Themen
About the talk
At the book club evening with Don Norman, Rainer Sax (Senior Consultant Strategy & UX at UX&I) gave an inspiring talk on how designers can make the world a better place. This talk is now available for viewing here.
Key points discussed
- Challenges in Envisioning a Better World: Rainer emphasizes the difficulties in imagining a better world amid current global crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and geopolitical conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and terrorism in Israel.
- Role of Designers in a Better World: Rainer explores how designers can contribute to solving global issues, shifting from merely improving digital products to engaging in political activism and social issues.
- Evolving Challenges in UX Design: Rainer reflects on the successes and failures in UX design, highlighting how certain problems have already been solved, such as building websites and e-commerce platforms. The focus now shifts to how designers can apply their skills in new, broader contexts.
- Collaboration and Co-creation: Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, Rainer discusses the need for designers to work with developers, businesses, and users. He cites research from Google's DORA group, which studies how successful teams operate and the importance of user feedback.
- Beyond Digital Design: Rainer urges designers to apply their skills beyond digital products, exploring areas where they can make a significant impact.
- Addressing Discrepancies and Injustices in Design: The podcast touches on issues such as the challenges faced by women of color in UX design, the predominance of white males in the field, and the necessity of creating safe spaces.
- Mental Health in the Design Community: Rainer discusses the mental strain on designers due to industry discrepancies and how community support can enhance individual and collective well-being.
- Rethinking Complexity and Constraints in Design: Rainer challenges the notion of hiding complexity in design, advocating for a new approach that respects and embraces constraints, illustrated by an example from the market gardening movement.
- Final Thoughts and Questions: Rainer concludes with open questions about using design skills for the greater good, finding strength and solace, re-evaluating complexity, and embracing constraints for a better world.
Lass uns wissen, was wir besser machen können - wir würden uns über dein Feedback freuen!