Keith Lang whipped out a great post over on Carsonified, demystifying ten UX myths. It's really good stuff, and he covers each with humor and ease. That said, it's a little long, so I will give you the condensed version.
Photo by cobalt123
Myth #10: If the Design is a Good One, You Don’t Need to Test It
That's just stupid. You should always test your design, even if you don't have a budget for testing. At the very least, perform some hallway usability.
Myth #9: People Don’t Change
People learn, and as they learn, so do their needs and their blindspots. Your design has to be able to accommodate both the hacks and the hackers.
Myth #8: Design to Avoid Clicks
Over-reduced design is harder to use than design with a few extra clicks.
Myth #7: UX Design Stops at the Edges of the Product
Your core interactions include things that might not be in the main window, like setting preferences and installing. Put as much thought into those interactions as you do the core use flow.
Myth #6: If you Have Great Search, You Don’t Need Great Information Architecture
You need both powerful search and a good IA to be able to accommodate people with different ways of cracking a nut.
Myth #5: Can’t Decide? Make it a Preference
Making something a preference is often laziness. Make the design elegant and thoughtful, don't offload the thinking to your user.
Myth #4: Design Always with Implementation in Mind
I always tell designers that they should design for the ideal experience, and then make compromises only if it's not possible do implement it (after a healthy battle with your tech team.)
NOTE: In order to have that battle, it REALLY helps to understand your tech.
Myth #3: People Know What They Like
They don't. Not everyone is a creative, and to understand the possibilities, one must be able to think synthetically. Step away from your VOC.
Myth #2: People Read
They only read when they have to or when some thing catches their eye.
Myth #1: The Design Has to be Original
There's this thing called a
design pattern, AKA a convention. Using them effectively can reduce cognitive load for your users.
Summary
At first I was going to say something along the lines of: All you need to do to design well is stop being a jackass.
Though I often feel that sentiment is true, but some of the myths listed above are debunked after years of working in an environment that espouses user-centric design practices. If you're working in a shop that is heavily product or tech focused, you've got an uphill battle. The best thing you can do is start hanging out with more designers and rapping about the craft.
Your task for the day: get in a argument with another designer about any one of these. If it's someone you know disagrees with the myth, argue in favor of it. Get them riled up, and listen as you argue. It'll be fun, and maybe you'll learn something.
