--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Users are not designers." description: "\"Users are not designers.\" — Jakob Nielsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg" --- # Users are not designers. ![“Users are not designers.” quote by Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg) > “Users are not designers.” [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the distinction between end users and professional designers, emphasizing that users typically lack formal design training and may not intuitively understand design principles. **In simple terms:** Users lack design expertise. Key Takeaway Design decisions require specialist skills. Themes User expertise Design process Product development UX Collaboration Mood pragmatic analytical Type observational advisory When to use this quote - Gathering user feedback - Conducting usability testing - Iterating on prototypes - Prioritizing feature requests Key Concepts Design knowledge User behavior Design decision-making Practical Applications - User research - Design workshops Questions to Reflect On - How can we bridge the gap between user insights and design expertise? - What methods ensure user input informs design without assuming design skill? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) Daniel Burka > [I like stuff designed by dead people. The old designers. They always got it right because they didn't have to grow up with computers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/i-like-stuff-designed-by-dead-people-the-old-designers-they-always/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [We designers have been working to stimulate people's souls and minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-fukasawa/we-designers-have-been-working-to-stimulate-people-s-souls-and-minds/) [Naoto Fukasawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-fukasawa/) > [Designers may be the true intellectuals of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/designers-may-be-the-true-intellectuals-of-the-future/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) > [Designer's derive their rewards from 'inner standards of excellence, from the intrinsic satisfaction of their tasks. They are committed to the task, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/designer-s-derive-their-rewards-from-inner-standards-of-excellence/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Design is too important to be left to designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-loewy/design-is-too-important-to-be-left-to-designers/) [Raymond Loewy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-loewy/) > [I've always worked closely with the designers and whoever's making the costumes. Comfort is the last thing you want on your mind when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-yamaguchi/i-ve-always-worked-closely-with-the-designers-and-whoever-s-making/) [Kristi Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-yamaguchi/) > [People always think that designers hate each other. And we're certainly a competitive lot, but we also enjoy each other's company. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/people-always-think-that-designers-hate-each-other-and-we-re/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [Even the best designers produce successful products only if their designs solve the right problems. A wonderful interface to the wrong features will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/even-the-best-designers-produce-successful-products-only-if-their/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Designer' is meant to mean whatever it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-harding/designer-is-meant-to-mean-whatever-it-means/) [Aldous Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-harding/) > [Fashion is it's own currency, some pieces of fashion you can never put a price on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-minagar/fashion-is-it-s-own-currency-some-pieces-of-fashion-you-can-never-put/) [Melody Minagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-minagar/) > [You don't need money to look fabulous. There are so many awesome new designers, so many designers doing collections for mass retailers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/you-don-t-need-money-to-look-fabulous-there-are-so-many-awesome-new/) [Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/) > [Couture has copied my things for years, in addition to countless other costume designers, claiming theirs were the original ideas. It's all part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/couture-has-copied-my-things-for-years-in-addition-to-countless-other/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [I'm always interested in collaborating with designers. I love Gaultier. I know that's kind of a high hope!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-love/i-m-always-interested-in-collaborating-with-designers-i-love-gaultier/) [Pamela Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-love/) > [I'm always telling young designers to take the time to surround themselves with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azzedine-alaia/i-m-always-telling-young-designers-to-take-the-time-to-surround/) [Azzedine Alaia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azzedine-alaia/) ## More by Jakob Nielsen > [Developing fewer features allows you to conserve development resources and spend more time refining those features that users really need. Fewer features mean fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/developing-fewer-features-allows-you-to-conserve-development/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Even the best designers produce successful products only if their designs solve the right problems. A wonderful interface to the wrong features will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/even-the-best-designers-produce-successful-products-only-if-their/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Clear content, simple navigation and answers to customer questions have the biggest impact on business value. Advanced technology matters much less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/clear-content-simple-navigation-and-answers-to-customer-questions/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Three Tips: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/three-tips-simplify-simplify-simplify/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [A general principle for all user interface design is to go through all of your design elements and remove them one at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/a-general-principle-for-all-user-interface-design-is-to-go-through/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/the-system-should-speak-the-users-language-with-words-phrases-and/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don't have to worry about what will happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/consistency-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-usability-principles-when/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Ultimately, users visit your website for its content. Everything else is just the backdrop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/ultimately-users-visit-your-website-for-its-content-everything-else/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [People have to want to change before there's any chance of helping them do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/people-have-to-want-to-change-before-there-s-any-chance-of-helping/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [The web is the ultimate customer-empowering environment. He or she who clicks the mouse gets to decide everything. It is so easy to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/the-web-is-the-ultimate-customer-empowering-environment-he-or-she-who/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/minimize-the-user-s-memory-load-by-making-objects-actions-and-options/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Windows '98 is so similar to Windows '95 because Apple hasn't invented anything worth copying since 1995.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/windows-98-is-so-similar-to-windows-95-because-apple-hasn-t-invented/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [Usability rules the web. Simply stated, if the customer can't find a product, then he or she will not buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/usability-rules-the-web-simply-stated-if-the-customer-can-t-find-a/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [If your users have many questions, it's a failure of your primary site design. It becomes not so much customer support, as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/if-your-users-have-many-questions-it-s-a-failure-of-your-primary-site/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) > [On average, when you ask someone to perform a task on a site, they cannot do it. It's not their fault; it's the designer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/on-average-when-you-ask-someone-to-perform-a-task-on-a-site-they/) [Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) [Explore all 42 Jakob Nielsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/) ## More Design quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) Giambattista Bodoni > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) Fang Chen > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Fear has the role we give it. We are able to empower or poison ourselves to whatever degree we want. This is the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/fear-has-the-role-we-give-it-we-are-able-to-empower-or-poison/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) [Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Users are not designers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jakob Nielsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Design" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/jakob-nielsen-15787_design_users-are-not-designers-5696_5696.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Users are not designers.” — Jakob Nielsen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jakob Nielsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Users are not designers.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```