Lucy Suchman really flipped the script on how we think about design. She pointed out that there’s often a big mismatch between what designers think users want and what they actually experience. According to her, it’s not just about designing a cool gadget or software; it’s about understanding how people actually use it in real life. She introduced this idea of “situated action” – basically, how we interact with tech depends a lot on our current situation. So, it’s kinda unrealistic to think we can plan every little detail in advance. We’ve got to be more flexible and really tune into our users. For us as designers, this means we should spend more time observing, listening to, and empathizing with our users. We’ve got to dive deep into their world and design for those real, messy, everyday moments. Honestly, it’s a game changer and a reminder that design should be more about real people than just cool tech.
