The Myth of the Average User

The Myth of the "Average User"

When we talk about designing websites or creating digital content, you'll often hear the phrase "designing for the average user." What people usually mean by this phrase is that they are trying to reach the widest audience possible.

That is a good aim. However, the problem with designing for the "average user" is that such a user doesn't exist. People are endlessly diverse, with unique needs and abilities.

Too often, the constructed "average" is merely a mirror image of a designer's assumptions and preferences. And designing by assumption can quickly lead to blindspots and big mistakes in the resulting design.

Understanding the Diversity of Users

In a single group of people in any social setting, there will be a wide range of expertise and ability. Some may have trouble seeing or hearing, while others might find it difficult to use a mouse or keyboard. There are also cognitive differences to consider: some users might struggle to process information in written form and might prefer video, while others might prefer longer textual information they can read at their own pace.

Years ago, I worked at a college that ran an annual youth conference featuring nightly concerts by popular bands. Initially, it was crucial to book the "right" bands to excite attendees. However, research revealed that attendees' musical preferences were highly varied, with only 2% agreement across thousands of attendees. This shocked the planners, and led them to shift their approach, booking a diverse range of musical acts instead of focusing solely on so-called big-name bands. If they had planned the event around their assumed "average attendee", they would have ended up disappointing a whopping 98% of the crowds!

If you’re designing a product or service for an "average user," you are likely overlooking a large percentage of your audience. And as a result, your product or service will be inaccessible or unsatisfactory to a significant portion of your user base.

The Problem with Designing for the "Average"

When we design for an "average user," we create an experience that is mediocre for everyone and great for no one. It's like a meal that turns out bland because the chef tried to please everyone's tastes at once. Designing for the average excludes anyone who doesn’t fit neatly into that narrow definition, which is just about everyone.

In The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman states, "The concept of the average user is fundamentally flawed. People are diverse, with different needs, abilities, and preferences. Designing for the average means designing for no one."

Inclusive design, on the other hand, embraces this diversity. It recognizes that there is no average user and that our goal should be to create products and environments that are usable by as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds. When we design inclusively, we think about the full range of human diversity—not just in terms of physical and cognitive abilities but also in terms of culture, language, age, gender, and beyond.

According to Indi Young, "When we talk about 'the user,' we're making dangerous generalizations. Each person has their own context, goals, and mental models. We need to deeply understand this diversity."

Designing for Diversity

One of the best ways to develop inclusive designs is to conduct user research and user testing. By connecting directly with the people who use your product or service, you can gather insights into their unique needs, behaviours, and challenges. Guaranteed, you'll learn a lot. In the process of user research, we get to delve into the way users see things. And quite often, the difference is startling, leaving our assumptions looking rather flimsy and pale in comparison.

Inclusive design leads to better user experiences and, ultimately, greater customer satisfaction.

When people feel that a product or service has been designed with their needs in mind, they are more likely to have a positive experience and continue using it. Inclusivity also fosters innovation. Learning about the different ways people think, you will be forced to find creative solutions to serve your users' different mental modals, which in the end will make things work better for everyone.

By moving away from the concept of an average user and embracing inclusive design, we can create designs that cater to a wider audience, not by diminishing our conception of who are users are, but by acknowledging their needs and designing to match.

So, the next time you start a new design project, ask not "Who is our average user?", but "Who are our users?", and do some simple research to find out. It’s a shift in thinking that could make all the difference.