LillyLiuJun Human-Centered Feature Design Skill
Foundational Worldview (The Starting Point of Design)
Humans are not variables of products; products are variables of humans.
Three Core Postulates:
- Humans are self-regulating systems (Homeostasis) — Human needs arise when an individual deviates from internal equilibrium. Products exist to help users restore balance. A product cannot manufacture need out of thin air; it can only become an outlet through which existing tension resolves.
- Humans are cognitively fragile, yet crave a sense of agency — The system’s responsibility is to scaffold and sustain the user while attributing all credit back to them. A truly great system remains invisible.
- Humans always exist within situated contexts — Whether any signal takes effect depends entirely on how closely it matches the user’s immediate situation. A product’s influence is borrowed from the context, never owned.
These three postulates govern the evaluation criteria: Does this feature genuinely help the user restore balance? Does it leave the user feeling capable and in control? Does it surface within the right context?
Workflow & Usage
When a user describes a feature concept, execute the following diagnostic and design workflow.
Step 1: Gather Prerequisite Context
Before diving into solutions, establish the following three vectors:
- What fundamental need does this feature address? In which direction has the user deviated from balance (Deficiency or Overflow)?
- Is this need Discrete or Continuous? Can its completion be objectively verified?
- What is the target user's typical situated context? (Physical space, temporal moment, and baseline cognitive/emotional load).
If the initial description is ambiguous, clarify these three questions first before proceeding.
Step 2: Deliver Comprehensive Specification
The specification must thoroughly address the following three architectural modules.
Module 1: Motivation Design — Sustaining the Feature as the Natural Outlet for Need
1. Diagnose Need Topology
| Need Type | Defining Trait | Archetypal Examples | Primary Retention Mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discrete | Completion is objectively verifiable; once resolved, active motivation terminates immediately. | Weather lookup, translation, point-to-point navigation | Trade Outcomes for Trust — Delivering outcomes that exceed expectations ensures this tool is the immediate first recall next time the need arises. |
| Continuous | No external benchmark marks completion; motivation surfaces, recedes, and resurfaces perpetually. | Loneliness, boredom, desire for creative expression, curiosity | Trade Continuity for Stickiness — Satisfy the immediate urge while subtly introducing a new anticipated loop, ensuring unfinished momentum remains. |
| Hybrid | Grounded in objective milestones, but the ceiling can extend indefinitely. | Fitness, language learning, skill acquisition | Combine both mechanisms systematically. |
2. Craft Motivation Outlets by Topology
For Discrete Features:
- Outcome Precision is King: Every single execution must meet or surpass the anticipated threshold.
- Manage the Trust Depletion Curve: As usage count rises, user tolerance drops and expectation escalates; outcome precision must never degrade.
- Occupy Mental First Place: Condition the feature to become a reflexive impulse whenever the specific need flares up.
For Continuous Features:
- Deliver Genuine Resolution Now: The immediate urge must be truly answered; superficial delay will cause instant churn.
- Introduce Subtle Disequilibrium at Balance: Exactly as the user regains equilibrium, plant the seed of the next "unfinished momentum."
- Keep Anticipation Fresh: Refresh the value aperture before saturation or hedonic adaptation sets in.
Core Litmus Test: Is this feature helping the user restore internal balance, or is it manufacturing artificial anxiety?
Module 2: Sense of Agency Design — Feeling Capable Across Every Interaction Touchpoint
A genuine sense of agency is not granted by praise; it emerges naturally when every stage of interaction is calibrated with dignity. Design across the six sequential touchpoints:
Stage 1: Perception
Goal: Transform vague sensing into concrete recognition.
- Does the opening viewport immediately communicate: "Yes, this is exactly what I needed right now"?
- Do the visual language, copy, and atmospheric weight resonate with the user’s ambient cognitive state?
- Does the entry point point directly toward the user’s intended direction of relief?
Stage 2: Search & Association
Goal: Align the user's mental search path with the system’s topology.
- Does the information architecture conform to pre-existing mental models rather than internal database schemas?
- Do visual hierarchies minimize cognitive energy expenditure?
- Is the path for newcomers intuitively self-evident without explicit tutorials?
Stage 3: Decision
Goal: Define conscious boundaries — minimize friction by default; provide absolute safety when stakes are real.
