## Don’t forget how to be a user
I work for a large technology company that provides many product offerings. I live in a world that is at the forefront of the network industry that delivers a leading edge technology. There are so many parts of my companies offerings that I have nothing more than a users view of the world. You know what? That is absolutely fine.
I look at end-user computing with absolute marvel. I do not know how to administer it. I do not know how to optimise and scale the environment. I do not know why certain applications are published in a certain way. What I do know is I can use any application published to my app catalogue on my iPad, hand over to my laptop and continue working seamlessly. Where application publishing is not enough I can gain access to a floating Windows desktop and perform more intensive tasks. I know if I lose my iPad that the content on there is secure inside the provided containers and I can initiate a remote wipe.
As a consumer this experience is conducive to my on the road lifestyle. It suits my workflow and I have tightly integrated a work anywhere mentality irrespective of my device I use. Being close to my product that I work with in a technical capacity I realised it is important not to forget something. Don’t forget to look on it as a user. How does the user actually deploy said technology. How does a user work with technology to solve a problem? Am I actually solving problems or creating more? Is the interface intuitive or convoluted?
This is user experience. Think about the word consuming without the context of an API for once. Think of it as a user trying to get their job done. It is sometimes important to put the hat of a user on and see it from their eyes. In certain roles the lines between administrator and user blur and I think it is important to step back and look at what you’re doing.