As a UX rule of thumb, always assume your user will need special help to achieve even the simplest of tasks.

Much like helping a drunk friend brush their teeth, assume that your user is (acting like) a non-technical bumbling fool.

Like your drunk buddy, guide them through ‘common sense’ activities and make it next to impossible for them to get tripped up.

You are clear and sober

You’ve probably spent countless hours honing your design, making sure the flow is perfect.

Kudos! You should be doing this.

However, this comes with a cost:

You become too familiar with your interface.

What might be obvious to you might escape the drunk user.

How to fix?

• Back away. Take a breath
• Get a brand-spankin’ new person to drive through your product
• Watch silently as they fail and encounter fiction
• Take notes about these points of friction
• Fix them
• Rinse then Repeat

Get into the mindset of the ‘drunk’ user.

Start to imagine where things could go wrong and fix those sharp edges.