I’m a product designer and stand-up comedian for those who don't know me. By day, I navigate the world of user experience (UX) design, crafting seamless journeys for users across web apps, mobile interfaces, and even the wild world of IoT. But by night, I trade prototypes for punchlines, taking the stage as a Turkish stand-up comedian here in the Berlin comedy scene.
You might think these two worlds are about as compatible as a pair of mismatched socks, but hear me out. As a UX designer, I spend a lot of time obsessing over user research and understanding my audience. But unlike in UX, where you can target a specific user group, the comedy club crowd is a delightful mystery box. In Berlin, the mix gets even more interesting. My audience is entirely Turkish, but it's a diverse bunch. There are the new waves like me (new immigrants) still adjusting to life in Germany, side-by-side with the German-born Turks whose families have been here for generations.
The key to navigating this diverse audience? Empathy and relatability. Just like in UX design, where you strive to create a user experience that resonates with your target group, in stand-up, I gotta find that common ground. It's all about finding that universality in the specifics, you know? Take going to the hospital, for example. Everyone's been there: you walk in feeling awful, hoping for some medicine to get you better. But instead, the doctor gives you a long lecture about the benefits of linden tea! Now, don't get me wrong, linden tea is great, but it's not exactly antibiotics. That struggle to navigate cultural differences in healthcare? Totally relatable for any Turk in Berlin. After all, my granny would have given me linden tea too. "Doctor," I'd be thinking, "with all due respect to your degree, can we see some results beyond herbal remedies?"
Now, let's talk about crafting an experience. In UX design, we build user flows, meticulously mapping out every step a user takes to achieve their goal. In stand-up, well, it's not exactly a linear narrative. But there's definitely a flow to a good set. You gotta take your audience on a journey, stringing together jokes that build on each other, with a clear beginning, middle, and - of course - a killer punchline. Even in a short 10-minute set, I focus on jokes that land with everyone, building a relatable narrative that keeps the laughter flowing.
But the real magic happens when it comes to testing. In UX design, we spend hours iterating on prototypes, tweaking interfaces based on user feedback. In stand-up, the testing ground is the stage itself. That initial groan after a new joke? Back to the drawing board (or rather, the notepad). But that roar of laughter? Pure gold! You refine your material based on the audience's reaction, polishing jokes, adding act-outs, tweaking the timing - it's a constant process of test, fail, iterate, and succeed. Just like that time I tried a bit about Germans being passive aggressive...let's just say the feedback was more crickets than chuckles. But hey, that led me down a hilarious path about the similarities with car wipers and… - well… come to the show for that haha! - which always gets a good laugh.
So, the next time you browse a user-friendly app or chuckle at a stand-up routine, remember, there might be more overlap than you think. After all, both UX design and stand-up comedy are all about understanding your audience, crafting an engaging experience, and iterating your way to success. And who knows, maybe that perfectly timed punchline is the secret to a killer user flow!
I’ll add here a quote from Jerry Seinfeld with a few addition: “If you're getting on stage and standing in front of a group of strangers and trying to make them laugh, God bless you!” I love both comedy and design, and if you're sitting on that desk and doing all those designing, meetings and working your a-off to make people’s lives easier, God bless you!
© Onat Benli, 2024