Gratitude, in the simplest form, is a thankful appreciation for what one has. It is a positive state of mind that focuses on what we already have, rather than what is lacking in life. It is the awareness that life isn’t perfect and it doesn’t always go the way we want it to go; but from a realistic perspective, there are always some good things in life that we can appreciate.

What is gratitude and how can it help us?

It’s a part of our evolution. We generally tend to return to a certain baseline level of happiness despite major positive or negative events in life. We adapt to them. This concept is called “hedonic adaptation”, and it is essential for our survival.The downside of hedonic adaptation is that we also adapt to even the most wonderful things we have over time. Their subjective impact decreases over time, and we lose interest. There are many things in life that make our lives much better but eventually we don't even acknowledge their existence because we get used to them

So why do we need to practice gratitude? Why isn't it innate? 

That’s why we need to intentionally pay attention to the good things in life. In this way, we can reverse our adaptation, see the wonderful things as they are, and feel the power of gratitude. <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/pdfs/GratitudePDFs/3Froh-BlessingsEarlyAdolescence.pdf">Research </a>shows that the practice of gratitude can change subjective wellbeing. Even a small act like listing a few things we are grateful for has an incredibly powerful effect on our mental health. By paying attention to the things we are grateful for, we cultivate happiness, compassion, and kindness. By being grateful, we cultivate a better life.

Each day, take 5-10 minutes and list the 5 things you’re grateful for. You can write just a couple of words or some long sentences if you like. The content of what you write and the way you express yourself does not matter as long as you are mindful when you’re writing it. If you intentionally pay attention, you’ll feel the benefits more.You can add it to your daily routine, and either start or finish your day by listing those 5 things that make your life better. Within just a week, you will feel the difference in your outlook. Over time, being grateful will become a normal part of your life.

So how can we practice gratitude?

The reason it doesn’t come naturally to us is our adaptation. Although it's a vital part of our evolution, we adapt to even the most wonderful things and take them for granted. We can reverse it with a simple practice called negative visualization. Take a look around and try to imagine how different your life would be if you didn’t have the things or the people you love. You don’t have to think about extreme negative situations. Just think about how your day would be different without them and recognize their positive impact on your life.

Can’t come up with anything to be grateful for?

Practicing gratitude transforms your outlook upon life in overwhelming ways. Within just a couple of days, you will feel that noticing the good things will get easier. And over time, you will know in your heart that life is beautiful, no matter what happens.

What is gratitude and how can it help us? Gratitude, in the simplest form, is a thankful appreciation for what one has. It is a positive state of …

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The power of gratitude and how to practice it - Medito Foundation

User testing refers to the method used in the design thinking process which evaluates the product, feature or prototype with an end user.  User testing involves multiple steps - designers must create a test plan, recruit participants, perform the test and analyse the results for findings and ideas moving forward.  User testing gives you incredibly useful and valuable insights from you users regarding why and how they will use your product. You’ll be able to better understand who your users really are and what they want to achieve through using your product.

What Is User Testing

Keep the goal in mind that you want to gather as much information as you possibly can as early as you can and that you’re doing this for 3 main reasons.<ol><li>To fix any flaws and strengthen the product for an overall better experience.</li><li>To save time and money for the company - be able to resolve issues before the expensive part of the process. </li><li>To save energy expended from your team and challenge the assumptions made.</li></ol>

Conducting A User Test

It’s important to keep in mind that the prototype is what you are testing and not the user. In usability testing, the user is always right - if something is too complicated or not working well - don’t grow frustrated with the user but understand that the product or service is lacking intuitive design. Make sure to give the user some context - it’s important the user feels in the loop and isn’t left totally in the dark. That being said - be aware to not overexplain. Overexplaining is the enemy here and will really defeat the purpose of what you are trying to accomplish. Balance is key.

The Prototype

When users are exploring the prototype ask them to say their thought processes out loud so you can see how their mind is working and observe more closely. This might take some getting used to for some users - but it will help you evaluate the intricacies much closer. Observe how users either "correctly" or "incorrectly" use the product - and resist the urge to correct them! You want to make sure your product is falling in line with intuition - so don't explain or interfere. Watch and see where different facets are either failing or succeeding. And remember - the user is always right.

Ask Users To Talk Through The Process And Observe

Find out how testing provides the validation design teams need to create great products and helps unearth any flaws that a product has before being launched.

The power of gratitude and how to practice it - Medito Foundation

Design Thinking: How to Test Effectively