Seeing the Simple Solution: A UX Lesson from a Stuck Bus

By Gail Mackenzie

I am currently in the process of developing an early proof of concept (PoC) for a product idea here at Xennial Innovations. Instead of designing to a grand scale, I decided to use current software and build a straightforward solution that could work within its constraints. The software's fixed pages had me worried. My intention was to fill it with AI-generated content, and depending on the output, the content would spill from its containers. I struggled to find a workaround to use its features to create the format I needed without much success. I was certain that my platform required a time-intensive approach and the help of a developer.

A realization came to me once I reached out to my colleagues with my problem and almost immediately got this response. "Can you make the content fit the space instead?" It then dawned on me that I had become trapped in the box—the professional box of responsive design. I was not thinking outside the box I created for myself. The answer was so simple. I was utilizing AI to fill the gaps as needed, believing I had to conform to the AI's limitations for it to work effectively. But in doing so, I had forgotten something critical—I am the master of AI; it's not the master of me. I spent hours making the layout fit the content, determined to force the software into flexibility. I didn't even consider that I could control the content itself. It was an "aha" moment. This moment reminded me of a well-known story that perfectly illustrates the value of stepping back and considering different perspectives.

The Story of the Stuck Bus

One day, a bus was traveling through a densely built city when the driver misjudged the clearance of an underpass and got wedged under the bridge! The bus was stuck. It was too tall to move forward and too big to reverse out without causing damage to the bridge and the surrounding area. Soon, the police and the fire department came to the scene and realized the problem was much bigger than anticipated. So, they called in experts from different fields to see what could be done about the stuck bus:

• Bridge engineers analyzed the bridge's structure, debating whether to raise or dismantle part of it.
• Mechanical engineers came in to examine the bus and determine whether they could remove parts of the frame to help it pass through.
• City officials made things worse by discussing complex solutions, including potentially digging up the road under the bus to lower it.

After hours of deliberation, a small child watching from the sidelines spoke up: "Why don't you just let the air out of the tires?" Everyone paused what they were doing. And just like that, the simplest solution solved the problem.

The UX Takeaway

This story really resonates with the concept that sometimes, as professionals, we can teach ourselves to look down on simple solutions. Just like the engineers around the stuck bus, UX professionals can fall into "expert blindness." They saw solutions based on their professional expertise, not the simple solution. Their years of expertise have them using all that they've learned to really analyze things to the utmost degree when that isn't necessarily the best course of action. Think of an e-commerce checkout: a team focused on micro-interactions created a multi-step form, leading to high cart abandonment amongst users. A simple single-page form with guest checkout, like deflating the tires in the story, solved the problem for these UX designers.

The child's "Why not let the air out?" statement highlights the power of fresh perspectives. In UX, this is user testing. We "deflate" design issues and improve intuition by embracing user feedback. Resist overengineering and focus on clear, intuitive experiences. Sometimes, the most elegant solution is the simplest one.

How I Get Un-Stuck

As a UX designer, I immerse myself in different personas, thinking from their perspectives and solving their pain points. But I also have to know when to step back and reassess. It can be way too easy at times to want to think of the most complex solution to a task or feel the need to use all the fancy gadgets and AI tools at your disposal. Sometimes, the most effective solution isn't about forcing something to fit—it's about seeing the problem differently.

This experience reinforced how fortunate I am to work with a team that keeps me grounded. When one of us gets stuck, we help each other see the obvious. That's what great teams—and great design thinking—are all about.

For more information and other articles about UX, check out these articles:

Conquering Research as a UX Designer

How to Foster UX and Developer Collaboration

How to Find UX Inspiration