Ask better questions. Build better systems.
Once upon a treadmill, I realized something: I hate solo workouts. Running with headphones? Meh. Lifting weights in front of a mirror? Felt like I was stuck in a gym-themed Black Mirror episode. It did not motivate me, it drained me.
So I did what I always do when a system does not work: I redesigned it. These days, my fitness plan includes pickleball, volleyball, and Zumba, not because I am training for the Olympics, but because these activities keep me engaged. They are social. Fun. And unlike solo workouts, I actually stick with them.
Designing for users starts with listening to them. Complaints start when listening stops.
The Atrium Health Story
This philosophy came in handy when I was working with Atrium Health. Our team built a visitor check-in system that looked great on paper. Executives loved it. Clean UI. Pretty dashboards.
But when I visited the hospital to see it in action, something felt off. Receptionists, the ones using the tool all day, were struggling. The page loaded slowly. Unused features were bloating the experience.
So I did the one thing most dev teams forget: I talked to each receptionist. Actually, I did more than talk. I helped check in visitors, shadowed their workflow, and joined them for a drink after their shift. That is when the real insights came out.
"They did not need bells and whistles. They needed speed."
I took that feedback to our devs. We removed the fluff, simplified the calls, and made the system faster. (Read the full technical story →) The receptionists thanked me. Not because I gave them a fancier tool, but because I gave them their sanity back.
The Pickleball Design Flaw
Even in play, I found design flaws worth fixing. Our casual group had a recurring issue: players kept rotating with the same partners. The vibe got cliquey. Some folks barely got to play.
So I borrowed an idea I had seen elsewhere and adapted it: winners of one round play winners of the next, losers do the same. Everyone cycles through fresh opponents. No repeat pairings. More fairness. More fun.
People loved it, not because it was revolutionary, but because it solved a subtle frustration they had not articulated yet. That is the power of user feedback combined with observation.
Why This Belongs in an SE's Portfolio
- ❓Better questions lead to better designs.
- 🤝Empathy over ego. The user's workflow matters more than your assumption of it.
- ⚡Fix the friction, not just the interface.
- 💡Borrow smart ideas and adapt them. You do not have to invent everything.
Whether it is a hospital reception desk or a rec center pickleball court, the lesson sticks: your users already know what is wrong. Just ask.
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