Good Design shouldn’t be a guessing game.

I stayed in a hotel two nights ago, and the AC wasn’t working. 

Quickly, I went straight into problem-solving mode. I noticed there were icons on the AC panel — neatly arranged on a black surface. Instinctively, I assumed they were affordances. One looked like a power button, so I figured it would turn the AC on or off. Another resembled a reset or temperature control. But nothing happened. I kept pressing, waiting, adjusting. Still nothing.

 Then, in my frustration, I finally noticed something I had completely ignored before — there was a standing fan in the room. That’s when it hit me; the AC wasn’t working at all. Later I also learnt those “buttons” I thought were affordances? They were just decorations. Stickers slapped on the surface without use. 

I felt oddly disappointed. And for a brief moment, I imagined Don Norman somewhere, deeply offended. I’ve been reading The Design of Everyday Things, and one of Norman’s biggest frustrations is doors — doors you don’t know whether to push or pull. A door is an affordance; it affords entry. But without signifiers — handles, labels, cues — users are left guessing. 

That same problem played out in my hotel room. The icons suggested action, but offered no feedback, not because the AC wasn’t working but because they weren’t built for that. They looked meaningful, but meant nothing. The designer assumed I would “just know.” And that assumption is where bad design often begins. On the part of the hotel management, putting up a note that says, "Out Of Use" could have been a great signifier in that moment. 

This lack of signifiers doesn’t stop at physical objects. It bleeds into digital products too. Designers sometimes create things so confidently, so “cleanly,” that they forget users don’t share the same mental model. So you end up with products that look expertly designed but feel confusing, frustrating, and eventually… abandoned.

 Imagine an app that’s visually polished, thoughtfully branded, and technically sound — yet users struggle to complete basic tasks. They don’t know where to go next. They don’t know what to tap. They feel lost. And when users feel lost, they leave. 

More specifically, it comes down to poor UX writing, missing signifiers, weak user research, and a lack of usability testing. Too many products are designed with the business in mind first, and the user as an afterthought. The result is an experience that looks good but fails where it matters most — usability. 

Design isn’t just about how something looks. It’s about how clearly it communicates what it can do.

 And if a user has to guess, the design has already failed.