Why Designers Fail and What to Do About It

How often do you celebrate failures? Yes, you heard that right. Most shun failure, but in the right environment, you can get past the fears and inhibitions, and put the amazing power of studying failures to work for you.

All those who participate in design, from interaction designers, to usability engineers, to managers and IA masters, fall victim to the same challenges when trying to bring good design into the world. From politics, to hubris, to downright incompetence, there is much we can we learn by confessing to, and examining the causes of, our failures. Success stories provide few lessons since everything went well. It’s the near-successes, the almost worked stories, and the complete failures that provide us the greatest education in how successful design happens.

This fun, interactive talk, was one of our most popular at User Interface 13 last Fall. It explores why designers fail and offers advice, based on research from over 300 designers and engineers, on how to learn from and triumph in the face of these situations.

This talk will surely have you running back to your team to discuss how to get more value out of what’s gone wrong in the past, and give you the tools you need to apply them to the present. If your role touches any aspect of the design process, this seminar is perfect for you.