Experience by Design

With the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, there has been a lot of discussion of the military in the news recently. As we see images on television of these conflicts, the service of those in the military comes into clearer focus. There are those who are giving their years, themselves, and even their lives. Even in 'peace time,' military members can go on long deployments not take them away from their homes and their families. While we often are reminded of the sacrifices of those in uniform, it can be easy to forget the sacrifices of those family members who also are affected. On this episode of Experience by Design, we talk to Dr. Shelley Kimball, formerly of the Military Family Advisory Network. Shelley was the Vice President of Research and Program Evaluation at the MFAN, and is now Senior Lecturer and Program Coordinator at the Johns Hopkins University. In her role at MFAN, it was her job with her team to not just count how many services were delivered, but how many positive experiences were created. In our conversation, we talk about how she and her team use experience design principles in the evaluation of services and programs provided by MFAN. Central to their work is to treat everyone with dignity and that they are a customer. They use qualitative measurement approaches to understand the meaning behind the experiences they provide. Their goal is to make sense of everything from the point of view of those who are their target audiences. As Shelley notes, while AI and ML can perhaps get you 80% of the way in your analysis, you can’t yet replace the human brain. Also, you can't just deliver services and count that as success. You need to see the meanings that are created for those you are serving. 

Organizations used to be notable for their stability. Some of the biggest companies were well-known for their established cultures, their recognizable products, and their steadfast brands. Going to work at one of those companies meant permanence and security. It wasn’t just that those companies were change adverse; it is that change was seen as irrelevant. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But we don’t live in a world that is predictable and stable. As the saying goes, change is the only constant, and if we aren’t willing to change, then we may be on the path to irrelevance.At the same time, wanting and being willing to change isn’t enough. We have to make changes in how we see the world and change our reactions to it. Barry Borgerson has been helping organizations see and make the changes they needed to make for some time. A PhD in computer science helped him see culture from a systemic perspective, understanding how an organization is a set of interconnected parts that can have a legacy framework that impedes change. Likewise, we need to create self-correcting mechanisms to help change happen more frequently in response to the rate of change. Finally, be challenging our perceptions in how we see the world can be the cornerstone in how we create the possibility for change

It can be easy to forget that experience design, whatever the kind, is about people. More than that, it is about making not only experiences better, but more importantly their lives better. As experience designers, we can help in ways great and small. It can be an overused phrase to be customer, or patient, or user centric. And we can lose sight what that means, and what our design recommendations and decisions can mean, in people’s lives. Eleni Stathoulis is focused on delivering that difference through design. She is Principal in Design at Mad*Pow, a New England-based firm that creates innovative experiences and solutions that benefit people and businesses. She has worked with clients across a variety of business sectors and industries, but with always the same goal: to bring the voices of people back into the design process in order to do good. We talk with Eleni about her path to her current position. From her education as a graphic design major and communications minor, she has integrated both to better relate findings to clients. We talk about how by keeping the goals of the project in mind, and the needs of the people at the center, we can deliver designs that matter and create change.

We are on the verge of a new year, and with a new year comes new ideas about how we need to make changes in our lives. While individual will often make New Year’s Resolutions about how to make a “new you”, what about organization? What resolutions can organizations make to change the way they have been doing things, and enter the new year with not only the best intentions, but the best outcomes?To help us explore how to make those radical changes in our individual and organizational lives, we have in the Experience by Design Studios Radhika Dutt. Radhika is the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. In her book, she distills that wealth of knowledge into some clear elements that any individual or organization can use. In today’s conversation we break down what radical product thinking is and can do. It’s a skill for creating change in the world around you, and one of the most interesting aspects is that it can work for organizations, but also you as an individual, or even entities not traditionally considered products such as Singapore. One key element of radical product thinking we discuss is building out vision vs iterative product thinking, meaning how can we create guides and guardrails to foster growth in a desired direction, measure what matters, and create lasting change.

When the world can feel more divided than ever - whether polarizing politics, climate change or economic uncertainty, ethnography reminds us to come back down to earth, and into the lives of people. Because the truth is, if we want to see systemic change, and address issues larger than ourselves, we actually have to start with everyday experience. And being willing to go against the grain, challenge the status quo.Thibault Manekin has a habit of putting himself into uncomfortable situations of the extraordinary kind. In his new book Larger than Yourself, he chronicles the various moments in his life where seeking the uncomfortable was the path to not only his growth, but increased opportunities for others. At the heart of each of these stories is the rebellion against those who warn “You can’t” or tell him “No.” Hearing these phrases lets him know when he is pushing hard enough to do something truly revolutionary. If you are not struggling, what you are trying to do is probably too easy to begin with.While perhaps laudable, such an approach can easily become misguided. Putting oneself into uncomfortable situations can easily become self-serving. Such an approach can slip into a person using others to feel growthful and even a thrill seeker. To embed the action into impact, it becomes more important to align the idea with the desires and goals of those in the setting. We have to build and make change from the inside out, getting input from the various stakeholders that exist in the space in which we are seeking to make a difference.  This means a rebalancing of power, whether it be in an organization, an institution, or a community. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. The question becomes how to make people more equal in the relationship. While a CEO and a janitor may have different roles and responsibilities, they are not unequal in their tasks. Sanitation workers, not physicians, would have curtailed the plague. Physicians could perhaps treat the symptoms. Sanitation workers could remove the causes. Thus, each has a role to play that is not any less important than the other. Ultimately each has a perspective to add and value to contribute. Organizations and leaders need to do better to make that possibility a reality.  

