Design Methodology

My Design Thinking Approach

Over two decades in UX, I've learned that the best solutions don't come from assumptions—they come from truly understanding people. Design thinking isn't just a framework I follow; it's how I approach every problem. I've watched projects fail because teams skipped empathy, and I've seen "impossible" challenges solved when we took time to really listen to users.

Empathize

I spend time with real users—not just surveys, but conversations and observations

Define

I dig beneath surface requests to find the actual problem we need to solve

Ideate

I explore wild ideas alongside practical ones—sometimes the crazy ones work

Prototype

I build quickly to fail fast—paper sketches to Arduino prototypes

Test

I put designs in front of real users early and often, then iterate based on what breaks

This process isn't linear for me—it's messy and iterative. I've gone back to empathy phase after testing revealed we were solving the wrong problem. That's not failure; that's learning. Each project teaches me something new about users, technology, or myself as a designer.

How I Put People First

Early in my career, I designed what I thought was a beautiful interface. That humbling experience taught me that design isn't about me—it's about them. Now, every decision I make is filtered through one question: "Does this help or hinder the person using it?" Here are the principles I live by:

Visibility

If users have to hunt for something, I've failed. I make critical actions and information obvious because I've seen too many people give up when they can't find what they need.

Feedback

Silence is scary. When someone clicks a button, they need to know something happened. I design feedback into every interaction—sometimes it's subtle, but it's always there.

Affordance

I believe design should be intuitive. If it looks like a button, it better act like one. I've learned that fighting user expectations just creates frustration.

Consistency

I never make users relearn patterns. When save buttons work one way on page 1, they work the same way on page 50. Consistency builds trust and reduces cognitive load.

Accessibility

Designing for accessibility isn't just compliance—it's compassion. I've seen how thoughtful design can transform someone's ability to work independently, and that drives everything I do.

Error Prevention

Mistakes happen, but good design prevents them. I design with guardrails and clear recovery paths because I've seen the frustration when users accidentally delete important work.

Working With How We Actually See

Your brain is doing incredible things right now—grouping, organizing, and making sense of visual information without you even realizing it. Once I understood Gestalt principles, I stopped fighting against human perception and started designing with it. These aren't just theory for me—they're tools I use every single day.

Proximity

I group related items close together because our brains automatically assume they belong together. It's why I space form fields carefully—proper spacing tells users what's connected without saying a word.

Similarity

When I want users to recognize patterns, I use consistent visual styling. All primary actions get the same color, all warnings share a style—it helps users build mental models faster.

Closure

Our brains complete incomplete shapes automatically. I use this to create cleaner interfaces—subtle borders, partial outlines. Less visual clutter, same comprehension.

Continuity

I design visual paths for the eye to follow. When elements align, users naturally flow from one to the next. It's how I guide attention without arrows or instructions.

Figure-Ground

Strong contrast helps users instantly understand what's important. I've seen designs fail because everything competed for attention. Good hierarchy makes the right things pop.

Common Fate

When I animate elements together, users see them as related. It's powerful for showing relationships—like how dragging one item affects others in a connected system.

Why I Study How We Think

The moment I learned about working memory limitations, everything clicked. Suddenly I understood why my complex navigation menus confused people. Understanding cognitive science transformed me from someone who designs pretty interfaces to someone who designs interfaces that work with the human brain. Here's what I've learned that actually matters in practice:

Instincts & Visceral Response

People judge interfaces in milliseconds—before they consciously think about it. I've seen users recoil from perfectly functional designs because something "felt wrong." Now I design for that gut reaction first: clear contrast, familiar patterns, and trustworthy visual cues. First impressions aren't everything, but they're hard to overcome.

Working Memory Limits

Your brain can only juggle about 5 things at once. I learned this the hard way when I built a form with 20 fields—users gave up. Now I chunk information ruthlessly. Progressive disclosure isn't just fancy—it's respecting cognitive limits. Every extra option on screen is mental weight someone has to carry.

Recognition Over Recall

I'd rather show users something they can recognize than make them remember it. It's why I use icons with labels, visual previews, and familiar patterns. Watching someone struggle to recall where they saved a file taught me: recognition is effortless, recall is work.

Spatial Memory & Navigation

Users build mental maps of interfaces. Move the menu once and watch them get lost—they're looking where it used to be, not where it is now. I keep navigation consistent because disrupting someone's spatial memory creates real cognitive friction. Location matters more than we think.

Left Brain: Logic & Language

When users need to understand instructions or complete sequential tasks, I'm appealing to logical, language-based thinking. This is where clear microcopy shines—well-chosen words can eliminate confusion. I've rewritten button labels 10 times to find the one that just clicks.

Right Brain: Visual & Emotional

Numbers and words aren't everything. Sometimes a well-chosen color or beautiful imagery communicates faster than text ever could. I design for emotional resonance too—how something feels matters. Medical software can be calming, financial tools can feel secure. Aesthetics aren't superficial; they're functional.

Fast & Slow Thinking

Most actions should be automatic—System 1 thinking. But critical decisions need deliberate thought—System 2. I design common paths to be frictionless (one-click actions, defaults that make sense) while adding speed bumps before destructive actions. Delete buttons should make you pause.

Using Cognitive Biases

Our brains have predictable shortcuts. People remember the first and last items in a list, so that's where I put important stuff. They trust the default option, so I make defaults smart. Understanding these patterns isn't manipulation—it's meeting users where their brains naturally go.

What This Means in Practice

I don't design based on what looks cool or what I personally prefer. I design based on how brains actually work. When I simplify a complex workflow, I'm reducing cognitive load. When I use familiar patterns, I'm leveraging existing mental models. When I add micro-interactions, I'm providing the feedback our brains crave. This knowledge has made me a better designer—not because I memorized theories, but because I've seen them play out in real user testing sessions again and again.

How It All Comes Together

These aren't separate methodologies I pick and choose from—they're lenses I look through simultaneously. When I'm designing, I'm thinking about the user's goals (design thinking), their cognitive limits (psychology), how their eyes will flow across the page (Gestalt), and whether everyone can access it (human-centric design). It's second nature now, but it took years of practice.

Research First, Always

I've never regretted doing user research, but I've definitely regretted skipping it. Every assumption I make gets validated. Every design decision has evidence behind it. That's not being cautious—it's being smart.

Test Early, Test Often

Usability testing has humbled me more times than I can count. Users do unexpected things, misunderstand clear instructions, and reveal problems I never imagined. I've learned to love being wrong because it means I can make it right.

Beauty With Purpose

I believe beautiful design performs better—but only when that beauty serves the user. Every color choice, every animation, every typeface has a job to do. If it's just decoration, it doesn't belong.

Empathy Isn't Optional

At the core of everything I do is a simple question: "How would this feel if I were struggling, tired, or frustrated?" Designing with empathy isn't just good practice—it's what separates functional design from truly helpful design.

"After 20+ years, I've learned that great design isn't about following rules—it's about understanding why those rules exist, knowing when to break them, and always, always putting the human first."