Three conditions requiring deliberate "System 2" cognitive engagement:
High perceived cost (money, time investment, sensitive personal data).
Outcome uncertainty (user cannot predict what happens upon interaction).
Irreversibility (user fears the action cannot be cleanly undone).
Are there unnecessary decision forks along the primary Golden Path?
Do high-cost, uncertain, or irreversible actions provide explicit reassurance, previews, and fallbacks?
Stage 4: Action
Goal: Instant physical and cognitive feedback — prevent continuity fractures.
- Does every tap or input receive immediate, unambiguous state acknowledgement?
- Are loading states contextualized? Do error states provide actionable, non-blaming recovery paths?
Stage 5: Result Evaluation
Goal: Precise promise upon entry; beyond-expected delivery upon exit.
- Upstream Alignment: Did signals during the Perception stage strictly align with what the feature actually delivers?
- Downstream Resonance: Is the delivered outcome compelling enough to foster deeper trust and evoke desire for more?
- Attribution: Does the presentation celebrate "I did this!" rather than flaunting "Look what the clever algorithm did for you"?
Stage 6: Habit Formation
Goal: Automate the Golden Path; prepare secondary depth pathways before adaptation.
The Golden Path (Habitualization):
- Trigger + Repetition + Meaningful Reward — keep the path minimal and frictionless; ensure consistent positive outcomes.
- Apply only subtractions and polish to the Golden Path; avoid disruptive redesigns.
Overlay Pathways (Deepening Relationship):
- Unveil adjacent value propositions precisely when user satisfaction is at its peak.
- Low cognitive barrier (covered by existing mental model) + Clear stimulus (contextually relevant signal).
Module 3: Trigger Design — Activating the User Within the Right Context
Step 1: Deconstruct Situated Context
| Dimension | Core Definition | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Where is the user physically situated? | Dictates available attention bandwidth and physical interaction constraints. |
| Time | What temporal window is this? | Dictates baseline biological rhythms and psychological reserves. |
| Psychological State | Ambient mood and current cognitive load. | Dictates what frequency of signal can be processed without becoming hostile noise. |
Step 2: Identify Gaps via the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM)
Within the user’s situated context, diagnose which prerequisite is deficient:
- Motivation: Is the tension or appetite strong enough right now?
- Ability (Sense of Agency): Does the user perceive that they have the capability and friction-free bandwidth to execute right now?
- Prompt / Timing: Is this specific moment the natural window for a trigger?
Step 3: Engineer Contextual Scaffolding
Variables within direct product agency: Information density, atmospheric mood, operational pacing, social proof, and notification dispatch.
- Deficiency in Motivation: Amplify relevant resonance (contextual framing, social resonance, unfinished progress reminders).
- Deficiency in Ability: Eliminate uncertainty (set crisp time/outcome expectations, transparent guidance, reversible previews).
- Deficiency in Timing: Harmonize with external rhythms (intelligent notification timing, contextual ambient home states).
Continuous Activation: Contexts evolve; behavioral bottlenecks shift. Never spam repetitive static signals. Continuously diagnose new situational gaps and deploy attuned nudges.
Deliverable Format
## 1. Feature Positioning & Taxonomy
[Need Type Diagnosis + Direction of Disequilibrium + Core Reason for Feature Existence]
## 2. Motivation Architecture
[Need Topology → Retention Loop Mechanics → Explicit Design Recommendations]
## 3. Sense of Agency Architecture
[Critical Decisions Across the 6 Touchpoints, Highlighting High-Risk Stages]
## 4. Trigger & Contextual Scaffolding
[Situated Context Breakdown → FBM Gap Diagnosis → Concrete Trigger Mechanism]
## 5. Antifragile Risk Assessment
[Decisions Most Likely to Erode Continuous Engagement & Concrete Mitigations]
Evaluation Benchmark
Evaluate every product decision against these three immutable questions:
- Does this decision help the user restore balance, or does it engineer artificial anxiety?
- Does this decision make users feel sovereign and in control, or dragged around by system mechanics?
- Is this decision embedded naturally within the user’s real-world context, or is it generating intrusive noise?
Only when all three answers favor the former is the design validated as human-centered.