Lucy Suchman’s work completely changed how we think about designing technology by proving that how people actually use technology in real life is often very different from how designers expect it to go. When she studied how people used Xerox copiers, she found out that even though the instructions were easy to understand for designers, other regular users were struggling. This made this gap in communication where maybe it was not working when it was simply understandable to those of specific and different backgrounds. This also opens doors to accessibility and user centered design where a designer cannot use personal bias and actually understand where the user would stand.
Suchman’s work pushed that designers must study and understand the user instead of just guessing or assuming. This brings on interviews, user research, and personas, where a designer really understands the problem area and where the user is stuck and facing difficulty.
I think this is so important because even in my own experience I have found that instructions are sometimes hard to understand and you can tell when something was designed without accessibility in mind or sustainably sourced because the solution either does not apply to everyone or does not solve everyone’s problems.