--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Start by putting yourself in your users'…" description: "\"Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are they coming to your site? If you look at most Web sites, you'd presume that the answer is \"User..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png" --- # Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are… ![“Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are they coming to your site? If you look at most Web sites, you'd presume that the answer is "User is extremely bored and wishes to stare at a blank screen for several minutes while a flashing icon loads, then stare at the flashing icon for a…” quote by Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png) > “Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are they coming to your site? If you look at most Web sites, you'd presume that the answer is "User is extremely bored and wishes to stare at a blank screen for several minutes while a flashing icon loads, then stare at the flashing icon for a few more minutes."” [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates empathy with users, urging designers to understand their motivations and frustrations. **In simple terms:** Design with users' perspectives in mind. Key Takeaway Create intuitive, engaging experiences. Themes user experience empathy design thinking web usability Mood thoughtful practical Type design strategy When to use this quote - e‑commerce sites - SaaS dashboards - mobile apps Key Concepts personas user journeys friction points Questions to Reflect On - What are users' real goals on your site? - How can you reduce perceived waiting times? A Different Perspective Assuming boredom may oversimplify diverse user intents. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Icons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/icons/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [There are so many great artists, I think, who kind of suffer from being icons, legends, acknowledged masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/there-are-so-many-great-artists-i-think-who-kind-of-suffer-from-being/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [My beauty icon is Angelina Jolie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-benson/my-beauty-icon-is-angelina-jolie/) [Ashley Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-benson/) > [All I want to do is be a gay icon. I was reading Lady Gaga's twitter, because she has like 12 million followers, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/all-i-want-to-do-is-be-a-gay-icon-i-was-reading-lady-gaga-s-twitter/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > ["You're a sex icon." Why? Because I played a vampire in a movie? It's all very unearned. If I had the best freaking abs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/you-re-a-sex-icon-why-because-i-played-a-vampire-in-a-movie-it-s-all/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [You can never take too much care over the choice of your shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-dior/you-can-never-take-too-much-care-over-the-choice-of-your-shoes/) [Christian Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-dior/) > [Jerry Garcia was one of the original American icons. He played naturally and beautifully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ornette-coleman/jerry-garcia-was-one-of-the-original-american-icons-he-played/) [Ornette Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ornette-coleman/) > [My style icons are Leigh Lezark, Gwen Stefani and Shirley Manson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/my-style-icons-are-leigh-lezark-gwen-stefani-and-shirley-manson/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) > [Wisdom is a living stream, not an icon to be preserved in a museum. Only when a practitioner finds the spring of wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/wisdom-is-a-living-stream-not-an-icon-to-be-preserved-in-a-museum/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The SF genre, of course, is really an organically evolved, marketplace-determined, idiosyncratic grab bag of themes and signifiers and characters and icons and gadgets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/the-sf-genre-of-course-is-really-an-organically-evolved-marketplace/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [My icons do not raise up the blessed savior in elaborate cathedrals. They are constructed concentrations celebrating barren rooms. They bring a limited light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-flavin/my-icons-do-not-raise-up-the-blessed-savior-in-elaborate-cathedrals/) [Dan Flavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-flavin/) > [On the news that the Tsar had sent the troops icons to boost their morals, General Dragomirov quipped: 'The Japanese are beating us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-figes/on-the-news-that-the-tsar-had-sent-the-troops-icons-to-boost-their/) [Orlando Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-figes/) > [We segregate men from women, and no matter how many times we insist that men and women are equal, men and women should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-t-mitchell/we-segregate-men-from-women-and-no-matter-how-many-times-we-insist/) [W. J. T. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-t-mitchell/) > [What makes a gay icon is someone who possesses both masculine and feminine qualities simultaneously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/what-makes-a-gay-icon-is-someone-who-possesses-both-masculine-and/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [My style icon is anyone who makes a bloody effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-blow/my-style-icon-is-anyone-who-makes-a-bloody-effort/) [Isabella Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-blow/) > [I don't think these women are stupid. I think they're selling a personality that's very marketable: Wouldn't it be fun if we were all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/i-don-t-think-these-women-are-stupid-i-think-they-re-selling-a/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) ## More by Philip Greenspun > [Progress in computer science is made with the distribution of revolutionary software systems and the publication of revolutionary books. We don't need a fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/progress-in-computer-science-is-made-with-the-distribution-of/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Greenspun's Tenth Rule of Programming: any sufficiently complicated C or Fortran program contains an ad hoc informally-specified bug-ridden slow implementation of half of Common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/greenspun-s-tenth-rule-of-programming-any-sufficiently-complicated-c/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Even within traditional universities there has always been debate about whether it wouldn't be better to focus on only one course at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/even-within-traditional-universities-there-has-always-been-debate/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [The book the Ziff folks sent me as an example of their art was 'Late Night VRML 2.0 with Java,' 700 pages + CD-ROM,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/the-book-the-ziff-folks-sent-me-as-an-example-of-their-art-was-late/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Remember that in 1993 a company with a bad Web site needed an engineer. Today, a company with a bad Web site needs a psychiatrist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/remember-that-in-1993-a-company-with-a-bad-web-site-needed-an/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [We're not a vocational school. If someone wants to get a high-paying job, I would hope that there are easier ways to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/we-re-not-a-vocational-school-if-someone-wants-to-get-a-high-paying/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [“Programmers are isolated. They sit in their cubicle; they don't think about the larger picture. To my mind, a programmer is not an engineer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/programmers-are-isolated-they-sit-in-their-cubicle-they-don-t-think/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Pilots enjoy the fun and challenge of handling the fancy machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/pilots-enjoy-the-fun-and-challenge-of-handling-the-fancy-machine/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [“Any sufficiently complicated C or Fortran program contains an ad hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of Common Lisp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/any-sufficiently-complicated-c-or-fortran-program-contains-an-ad-hoc/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [I don't myself believe in astrology. However, I think that's because I'm a Libra and Libras are always skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/i-don-t-myself-believe-in-astrology-however-i-think-that-s-because-i/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [The devil is real. He lives inside C programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/the-devil-is-real-he-lives-inside-c-programs/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Even the lamest page can be saved by collaboration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/even-the-lamest-page-can-be-saved-by-collaboration/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Most people who are rich chose their parents wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/most-people-who-are-rich-chose-their-parents-wisely/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [Everything that I've learned about computers at MIT I have boiled down into three principles: Unix: You think it won't work, but if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/everything-that-i-ve-learned-about-computers-at-mit-i-have-boiled/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) > [An unmarried adult who cannot navigate the welfare system has no choice but to work, but a married working parent is constantly evaluating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/an-unmarried-adult-who-cannot-navigate-the-welfare-system-has-no/) [Philip Greenspun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) [Explore all 24 Philip Greenspun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are they coming to your site? If you look at most Web sites, you'd presume that the answer is \"User is extremely bored and wishes to stare at a blank screen for several minutes while a flashing icon loads, then stare at the flashing icon for a few more minutes.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Greenspun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users-shoes-why-are-they-coming-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users-shoes-why-are-they-coming-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dda/philip-greenspun-24795_answers_start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users_566299.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Start by putting yourself in your users' shoes. Why are they coming to your site? If you look at most Web…” — Philip Greenspun", "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": "Philip Greenspun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-greenspun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Start by putting yourself in your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users-shoes-why-are-they-coming-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-greenspun/start-by-putting-yourself-in-your-users-shoes-why-are-they-coming-to/#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 } } ] } ```