots love ‘to meet user needs’. Whatever that is.
I am not data – I am a free man!
We crave something we can relate to. Something more human. We want design for people, not data.
The problem is they’re selfish – they don’t think about us. No wonder they struggle to sell more stuff, constantly needing new techniques and catchphrases. If they can’t be bothered to connect with us as people, then why would they expect us to get excited about their offer?
The Rise of The Machines
There’s been a revolution and it’s still going on. Technology got more sophisticated. And along the way, how we used and understood it was also revolutionised. There’s lots of buttons now, and they all do different things. But the people pressing the buttons got less sophisticated – they forgot that they’re just a tools.
Because people aren’t robots, price isn’t our focus and neither is logic.
What good is a usable website that’s a yawn fest?! You can’t evoke interest and be irresistible if you’re not thinking about people.
The Counter Revolution
So, we need another revolution. A change of thinking, where people become the focus. Because it’s easier to enthral the people you already have with design that they connect with.
Think about that before you find new ‘users’ to bore.
So, say it with me – from marketers and SEO people to designers and brand strategists: “they are not data, users or traffic. They are people”.
