Queuer: a person who waits in a queue.
I didn't know there was a word for a person who waits in a queue. But this is part of our new normal: longer queues. Especially at government offices. Last week I had to queue at the Tshwane Municipal offices. It was not pleasant, but it did spark some thoughts.
How to be a good queuer
You know the drill. A long queue outside the door. No chairs, no shelter. An employee whose only job is to tell you when you may go in - literally, a line manager. Such slow progress that you wonder if anyone is actually at work. When I arrived, I was number seven in the queue. I was ecstatic when the next four people in the queue were allowed in after 25 minutes. I was not ecstatic when nothing happened for the next 90 minutes.
I could not find any advice on the internet about how to be a good queuer. The search results on Google are all about how to reduce your customer queues. Based on experience, here are my personal queue survival tips:
- Don't make plans for the rest of the day. There won't be any day left.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. My rear was quite numb from sitting on the concrete sidewalk, but not as sore as my feet would have been from standing.
- Take water or something to drink. I had my trusty travel mug of tea. I should probably have taken a spare and some chocolate as well.
- Have something to do while you wait. I read most of a business book on my Kindle. I also made notes about today's email on the back of a document.
- Fortify your brain. Be mentally and emotionally prepared to wait. Like road rage, queue rage is usually futile. Some of my fellow queuers started a mild form of service non-delivery protest. They ganged up on the "line manager" and demanded to see the service manager. Futile because, you know, government departments...
A moment of insight
I realised some of the consequences of making us queue outside. It's not just about social distancing. It means that the people in the queue can't see why it is taking so long. And, more importantly, the people inside don't see or hear the angry queuers. So they don't feel the pressure to work faster or improve service (forget for a moment that these are government employees).
And that made me wonder: "Do you see your users?"
Do you see your users?
Many years ago, I read a fascinating study about web usability. Researchers watched about 100 people use websites to accomplish specific tasks. They noticed that many users put a hand over animation on the screen, because it was distracting them. They saw how their users worked.
Yes, I know most people are working from home, and we don't really see anyone. And that makes it even more important to ask this: Do you understand how your users interact with your system? Are you are truly in touch with the real and current user experience? Or do you assume you understand it?
This is an important question. As a developer, your perspective of the system is coloured by your knowledge of how it works. And life has changed for everyone. Maybe we need to revisit some of our assumptions.
P.S. I've been wondering how well I understand the new issues that L&D have with training for developers. So I'll ask you to help me "see" you at a later date.
P.P.S. This has been one of our challenges with virtual training. We like to see our delegates. It helps us know if you understand or if you are struggling, or if you need a break. But when you switch your camera off, we can't see that. So we have to try harder to get it right.
Are you in touch with your users? How do you stay in touch? Please share your thoughts.