The Har Har Designer Syndrome — The Ailment Plaguing the Tech Industry

The war-cry “Har Har Mahadev” was used extensively by Maratha warriors in battle to embolden the troops with the idea that each man had the strength of Mahadev (Mahadev, meaning “great God,” is a name of Shiva, the supreme god in Hinduism and the source of infinite power). With this war cry reverberating on the battlefield, each Maratha warrior would believe himself to be as powerful as Mahadev and would fight with all his might. This worked brilliantly for the Marathas, who were fierce warriors to begin with.

Sadly, the “Har Har Designer” Syndrome (where every Tom, Dick, and Hari believes themselves to be a Designer) is not as benevolent an idea. This has now become a plague, especially in the tech industry, where any person capable of putting two words together feels they have the right to comment on designs as if they know better. I would love to see these same folks request the tech team to open up their code, look at it with great interest, and then comment, “Maza nahi aaya.”

How is This Disease Contracted?

The HHDS (Har Har Designer Syndrome) is usually contracted when a designer either willingly or unwillingly reaches out to a non-designer for “feedback.” The designer’s intent may be to seek validation, conduct genuine user testing, or because they report to the said person. The feedback given may be unbiased or biased. Till this point, the disease is under control.

The moment a non-designer feels the rush of ‘having given feedback (read opinion)’ and craves more, we can confirm that the disease is now contracted.

How Does This Disease Spread?

When the patient with this disease goes unchecked, swapping opinions that were either unwarranted or came from a place of no sound reason, we can ‘un-safely’ say that the person now suffers from HHDS.

Is This Contagious?

Abso-fu**in-lutely! The HHDS virus is notoriously infectious and contagious. On seeing this non-designer give design feedback unabashedly, other non-designers are in grave danger of contracting this disease.

The Virulence of HHDS

High Transmissibility: Easily spread through auditory inputs and conversations.
Severity: Can cause a wide range of symptoms from mild to severe, including life-threatening conditions.
Variants: Mutations can affect virulence and transmission rates.
Impact on Vulnerable Populations: Disproportionately affects senior professionals and those with preexisting privileged conditions.

What are the Symptoms?

The obvious symptoms may include, but are not limited to:
- Giving unwarranted design feedback
- Believing that one can do the design better than the designer
- Believing that you ARE the end user and so you know better
- Giving opinions on design without understanding or even asking for the thought process

New symptoms keep surfacing and being reported each day.

Is There a Cure for HHDS?

Yes, a multi-modal treatment approach is best suited for treating HHDS:

Self-restraint: Think multiple times before reacting or commenting on design. Better yet, hum your favorite tune when feeling the urge to give unwarranted feedback.
Medication: Attend design workshops, read books written on design “by designers,” and talk to your designer with an open mind and the intent of learning something new.
Psychotherapy: Stand in front of the mirror and repeat “I am not a designer.”
Alternative and Complementary Therapies: Give up your current job, attend a design course/school, and become a designer (advised only in severe cases).
Lifestyle Modifications: Encourage changes in behavior, such as surrounding yourself with people who understand the nuances of good design, design-feedback cessation, and stress management, to improve outcomes.

Together, we can fight this and rid the world of this silent (creativity) killer disease that is plaguing the world.

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*The author of this article suffers from Unwarranted Feedback Induced Insomnia, High Blood Pressure, and a severe case of Grouchy Designer Syndrome (GDS).*