Life, Designed – UX Wisdom for Living
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”
— John Dewey, Experience and Education
Think about the last time you navigated a website or app. Did it feel effortless, like the design anticipated your needs? Or was it frustrating, full of roadblocks that made you want to give up? Now, think about how we navigate life—relationships, careers, habits. It turns out, our human experience has a lot in common with digital user experiences.
Navigation: The Maps We Use to Make Sense of Life
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
— John F. Kennedy, Yale University Commencement
Every well-designed website has clear navigation. Imagine trying to find important information on a site with a million dropdown menus, hidden buttons, and no search function — frustrating, right? Life works the same way. If we don’t have clear goals, plans, or guiding principles, we get lost.
The fix: create mental shortcuts.
Know your priorities
Define your values
These make it easier to get back on track when life gets overwhelming. A well-structured navigation menu helps users, and a well-structured mindset helps us.
Load Times: Patience for the Process
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Ever clicked a slow-loading website and given up? We expect things to happen fast, but life doesn’t always work that way. Skill-building, relationships, personal growth — these things take time.
Instead of getting frustrated, think of slow progress as a necessary “loading screen”. Give yourself permission to take things step by step. Not everything needs to be immediate, and sometimes the best are realized through patience.
Error Messages: Learning from Failure
“There is no failure except in no longer trying.”
— Chris Bradford, The Way of the Warrior
When we see a 404 error, we know something’s wrong, but we also know it’s fixable. In life, we tend to take mistakes personally, like they mean we’re failing instead of just needing a course correction.
The best websites provide helpful error messages. They don’t just say “Error.” They tell you what went wrong and how to fix it. We can do the same in life by treating mistakes as feedback, not failure.
Delightful Micro-interactions: The Small Moments That Make a Big Difference
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
— Robert Brault, from his blog
Great digital experiences aren’t just functional, they’re enjoyable. A well-placed animation, a friendly confirmation message, or a cleverly designed button can turn a simple task into something delightful.
The same applies to life. Small gestures like smiling at a stranger, sending a kind message, or taking a moment to appreciate a beautiful day can turn an ordinary day into something better.
Try It, Design Your Experience
“If you like being bad at stuff, you’re gonna end up being good at a lot of things.”
— Tyler Benari (me)
Just as a well-designed digital experience keeps users engaged, a well-designed life helps us move through the world with ease, clarity, and a sense of purpose. When we start thinking about our life experiences as a user experience, we can shape it in ways that feel smoother, more intuitive, and more fulfilling.
