Design of any kind requires empathy. If you’re making it for yourself, it’s a hobby. Everything else is for someone else.
Great designers know who it’s for. And the design is for them, not for the designer.
Annie Jean-Baptiste teaches us about restrictive design. This is what happens when the designer fails to identify and recognize who the work is for, and then leaves people out. “Exclusion is a business decision, even when you did not mean to make it.”
Not everything needs to be designed for everyone. But all well-designed experiences and products are designed for someone.
Name your people, invite them in and give them what they need.