Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Odair Faléco

What do these two processes have in common?

In my first article I spoke a little about the connections that I see between UX and Psychoanalysis, now I would like to make some cuts on similarities that I see between the two processes, come with me.

1. Listening as a Method 👂

Our postmodern world is flooded with notifications, information, photos, videos, news, audios — a real overdose of information, communication and exaltation of the individual; but does anyone really listen to this mess?

In the present time, listening is increasingly scarce, most of the time, we are wanting to talk about ourselves (observe for yourself and find out), we can hardly stop to Listen to the Other. As the Other speaks, our heads speak together, disagreeing, classifying, judging — this is not Listening.
It is no wonder that large numbers of people pay $ therapy sessions (not just psychoanalysis sessions) simply to be heard.

Nowadays, I notice that our dialogues are very similar:

Person 1:
“I like yellow”

Person 2:
“I like red”

Person 1:
“I love wine and pasta”

Person 2:
“Ah, I already went to Italy, it was incredible” …

Person 1:
“I really love StarWars”

Person 2:
“Ah, I prefer StarTrek, much better …”

* I think you understood the Pattern, right?
Is this a dialogue or are we a good part of the time trying to talk about ourselves? Are we really listening to others?

Listening to people is an essential phase in UX processes (empathy and discovery) and also in the process of Design Thinking; these people can have diverse profiles like users, stakeholders, devs, attendance, etc. Listening and Observation are key elements so that we can better understand our users, their behaviors, their needs, their desires, their frustrations — in short, their stories and journeys — so that we can design something that makes sense for them and, in a way, release their pains and frustrations.

It is sensible to realize and admit that there is a big difference between what we say, what we do, and what we say we do. We can see this when we look at our New Year’s Resolutions; how difficult it is to change our habits, and in other contexts as well.

One of Freud’s messages is that we are made of patterns and repetitions and that we are not as much in control as we imagine to be (we are not so smart…)

Talking and Doing comes from a different dimension, the Doing comes from somewhere much deeper within us; has direct influences from our unconscious and is expressed in our day to day actions.
* Have you stopped to notice how much of you is Repetition ?

Well, in the same way, in the sessions of Psychoanalysis and in the psychoanalytic method, Listening and Observation are fundamental parts of the process, if not the most important part! In the sequence I will compare the two processes, for now, it is important to understand the difference between Hearing and Listening .

“It is perceived, then, that listening is more deep than hearing . To listen, it is necessary to use a specific function, namely that of attention while the other speaks. He who listens, hears, but who hears does not necessarily listen. Therefore the popular saying: “entered by one ear and went out by the other.”

The Analytic Listening — The Difference between Listening and Listening by Márcia Vasconcellos de Lima e Silva

As I see it, both in the processes of UX Design and in Psychoanalysis, Listening, Observation and Understanding are vital parts, without them the thing does not happen. Through it, empathy is born and discoveries are made, in addition to the better understanding of the individual who is there, his desires, frustrations, his pains — so this for me is the first similarity (The Listening method).

2. The Process ✍️

Besides Listening , I believe that the macro-steps in the two processes are very similar — that is — the Process . Listen to people, observe their behavior, their language, their reactions, their choices, what motivates them, what their needs are, their repetitions, their desires, their frustrations — so that it is possible to draw new paths and solutions.

Both UX designers and psychoanalysts are seeking to better understand their users and patients through listening and observation, identifying patterns of behavior, suggesting and testing new ways, observing the results and repeating these cycles in search of continuous improvement, which in this case may be applied to a Person or a product, service or interface.

The Process

If you want to know more about the UX Designer species, I recommend the following study that reports its habitat, symptoms, evolution and rituals :

<a href="https://medium.com/media/3a3522ec0ef75aa149faf486715fef4c/href">https://medium.com/media/3a3522ec0ef75aa149faf486715fef4c/href</a>

3. Empathy & Transference 💛

In both psychology and contemporary neuroscience empathy is a “kind of emotional intelligence and can be divided into: Cognitive — related to the ability to understand the psychological perspective of other people; and Affective — related to the ability to experience emotional reactions by observing the experience of others.

For an analysis to progress and bring results, it is fundamental that there is a connection between the Analyst (designer?) and the Pacient (user?) a synergy, a connection. Without this bridge (a connecting cable, but not an emotional tie) the transference process between the patient and the analyst can’t happen, hindering the advance and a possible “cure”.

By empathizing with the situation and problem of the other, we can create this connection that is fundamental to understanding the subject and thinking of a new path — so for me, empathy is a fundamental characteristic of both processes, UX Design and Psychoanalysis.

The research, based on studies on the work of the creator of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), and one of his main collaborators, Sándor Ferenczi (1873–1933), analyzes the role played by empathy in psychoanalytic treatment.

The author rescues the considerations of the two psychoanalysts on the subject and shows how the concept was present in several ways in its recommendations, although it does not integrate the classic role of technical theory. Empathy, according to the dissertation, is a fundamental point in psychoanalysis guided by the ideals of care and in the training of professionals with greater sensitivity to clinical practice.

Empathy is another similarity that I see between the two processes, without it the thing does not happen.

For those who are interested in Psychoanalysis and want to go deeper into the subject I recommend the research “Why empathy is important for the practice of psychoanalysis”

I know that both processes are different things, I’m not saying that they are the same, but, as I argued above, I see some bridges and similarities between them.

In a certain way, we can say that a UX Designer is being the Analyst of millions of users: listening, understanding, observing, creating empathy, connections, identifying patterns and redesigning paths that will reduce the pains and frustrations of those who have contact with your projects.

Besides all this, knowing a little about Psychology (which can be divided into different approaches such as Behavioral, Cognitive, Psychoanalysis, Analytical, among others) makes you a better designer.

Knowing a little about Psychology is as important to the work of a UX as physics is important to the work of an Architect. (quote adapted from John Leech)

<a href="https://medium.com/media/f90946a6cee400800909af08eccb1f9b/href">https://medium.com/media/f90946a6cee400800909af08eccb1f9b/href</a>

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy, please Share with the community : )

(Below you have the link to the Part 1)

UX Design & Psychoanalysis

UX Design & Psychoanalysis | Part 2 was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

UX Design & Psychoanalysis | Part 2

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