What People Want

It's hard to decide even the smallest things. Sometimes we know exactly what we want, but most of the time even little decisions aren't certain. What toppings to get on a pizza, what shirt to wear on a particular day, where to meet people: I could spend days listing things which give rise to arguments about choices.

What is most difficult for some people is expressing their desires. They may have a very clear image in their heads of what they want, but they don't necessarily know how to put it in words which another person, typically the implementer of the wish, can understand. Some people draw pictures. Some people give long, drawn-out descriptions. But at the end of the day, the communication is imperfect.

The easiest thing I've found to do is for the person seeking a decision to make a random choice. The old saw says that if you can't decide between two options, flip a coin. If you don't like the result of the coin flip, obviously you should take the other option. But the coin gives you a definite choice to which to react.

The problem is that some choices aren't binary. Sometimes there are decisions of design, of taste, which are less in the manner of, "Which of these two things do you prefer?" and more in the manner of, "What qualities were you looking for in this?" In that case, the designer should come up with something. It doesn't have to be the final design. It doesn't even have to be a good design. But it gives the decision-maker (I almost said "decider") something to which to react.

So the designer brings in the design, and the decision-maker takes one look at it and disagrees with all of it. They say that certain things need to be made larger, brighter, etc. They can give you a detailed critique of exactly what is wrong with the design. But they couldn't have voiced a positive assertion of design; they can only react to what they see as incorrect.

I don't know what it is about humans that makes it easier to criticize than to create, but harness it. Make something for people to criticize. Make a decision to shoot down. Chances are good that you'll find out what people really want by what they say they don't want.

And if all else fails, they'll look at the design, say it's fabulous, and you'll be done. They may not be happy, but it's their fault, not yours.