Make It a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I just read 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever. For those of you who grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, it's well worth the read. If you don't know much about Fred Rogers, you should read it. He was an amazing person, and helped shape many a young child's mind.

Mr. Rogers provided a safe, peaceful, comforting learning experience for kids. His lessons were universal and valuable. His show was a study in simplicity. His style was far from flashy. All of this yielded a powerful, and long-running career that touched millions.

UX workers, product designers and businesses can learn a lot from Mr. Rogers.

"Listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first."- Fred Rogers

(If you change the word "children" above to "users", it's a wonderful user-centered design or usability maxim.)

See also:
- Wikipedia: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
- Mr. Rogers' message (with video) about his web site
- Mr. Rogers' Thoughts for All Ages including communication, parenting, and growing in adulthood