We are all always running into inconveniences. We take a lot of things as given. Having to wait our turn at the check out line, having to prowl around looking for a parking spot, having to restart our Windows machine when it hangs (although I don't remember doing it on Windows 8), having to skip ads before we can watch our Youtube video. We accept these things as normal because we have grown used to these things. 

Once we accept that this is how the world works, we barely perceive these as pain points and come to expect them in every encounter. 

If you've been in a relationship, you'll know that little gestures can go a long way in making the other feel good. Similarly, a product designer's job is to be in love with her users and constantly find little things that she can do for them to pleasantly surprise them in the way they use her product. 

It can be anything from making the sticky label on the Apple easy to peel off to reducing the number of steps taken to complete a transaction on your app. 

The biggest pitfall for a product designer is to become like every other user and to stop noticing the little pain points and to accept that this is how the world works. Her job is to always look for the little things she can do to improve the life of the users.

Do you pay attention to the little things around you? Or have you accepted that this is how the world works?