“You are not your user,” is a common UX trope, but it takes on new meaning when your user is ten thousand miles away and speaks absolutely no english. Sometimes designers and developers take shortcuts when working on projects where they feel they have a lot in common with the target user, but this shortsightedness often leads to misinformation and missed opportunities. This energetic lightning talk draws from lessons learned while designing for users a world away as well as designing for one’s self. Attendees will walk away with a renewed excitement for research and great ways to apply said research.