Rise of the Human-Centered Design
Over the last few years, we have made huge progress in adoption of design by businesses, brands, and in the civic space. But even now when I head into meeting with key stakeholders in evolved corporate organisations or government departments looking to bring ease of use to their technology stacks, I encounter prejudices and hand-me-down assumptions. One of which is the random use and ambidextrous clubbing of UX & UI. Whether it is UX & UI or UI & UX, the pairing has caught everybody’s imagination who is looking walk the digital path. So, whether it is the CTO, CPO or CDO looking to bring an ounce of user friendliness to their products or wanting to improve accessibility of their technology stack for humans – they somehow evolve a notion that all of it is a UX & UI ride. UI is a small sub-set of the UX. UX is the experience layer of the product which combines, in varying degrees, copy writing, interaction design, visual design, iconography, motion design, and in many cases, voice and audio design. The world of experience is much wider and deeper both at the organisation, product or service level. It requires not just digital and design acumen, but a collective human perspective of emotions, ethics, human behaviour and a large dose of measured maturity. Such holistic thinking and approach build design experiences that are inclusive and accommodate diversity of human inanities, fallacies, and cultural dichotomy. We are now at an inflection in the digital evolution, and for design to be really impactful, it has to step out from the realm of designers and get into the hands of developers, engineers, project managers, marketers, technologists, civil administrators, government service providers and possibly also the users of the product or services. Which brings up the question: what would designer do, if everybody is a designer. Designers need to step up and be mentors, coaches, assimilators and the tribe that can help connect the dots. It is collectively that we can build experiences that carry diversity of perspective, yet are inclusive in their embrace and need fulfilment. We at HUDE Studio call it Human Experience (HX).
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Watch Nazim Iqbal in conversation with host Ashutosh Garg of A Brand Called You. Nazim shares his journey as entrepreneur and designer, his motivations, and his evolution into a ‘humanist-designer’. And of course, the birth of HUDE Studio. He talks at length about his passionate quest for human-centred design and how Digital today is not just expected to fulfil the consumer’s functional needs but also some emotional and social needs and desires; how brands can improve their omni-channel experience in a digital-first business environment. Get to know us better: read at length about HUDE Studio and our philosophy. Do watch and be sure to share with your friends! Drop us a comment or get in touch. We love conversations!
How can a designer respond to climate change
In the Indian subcontinent, it is monsoon time, and a time of the year when all conversations revolve around rainfall. Too much! Too little! Too late! Rising water level of this or that river! What’s more heat waves, no longer a regional phenomenon, are lashing large swathes of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is a time when climate change is experienced not as an abstract idea or a topic for an animated debate, but as a grim everyday reality that refuses to adhere to any solutions or patterns or predictions. And then arises the inevitable thought: how can a designer – product designer or web or UI/UX designer or any other kind of designer – become part of the solution for climate change? What can a designer do to influence or impact climate change, even if in a small way? Climate change – that juggernaut with all its uncertainty, its irreversibility. Here are some fairly simple ways in which a designer can make a difference. Think holistically, think big. When working on a project or system, ask the larger questions about the entire system: who will use it and how, what is being reused and renewed (as against creating from scratch), who all will not be able to use it, and its expected outcomes. Remember to ask the bold questions that people may not be readily willing to discuss – due to budget or time constraints, or lack of awareness, or just plain lazy to think wide and deep. Having the larger picture will inform your design in more relevant ways. Graphics and visuals, user journeys, navigation labels, simple elements in a design can actually create awareness and sensitivity towards climate change or sustainability or environment (as appropriate in the given context). Having it as a core concern will, in any case, enable you to think of and design visuals that ‘speak’ climate-change awareness, and in turn, influence users and stakeholders. Have ethics for your work and collaborators. As a smart designer you remain aware of the bottom line and the need to balance ‘good’ and ‘worthwhile’ projects that inspire and give you a sense of a larger purpose along with ‘mundane’ corporate work that keeps your boat afloat. Global studio leaders, however, underline the importance of getting picky today, with clients as well as collaborators within the fraternity. Given the urgency of response required by the climate emergency we collectively face, this seems like a sensible, life-affirming way to go. Then there are designers who believe that their creativity should be employed in ways that serves society rather than to come up with ‘cool’ things that end up ‘persuading customers’ and driving consumption. For instance, a global design agency used its authority to promote an environmental group, through creating its Christmas campaign ‘Ungifted’, that used powerful visuals to discourage mass consumption. We could think of it as a moral arc that every designer (actually, every human) designs for themselves, and then tries to remain as true to it as they can, while juggling life’s multifarious challenges. Keep learning and pass it forward. Take responsibility. Climate change is a juggernaut, yes! It is also complex and has various interconnections, nuances related to geography, economics, seasons and species. Everything’s linked, and everything’s changing – very quickly We need to learn, keep learning, and at the same time, help clients and teams unpack its layers. Keep reading, keep up with the research, get connected with groups that resonate with you, and be aware that there is as much propaganda on this topic as there are authentic resources. Taking responsibility is a big step. In small ways – those invisible actions nobody will see and judge. Recycling tins, minimizing use of plastic and packing material, planting a tree. Starting small is a big point of departure from our present ‘hyper life style’. The monsoons will give way to sunny days in a couple of weeks in India. And while that might keep our water worries at bay, climate change will not fade away as a universal fact of our current existence. A wholesale redesign of our world might be the way forward, one design practice or visual at a time. And if you have reached here, then do take a couple of minutes to also read this post. Photo by Akil Mazumder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-green-plant-1072824/
