# The Golden Assumptions of Product Design

The user is a creature which is:

1. Largely ignorant.

2. Inexperienced.

3. Lazy.

4. Immediately forgetful.

5. Often, and at any time, regretful.

6. Habitual.

7. Irrationally pain & loss-avoiding.

8. Irrationally pleasure- and joy-seeking.

And that's OK. There is nothing wrong with users. But this is the _baseline_ you should assume when you design.

So, to address each point (in slam-poetry style):


1. _**Show**_ them, don't just tell. When they need it.

2. _**Teach**_ them; don't _**onboard**_ once, but _**continuously**_, and repeat it.

3. Do their jobs, or at least, let them _**batch**_ it.

4. Let them easily _**go back**_, to re-view. Keep their _**overview**_.

5. Always let them _**undo**_, and don't make them redo.

6. _**Cut down steps**_ to the absolute few, based on what they _**actually do**_. Don't force them to adapt to you.

7. Treat their _**input as sacred**_, so they don't lose, even a few.

8. **Spark joy**; invest in small delights, so they are repeatedly attracted to you. You see the utility and **business value** in _that_, don't you?