Is common sense really all that common?

Many people use the phrase "common sense" but is common sense really all that common?

Take, for example, how we assume that the cold water faucet is on the right and the hot is on the left. Because we may have been raised with cold on the right and hot on the left we think that now makes sense... but what about the rare occasion when a plumber is having a bad day and now the cold is on the left. Or in other countries where the faucets are switched as a common practice.

It may be common sense to us, but not everyone has had the same experiences to draw from. So common sense relies heavily on the experiences of the individual.

Now think about your company website. Sure it makes sense to you that the word "packages" means package pricing or "hvac" means air conditioning and heating but to the person with different experiences, the obvious may not be so obvious.

This is where having a true outsider take a look at your site is very beneficial. This evening I was actually told by a customer that I was hired specifically because I did NOT know their industry and had a fresh perspective for their site.

Websites, like cell phones, computers, and even kitchen stoves must be designed to work for at least 95% of the population. If you are designing for the 5% who is in your industry - you're missing out on the largest part of your audience.

Just a little food for thought from the human factors arena...