Meaning is a key element of designing experiences. At the same time, a major challenge is to understand how people construct and achieve meaning not just personally, but shared with others. How we create meaning through language has long been a philosophical question drawing sharp arguments around a fundamental feature of our lives. Max Louwerse’s book “Keeping those Words in Mind: How Language Creates Meaning” explores how we make meaning through language in terms that anyone can understand. Based on his own cutting-edge research, Max helps us explore how words work in the mind, how people create meaning, and what it means for experience design.We also discuss efforts at creating transformative learning experiences through pedagogical technology. From augmented reality, to virtual reality, to “CAVES”, to artificial intelligence, and to not giving tests, Max talks about his work pushing the boundaries of how students learn. We engage in a critical examination of the educational system, some of the biggest challenges in higher education, and how technology is meant to enhance and supplement rather than replace. 

When looking at American culture, you can see how security minded it is. Home security systems. Car security systems. Gun ownership for protection. Locking your doors. It is a society that in many ways does not trust its own environment. At the same, we have in many ways given up pretending that we have digital privacy and security. News reports of security breaches, stolen passwords, hacking, and cybercrime all create the sense that resistance is futile. Our guest today is looking to change that by making data privacy a human right. Ben Brook went to Harvard with aspirations of studying film. Soon after arriving, he turned his attention to books on the future of AI and computer science. This led to his co-creation of Transcend, a company that aims to make managing your data and privacy an easier and seamless experience.  We talk about how cleaning up someone’s data is like throwing confetti into a ceiling fan, and how Transcend helps companies and consumers clean up that mess. Transcend also helps companies be who they wish they were but helping earn their customers’ trust in how they manage customer data. Inspired by regulations like GDPR and California’s CCPA, Transcend aims to educate end-users and give them increased control over their personal data as an enjoyable experience. 

Perhaps one of the most immediate changes brought by the pandemic was the move to living online. It seemed like the world was going virtual, as people in business, education, organizing, and those trying to maintain social connection became boxes on screens. As we put more time into being online, we often found that there is a difference between being in person and being remote. Something is missing in the virtual experience.At the same time, there is this whole thriving online world in which masses of people regularly get together to view content, have conversations, and build community. On this episode of Experience by Design, we welcome long-time livestreamer and content creator Chuck KostALnik, otherwise known as Heyappl. From his early days in 2012 making videos for YouTube, to his current Twitch channel, as well as his work with the open source product Firebot, Chuck has been exploring how to make virtual moments that matter. We talk about seeing things from the viewer’s perspective, how dead air is not necessarily bad air, the danger of metrics, and digital brand management. We also talk about how products like Firebot can create “immersive theater”, and transform watching another person playing video games or “Just Chatting” into a unifying virtual experience. Finally we talk about creating inclusive experiences online, and the fighting back against flamers and hate raids. 

This past summer has brought greater attention to questions of racial and social justice, resulting from the George Floyd murder to other stories also depicting events that bring us back to an earlier time in American history. While this renewed focus is welcome to address issues that still need addressing, the topic of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are by no means new. So while not new as topics, we are living in a new era. With this, we need a new generation of leaders to take the mantle forward. So the question can be asked, in what way can we engage younger generations in these topics to leverage their experiences and insights to move our work forward for a more just and inclusive society. To help us in this conversation, today we welcome to the Experience by Design studios Dan Egol and Desi Carson of the Inclusion Nextwork. The Inclusion Nextwork is a global network of emerging leaders who are passionate about innovating how organizations and communities approach diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. Rooted in their previous work in the field, Dan and Desi take us through what an inclusive community looks like using their IDEAS framework. From Roundtable on a range of inclusive topics, to skills and leadership development, they talk about how to create new approaches to our long-standing issues.The key lies in co-creating a more just and equitable society across community building, resource strategy and opportunity finding.

One might think that by 2021, companies would already have an understanding of how to digitally transform. Also, one might think that they would have a strategy in place to do so. The truth, however, is that many companies neither have an understanding nor a strategy of engaging customers through digital means. As a result, a staggering 84% of customers say their digital experiences do not live up to their expectations. Further complicating matters is that companies often don’t even take the time to find out what their customers want. And even if and when they do, they are hesitant to even change.Today we welcome Howard Tiersky to the Experience by Design studios. Howard has been named one of the Top 10 Digital Transformation Influencers, and has helped some of the biggest brands and companies with their digital strategies. From a degree in cinematic arts and directing, to creating the first Ernst and Young internet set, Howard has extensive experience in constructing experiences. We talk about his new book “Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance,” which lays out practical steps and proven approaches to make your company succeed in the digital environment. If you are not even sure where to start, Howard’s new book will direct on where you need to go and how to do it.