Many public buildings now have bottle-refill stations, but visitors may not know where they are located unless they happen to walk past one.
A first-time user is often the best test of whether a process is truly clear.
Facilities can add refill points to maps, use consistent signs, and prioritize locations near entrances, gyms, waiting areas, and high-traffic corridors.
Regular users unconsciously fill in missing steps from habit. Newcomers cannot, which makes them especially good at revealing hidden assumptions.
Organizations should occasionally test routine processes with people who have never used them before.
Reusable infrastructure is more effective when people can actually find it.
Information should stay consistent across websites, signs, emails, apps, and staff instructions. Conflicting messages can undermine even a sensible policy.
Small improvements can produce substantial cumulative benefits when they affect a routine task that many people repeat throughout the year.
After implementation, organizations should compare repeated questions, delays, and common mistakes with the earlier process. If the same confusion remains, the design should continue to evolve.
Feedback from occasional users is especially useful because they cannot rely on familiarity. Their experience often reveals assumptions that regular users no longer notice.
Information should stay consistent across websites, signs, emails, apps, and staff instructions. Conflicting messages can undermine even a sensible policy.
Small improvements can produce substantial cumulative benefits when they affect a routine task that many people repeat throughout the year.
After implementation, organizations should compare repeated questions, delays, and common mistakes with the earlier process. If the same confusion remains, the design should continue to evolve.
Feedback from occasional users is especially useful because they cannot rely on familiarity. Their experience often reveals assumptions that regular users no longer notice.
Information should stay consistent across websites, signs, emails, apps, and staff instructions. Conflicting messages can undermine even a sensible policy.
T. Morgan