story-father-son-donkey-sona-design
story-father-son-donkey-sona-design

Sona

Feb 8, 2023

The story of a man, his son, and their donkey.

The story of a man, his son, and their donkey.


With their donkey, the father and son traveled through a village. They heard a man say,

Look at these fools, they have a donkey, but they walk on feet

sona-man-son-donkey-sona-design


Both of them decided it was a good idea to sit on the donkey. Now, the villagers criticized,

How can they be so cruel to make the donkey carry both of them?

man-son-on-donkey-sona-design


The man felt sorry and got off. A passerby said,

What a lazy boy, he lets his father walk while he rides on the donkey.

son-on-donkey-sona-design


They changed places as the son felt sorry. A woman remarked,

He should feel ashamed to let his son walk in the hot sun.

man-on-donkey-sona-design


They were fed up and started carrying the donkey. People laughed and exclaimed,

Don’t know who the donkey is!

carrying-donkey--sona-design


What do you think?

Should they go back to square one?

man-son-donkey-square-one-sona-design


I very much relate to this story.


When I went to high school in the nearby town, neighbours said
“For a girl it’s enough to attend the government school nearby.”


When I turned 18, relatives said
“It's good to get her married.”


When I began my career, people told

“Its not safe to travel to another state for a job.”


When I took a break for a few years, people criticized

“What a waste of an engineering seat and a gold medal, it would have been better utilized by a man.”


When I returned to work, people asked

“Why don't you focus on your family?”


Now that I run a startup, they question

“Why have you left a high-paying job?”


I'm certain that each of us has encountered similar scenarios. How have you dealt with them?

Design principle from the famous Akbar and Birbal Stories: speak-users-language - Sona Design
Design principle from the famous Akbar and Birbal Stories: speak-users-language - Sona Design

Sona

Sep 30, 2018

Design principle from the famous Akbar and Birbal Stories

Often, the bedtime stories that I read to my kid explain one or the other design principle so efficiently and effortlessly that even a five-year-old can understand.


Here’s one such story that explains the second usability heuristic:


“Speak the user’s language.”

Design principle from the famous Akbar and Birbal Stories: speak-users-language - Sona Design


Once, famous musicians gathered at Akbar’s court for a musical competition.


There was a bull standing in the middle of the court. Akbar entered the court and announced that the one who captures the bull’s attention would be declared the winner.


One by one, the musicians played the most mesmerizing music. But, the bull did not pay any attention.


Then came Birbal’s turn. He played the mooing of cows and the droning of mosquitoes. The other musicians made fun of him as he was not a musician and he did not play the best music.


But, to everyone’s surprise, the bull started to move happily to Birbal’s music.

Akbar declared Birbal, the winner.

No matter how good the design is, it’s not going to solve the problem unless it speaks the user’s language.