At the Pitchfest Finals, 28 June 2022
When CX Network put out their announcement for the CX Live Start-up Pitchfest, we responded with open-minded curiosity and enthusiasm. It felt exciting to be part of the larger community of CX and related organizations and professionals. It ended with participation in the final, as one of the six shortlisted finalists. Not only was it an invigorating challenge, but also an educative and wonderful experience. An eclectic mix of people, product and services – all bonded by the common quest to improve customer experience for organisation and brands. Presenting the HUDE Studio proposition of ‘putting a human face to the digital presence of organisation and brand’ was a solution narrative that rhymed with products trying to reach out to CX professionals. In the end, the event was a great opportunity to have connected with global professionals in the larger CX fraternity. Nazim Iqbal, founder and director, elaborated on the HUDE philosophy of integrating human connectivity into digital channels. Customer experience, forever evolving, and growing more subtle and embedding deeper within products, now calls for deeper collaborations amongst specialists, thinkers, analysts and creative dreamers. Such initiatives seem like excellent places to hang out with one’s own tribe, and get acquainted with others.
Why ethical design is a business imperative
As design gains a greater role on the business stage, as brighter spotlight is shone on it, design as a practice is fast growing into a mature and responsible adult. Not only is the design industry aware of its great significance, it is also taking responsibility for aspects that are more fundamental and intrinsic to products, both digital and physical. Ethical design is, therefore, no more an afterthought starting with diversity in people imagery and ending with testing accessibility for the differently abled. It is now more nuanced and flows deeper within the muscle of the product. Indeed, ethical design strengthens a product (or service) and it is a business imperative. Today more than ever before. Some key aspects of ‘Ethical Design’ that should be taken into consideration by every UX practitioner. Design for inclusiveness All genders, demographics, races and ethnicities; minimization of unconscious biases and unintended exclusions.A range of nationalities and regional identities, urban and rural.For voice-enabled products, relevant accents and manner of speech including colloquialisms, abbreviations and typical phraseologies.No stereotypes and what is typically understood as ‘expected’ behavior of user segments (e.g., LGBTQ, older women, indigenous populations, and others). A product in the digital is available to all, and is accessed by people with varying abilities, interests and cultures. The more inclusive a product, the wider spread its usage, across users and geographies. Does this not make perfect business sense? More importantly, it aids in building a better society and world. Think sustainable design It’s widely accepted that 80 percent of the ecological impacts of a product are focused (and handled) in the design phase of a product. Decisions taken during the design phase are crucial to the entire life cycle with regard to the product’s relationship and effects on people, planet and business profits. Research and white-boarding, gathering insights, prototyping, user feedback and finally production of a digital or physical product should factor this in. Factors that influence – prominently – and need insightful exploration are: impact on environment (negative and otherwise), on society (values, social norms and specific demographic targeting) and business value (in the immediate time frame and in the long term). Context of design ‘Who is the target user’ – this line of design thinking is old-hat. Look for the deeper unseen connections with users’ lives and their decisions. Think of the long-term impact of your design and its intersection with social and environmental factors. Consider the mental map and the psychological conditioning of potential users. Post pandemic, these below-the-surface systemic aspects have greatly magnified in their bearing upon products and services design. We were once designing a solution for nutrition among rural mothers and infants. Among the many things to be taken into consideration were also the most personalized details like: language dialects in a region, a mother’s usual daily routine, average distance to the closest health center, divorced and abandoned mothers, extreme weather topographies (snow or extreme cold and extreme heat) and so on.The design model overlaid on the social model – and that is the only way the solution can have real meaning for the end user. Ethics in design enlivens the promise of being well-integrated (and sustainable) in its physical world replete with its social realities, imperfections, even quirks. Based on the powerful concept of product stewardship, it helps to ‘regulate’ the field of design in much the same way as medicine or law is regulated to provide lasting value and meaning to people and societies. Whereas earlier generations of designers often considered ethics to be outside their pale, not any more. In fact, this is the key to making design more accountable, and respond in a wholesome way to present-day human and business demands. Photo by Anderson Guerra: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-portrait-wall-art-1154198/
