Last year one of the kids was staying with us for a while and he surprised us by reorganizing the kitchen cabinets and pantry. That was so nice of him!
One problem though: He's over six feet tall. I'm five feet tall on a good day, Harry is 5'6". You can see where I'm going with this.
It all looked great, but unfortunately he designed for what would be good for him and what he thought we should have, instead of looking at it through our eyes and considering what would work for us.
I did try his redesign for a few days but got tired of standing on chairs and digging through to the back of the cabinets to find the items I use most often.
It's a super common mistake and one I see made every single day as I move through life. Our clients do it all the time and we remind them: Look at what you're creating from your customer's perspective. Don't give them what you think they should have, give them what they want. Don't know what they want? Ask.
It doesn't matter whether you're designing your website, sending email blasts, doing a direct mail campaign, or setting up an exhibit at a show or event. Stop and "change your eyes" as I call it. Get several points of view.
Think about your customers/clients/collectors and who they are. THEIR perspective is critical for your success. Make it as easy as you can for them to do business with you.
An example: I recently did a website audit for a client who set up his website himself. He has the skills, and I was happy to help him fine-tune it. Did he make that most common mistake? He sure did. He took all of his products and categorized them by date because it's important to HIM to know what was published in what year. But would that help his customers find what they're looking for? Not in the least. In fact, it would make it harder for them, and more confusing.
"See" what I mean? Pun intended.
