You are not the user

I recently read Ambient Findability. Despite the uninformative title, I found it quite an interesting book. One of the items I like was this: (summarized)

You are not the user.

A programmer designing a system is usually very different from the end user.

The experience is the brand.

The "brand" isn't just the pretty logo, it's the user's experience with the product.

You can't control the experience.

Whether you like it or not, the user is in control. You can't predict (let alone control) what they'll do.

Of course, we all "know" these things, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded!