As If Design Mattered

Did you know the US Air Force has a CXO? Even before the executive order making human-centered design officially mission critical, Colt Whittall joined the USAF as CXO. He recently authored an article providing the blueprint for user-centered success in the Air Force. (Full disclosure: I am a proud Air Force spouse).

The KPIs in the military are some of the most compelling KPIs one can work with. When measuring outcomes like national security and less loss of human life, you don’t have time to mess around. Operationalizing the approach is a categorical imperative.

I’ve been following Whittall for a few years now since having an opportunity to work in UX in the federal space, something I think should be like a peace corp for designers as it is a service to the country and an unparalleled learning experience.

Whittall’s impeccable operations involve careful measurement and could be a blueprint for any approach in any space.

There is an old saw: “what gets measured gets done.” This is the only way to go when designing complex systems. (And yes. As a UX Designer, you are a complex system designer. Not a graphic designer.)

If you aren’t measuring, you aren’t doing it right. If you aren’t measuring, you might just be putting on a good show. Sometimes, you are putting on a show, and it’s a bad one. Everyone knows it. So guess where the layoff hammer hits?

Our KPIs in the private sector aren’t always as dramatic. But in every space we work in, we deal with other people’s invested or donated capital. In every space, we are dealing with jobs that pay people’s mortgages, pay for their special needs child’s therapies, and pay to keep their aging parents at home. What we do can hurt or harm people, their livelihood, and their well-being.

“Human-centered” doesn’t just mean “customers.” Working in software from the perspective of UCD requires human empathy for all players. That includes the “users,” the engineers, the investors, the National economy, and yes—even the business.

Don’t make enemies of anyone. Think of all perspectives. And take your responsibility to the work seriously.

We work in a deeply enmeshed and interconnected economic system. Your quiet quitting might have some justification. Your failure to use industry-standard processes, throw the design over the wall and forget it might be because of poor resources or bad management.

But that decision affects more than you. And it effects signals within the systems you work. It affects our whole field, its credibility, and its mission.

What if we all approached our work like safety and well-being were at stake? What domino effect might you create? What signals would that effect in the system?

When you next go to work, start thinking about your circle of influence. Change what small things you can change right in your immediate world. Keep your focus there. Become more human-centered all the time, not just in your designs but in your interactions.

Act as if design mattered.

And it will.