Summary
The events and experiences of the last several years have exposed gaps in our awareness of - and practice around - connecting with people across the broadest range of human perspectives. Too often, as we've built services and complementary products, we have bypassed the hard questions around identity. To improve design decision-making, many organizations are using new approaches to ask a broader range of questions to more people. We'll discuss strategies for how to connect with the broadest range of people as well as how to represent insights that drive more inclusive design decision-making.
Key Insights
-
•
User personas must reflect the evolving and complex identities of users, moving beyond simple demographic categorizations.
-
•
Understanding intersectionality is crucial for inclusive design, enhancing how products meet diverse user needs.
-
•
The framework of context of use helps articulate user experiences and challenges, facilitating more targeted solutions.
-
•
Organizations are increasingly pushed to digitally transform, necessitating a deeper understanding of user behavior and preferences.
-
•
Empathy interviews and narrative collection can yield richer insights than traditional survey methods, capturing user stories more effectively.
-
•
Creating alignment around user needs requires teams to engage with a broad spectrum of user perspectives.
-
•
Quantitative and qualitative data should be integrated to provide a holistic view of user experiences.
-
•
Designing for the marginalized (20%) ultimately benefits the broader population (80%), enhancing overall user satisfaction.
-
•
Real-world examples, like the redesign of library systems, illustrate how understanding user behavior leads to better design outcomes.
-
•
Continuous reevaluation of user personas is necessary as societal behaviors and expectations shift rapidly.
Notable Quotes
"This conversation is meant to be highly interactive, so you're encouraged to participate."
"When we think about personas, we often forget that users have complex identities."
"Inclusive design requires us to anticipate the broadest range of human perspectives."
"It's not about demographics; it's about what people are really trying to do."
"The context of use helps us articulate the barriers that users face in achieving their goals."
"Different elements of identity do not work independently of one another."
"Empathy interviews need to become part of every interaction we have with users."
"We're on the cusp of a new way of thinking about user research and design."
"Stories help connect us to the data we need to make informed design decisions."
"Understanding the needs of the 20% often enhances the experience for the entire user base."
More Videos
"Design can be so powerful that it influences decision-making."
John MaedaMaking Sense of Enterprise UX
June 9, 2016
"It’s essential to approach thinking styles without prior demographic assumptions."
Indi YoungThinking styles: Mend hidden cracks in your market
January 8, 2025
"Measuring the wrong success indicators can stifle progress and growth."
Chris ChapoData Science and Design: A Tale of Two Tribes
May 13, 2015
"This unusual tool started to raise the use of productivity-oriented tools."
Elizabeth ChurchillExploring Cadence: You, Your Team, and Your Enterprise
June 8, 2017
"Sharing ideas and unbaked pots is really central to our process."
Rusha SopariwalaRemote, Together: Craft and Collaboration Across Disciplines, Borders, Time Zones, and a Design Org of 170+
June 9, 2022
"I believe having an ethical framework can help limit the harm typically done in design."
George AyeThat Quiet Little Voice: When Design and Ethics Collide
November 16, 2022
"Our mental, physical, and emotional bandwidth is like a battery that fluctuates between being fully charged and completely depleted."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"Being a design educator rather than just a designer helps teams collaborate effectively."
Julie Gitlin Esther RaiceDesign as an Agent of Digital Transformation at JPMC
June 9, 2021
"It’s important to be transparent so everyone knows what they can see about what they did."
Matteo GrattonCan Data and Ethics Live Together?
October 1, 2021
