GUIDING Principles

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I first learned about UX as the field was emerging. I had no one to learn from, no courses to take, and minimal sources of information. As a result, I had to experiment a great deal and learn from my many mistakes. These early experiences strongly influenced my current approach, which is inclusive, iterative, experimental, and data-based.

I have developed a set of core principles that I use to inform my work and my teams.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY: Design is not the exclusive domain of designers. 

Multi-disciplinary, diverse teams bring their distinct perspectives and capabilities to bear on the most challenging creative problems. In the same way that genetic diversity ensures a healthier species, multi-disciplinary teams achieve higher-quality results. The trick as a product designer is to facilitate these sessions in such a way as to compensate for the common problems that arise in traditional brainstorming sessions where groupthink abounds and the loudest voices carry the day.

Knowing how to organize diverse teams and facilitate their creative problem-solving sessions is one of the most rewarding aspects of design work.

BRAVERY: Accountability requires bravery. Be brave.

It's fashionable to talk about failing fast and often, but implementing it can be challenging. For many of us, it's something we may agree with philosophically, but when we make a mistake, we rarely acknowledge it publicly and without deflection.

When your ego feels threatened by failure, embrace the pain. It's the only path to personal and professional growth. If you are a leader, create an environment where people can safely fail, learn, and grow.

EMPATHY: Take advantage of opportunities to learn about your users and colleagues.

To positively influence a company to embrace design-driven development, you must become an agent of change. To positively impact the thinking and behavior of your colleagues, you first have to understand them deeply. What are their unmet needs and unattained goals? What are the pain points they experience? What are the benefits to them in embracing this change? 

Applying the principles of user research to your colleagues will dramatically increase your chances of success.

HONESTY: Accept and act upon what the data is telling you.

Assessing a design's quality requires you to detach yourself from your creation and look at it objectively. Choose meaningful metrics and analyze product usability consistently. Avoid relying on opinions, no matter how senior or expert the source is.

Data doesn't have an agenda; people do. Trust the data.