Shaking things up? Do it for the user, not yourself.
Shaking things up? Do it for the user, not yourself.

By on in Tech & Trends

Shaking things up? Do it for the user, not yourself.

Recently, Hubs rented a Tesla Model 3. This is a man who loves cars. Loves engineering. Loves his own electric vehicle. Turns out, he didn’t just dislike driving the Tesla—he was angered by it. So much so that he traded it in almost immediately for a random gas-powered sedan.

The experience brought up an interesting conversation—when is change welcome and when are engineers or UI designers or software developers just altering things to satisfy their own egos?

Certainly, the status quo needs to be challenged regularly or we’d still be ordering ice deliveries and sewing our own clothes. But the yardstick should always be whether we’re actually making things better for the user, not ourselves.


People may be willing to adapt to the new $100,000 car they just bought, but they aren’t likely to invest the time or energy into learning a new way of operating your website.


I’m sure I risk angering Tesla owners, as there seems to be an almost cult-like commitment to the brand. And fair enough, Tesla did make the category cool. But I question whether some of the ideas that are being heralded as revolutionary by the billionaire-in-charge are as valuable as he suggests.

Sure, you can learn to drive a Tesla. You can watch a video on how to open the door from the inside, because the handle where you’d expect to find one is only for emergencies and you can damage the door trim by using it. You can try to touch the smaller, farther away and closer together than recommended icons to open the glove box or activate the ability to adjust the mirrors (an action that requires nearly 2-1/2 times longer in a Tesla Model 3 than in a 17-year-old Volvo). And who decided that a sunroof doesn’t need a shade—especially given how much of the Tesla owner demographic is likely to be balding.

Contrast that with the Ford F-150 Lightning, which appeals to its target by powering tools at a jobsite or acting as a backup generator at home.

Needless to say, this post was never really about cars. It’s about looking closely at established conventions and having a good reason to rewrite the rules. For example, we’ve seen respected sites fall down on simple mistakes like:

  • Putting the navigation at the bottom, on the right or hidden behind a not-so-intuitive icon, just to be different
  • Creating a design so out there that visitors (especially the 20% of any audience that’s neurodiverse) can’t read the content or accomplish what they came to do
  • Ignoring what we know about natural eye scanning and user preferences, including having a high-performing mobile experience

People may be willing to adapt to the new $100,000 car they just bought, but they aren’t likely to invest the time or energy into learning a new way of operating your website.

Of course, if you do have a good reason to turn convention upside down—in a way that doesn’t irritate your audience and may drive the whole category forward, go for it! We can’t wait to see what’s next. In fact, we’re right there with you, looking for new ways to engage, surprise and excite.

If you want to be engaging and creative and bold in ways that honor users’ time, rewards them for showing up and motivates them to action, reach out to FATFREE today.