Design vs. UX

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Do your ux and visual design teams collaborate in harmony or are they constantly going head-to-head over who owns what part of the design? I’ve come across some interesting dynamics within my own project teams lately and am wondering if I’m alone here or if this is some unspoken issue within the design community? There are plenty of visual designers who are incredible collaborators. Very talented individuals who are secure in their abilities and eager to collaborate – even soliciting design feedback from the ux team. Then there are those ‘other’ designers who are very territorial and defensive about their work. They believe their design work is the most important facet of the project and are generally unwilling to hear feedback from anyone not holding an MFA degree from Pratt or RISD.

Everyone is An Artist

According to Joseph Beuys, ‘everyone is an artist’ but by agency definition, visual designers are thought to be the ‘creatives’ in the organization. The ones who bring designs to life by visually articulating the user experience in a way that makes serious impact. My philosophy is ‘a designer is a designer is a designer.’ Whether you are focused on creating a lasting impression through beautiful designs or architecting experiences that improve people’s lives, both require creativity and one can not successfully thrive without the other. Wireframes are the foundation of good design and determining the best way to visually express those blueprints is where the functional transcends into magical.

Hey Megalomaniacs, Check Yourselves

Designers, enough with the grandiose waving of the bamboo pens. And UXers, please stifle it if you parade around believing you are the only ones doing any ‘brain work’. Stop fighting and start collaborating.  Because everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game and great ideas can come from anywhere.

Broken UX and the Medicare Experience

Death by Red Tape

These days it’s common to hear about Medicare fraud in the news and our current healthcare system in general spiraling out of control. More costs, less care, and an ever increasing web of red tape and complexity to navigate through to get reimbursed for even for the most routine medical service.

Reverse Fraud

What you don’t hear about is the people who suffer as a result of the fraud. For example, a paralyzed individual being denied a Medicare claim to cover the cost of her wheelchair. Or an ambulance company charging a disabled patient $1800 dollars for transport to an appointment at a local hospital.

When it comes to user experience, we as designers place a large amount of focus on making cool apps, helping large financial institutions improve their online applications to make more money, and working on projects that give us exposure to the market  in hopes of getting the attention of other expensive clients to in turn generate more revenue.

When I think about where I want to be in five years, I’m increasingly finding it more appealing to take on projects with deeper meaning, whether it be helping small businesses establish an online presence, or working to improve the experience of the broken healthcare system for our aging population. The best part about being a UX practitioner is there is never a shortage of problems to solve.