I’m sure you’ve heard that babies form memories in the mother’s bellies. But do you remember your days of floating around in amniotic fluid? Probably not.

According to BBC, this phenomena was a minor obsession of Sigmund Freud when he coined the phrase ‘infant amnesia’ over 100 years ago.

Some scientists speculate that one reason you don’t remember the womb is language–or the lack of it. Once we learn to speak, our brains build vast neural networks around language that organize and connect our memories in a powerful web of information.

So what does all this have to do with product design?

We see the exact same thing happen when product leaders join and integrate with new organizations. Before you know an organization’s language, constraints, and history, you see the UX like users do.

As you begin to accumulate an understanding of the acronyms, the stack, and even the industry, you’re like that little baby who has learned to speak. You lose access to the ability to view the product in a fresh way. You can’t un-know this stuff.

As David C Baker states in his piece What You’re Selling And What They’re Buying Need to Match, “The longer you are around, the more you are part of the problem and not the solution.”

The lessons for product leaders are twofold.

• If you don’t capture your own thoughts and observations in the beginning, they will escape you with time. Capture that stuff, and pursue it. Why is it like this? Should it be changed, or is there something you don’t know?

• Know that you are only going to have that fresh viewpoint right at the beginning. You WILL lose this perspective as you get integrated and familiar with your organization and your product. So make space in your process for the fresh observations of others.

In need of some fresh eyes? Our UX Audit services will identify opportunities and improvements for your product interface.