No. #49
Functional Fixedness
- Limiting Objects to Traditional Uses
Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used. In product design, this can hinder innovation by restricting the exploration of new uses for existing products or features.
Read more on WikipediaProduct example
Users may struggle to adopt a smartphone app with innovative functionality that diverges from traditional app categories, due to fixed perceptions of what an app should do.
Empathy tips
1
Encourage Creative Use
Promote creative and unconventional uses of your product in marketing and user education.
2
Diverse User Testing
Test products with diverse user groups to uncover unexpected uses.
3
Design Flexibility
Design products with flexibility in mind, allowing for multiple uses.
4
Educate on Potential
Educate users on the full potential and versatility of your product.
Need an empathic partner?
Anna Lundqvist
UX Designer and AI Ethics Strategist guiding innovative product development and educational workshops
Eddy Salzmann
Design lead and team culture
enthusiast driving products and
design processes
Ola Möller
Founder of MethodKit who has a
passion for organisations and
seeing the big picture