Lab Reaction: What UX Designers Can Learn From IKEA

After designing interfaces for the last ten years, I’ve caught myself on many occasions forgetting there is a world of design outside the computer. It’s easy to stay deep in the inspiration of your industry. While it is good to keep up on developing trends, it’s also important to widen your vision and draw from other disciplines. That’s why I really connected with what Katherine was saying in her article.

I really liked how Katherine was able to draw direct parallels between IKEA’s instructions and onboarding new customers. The connections she made are seemingly obvious, but I’ve assembled plenty of IKEA furniture and this has never occurred to me.

My biggest takeaway from the article is not the connection between IKEA instructions and onboarding users, but the fact that I should always be looking for inspiration in every day interactions. Being aware of your own experiences and having the foresight to see past the obvious to learn from others is perhaps the best way to grow as a designer.