Like many designers, I’ve been trained to spot pain points quickly. When we see users dropping off, struggling with a form, or ignoring a call-to-action, we jump in and fix it. That’s our job, right?

But lately, I’ve been rethinking how we fix things — and what we’re actually trying to fix.

A surprising source? Legal dramas.

In 12 Angry Men, a room full of jurors is ready to declare a teenage boy guilty of murder. Only one juror dares to say: “I’m not sure.” What follows is a masterclass in slowing down, questioning assumptions, and peeling back layers to find the truth.

It reminded me: we often treat symptoms in UX the way those jurors treated evidence — superficially.

• Users don’t click the CTA? → Let’s make it bigger.
• People drop off at checkout? → Maybe fewer steps?
• No one reads the tooltip? → Add an icon, or worse, another tooltip.

But what if the real issue isn’t what we see on the surface?

What if we’re solving the wrong problem entirely?

The legal principle “presumed innocent until proven guilty” exists not just to protect individuals — but to force the system to work harder. It places the burden of proof on the system. It demands rigor. Accountability. Patience.

That same mindset can — and should — apply to product design.

Instead of rushing to fix what seems broken, we should:

• Hold off on quick conclusions
• Investigate the root cause, not just the symptom
• Ask: Why is this happening? What might we be missing?
• Look for systemic flaws, not just isolated hiccups

It’s easy to fix something that looks wrong. It’s harder — but far more impactful — to understand why it went wrong in the first place.

When we do that, we don’t just fix UX issues.

We prevent them from happening again. We build trust. We create stronger, more resilient systems.

This shift in thinking changed how I approach design reviews, usability testing, and even team conversations.

• When someone says “Users don’t get it,” I now ask: Why don’t they get it? Is the concept flawed? Are we asking them to work too hard?
• When conversion drops, I look beyond UI changes and consider user motivation, timing, and intent.
• And when a solution feels too easy, I pause. What am I missing?