A sports injury is definitely never a happy or welcome event - but it can provide us with surprising insights into the design of user experiences and the often associated change processes in organisations. The parallels between the recovery of athletes and the transformation of digital products are surprisingly similar 🙂
This is because both processes involve a change in routines
The injury perspective: a lesson in patience and mental strength
The initial shock of a breach is similar to the moment when it becomes clear that an established system (in terms of a service or product) needs to be fundamentally revised. This is because such a revision often means changes - such as different work processes in the area of content creation or similar. And the immediate reaction to such changes is often rejection or the desire for quick solutions. But just as with an injury, quick fixes rarely lead to success.
The healing phase teaches us:
- Acceptance of the current situation as a starting point for improvement
- The need for realistic schedules instead of hasty, tempting, quick actions
- The importance of small, continuous progress
- The mental challenge, Patience to practise
The business perspective: UX and change as a marathon, not a sprint
These findings are directly reflected in successful UX and change processes:
Diagnosis and analysis
Just as a doctor first makes a thorough diagnosis, we need to understand user problems and system weaknesses precisely before we develop solutions.
Regeneration takes place gradually
The careful build-up after a violation corresponds to the iterative approach in UX development:
- Small, testable changes instead of radical upheavals
- Regular performance reviews and adjustments
- Consideration of resilience (on the part of the organisation and also on the part of users/customers)
Mental training
The mental and psychological component is crucial in both areas:
- Stakeholders and users must be mentally prepared for change
- Resistance is normal and must be actively addressed
- Every success, no matter how small, must be made visible and celebrated
Conclusion: sustainability through perseverance and patience
Perhaps the most important lesson from the sports injury for UX and change processes is that sustainable improvement takes time, perseverance, patience and a systematic approach. Quick solutions may seem quite tempting and attractive in the short term, but they often lead to setbacks, which in turn result in high costs in every sense of the word.
We see: The path to success is a process in which every step counts. And just like with a sports injury, the right support makes all the difference. Our offer for your successful start: 4 weeks for measurable success: Increase your visibility, conversion and customer loyalty with us as experts at your side.
Photo from Nazrin Babashova on Unsplash
