Most of the time, when people don’t follow instructions at work, we assume it’s a behaviour problem.
They’re not paying attention.
They’re resistant to change.
They’re ignoring us.
But in my experience, it’s usually a design problem.
We “send an email”, run a session, or publish a policy... and then act surprised when nothing changes. The issue isn’t that people don’t care. It’s that the message wasn’t designed to be understood, accessible, or usable in the moment it mattered.
In this article, I unpack:
Why design always happens (even when we don’t consciously design)
How poor structure, timing, and accessibility lead to mistakes
Practical ways to design messages so people can actually act on them
If no one is listening, it might be time to stop asking why and start asking what experience you designed.
Read the full post on Medium (for free) using my friend’s link