Regardless of their field of work, all professionals hope for some happy moments. They’re the moments that remind us why we chose the profession we did.

Not long ago, I realized there are two kinds of moments like this for me. Moments which make me happy to be the interface usability expert that I am.

The first is when I develop an interface element that is immediately understood and appreciated by users in usability tests. It’s extremely gratifying to see that I’ve been able to understand the users’ mental models.

The second is the exact opposite of this situation: when users in a usability test say that what I’ve designed make no sense at all and they suggest better solutions. I find this kind of experience enlightening. It reminds me that I’m the product’s designer and not the end user after all.

And this is the most important lesson people can learn if they’re thinking of working in this field.