My son gave me a tutorial recently on his user experience with two platforms – one tied to banking and another to distance learning. He summarized user experience from peers and tied it to the companies’ respective share performance this year. His message was simple – the innovators have created a great user experience with, not for, his peers. He explained that one set of products clearly invited input from a community of diverse co-creators, allowing them to be part of the process.
The concept is simple, but too many companies clearly don’t know what educational and economic data to leverage. For a healthcare system, food deserts, SNAP information from schools and transportation data are all critical pain points from which to begin. Properly weighted along with other variables following community input, this powerful information will determine where to focus telehealth services and site urgent care facilities, which are far more accessible alternatives to hospitals.
Another common mistake is UX designed for desktop interaction. UX needs to be designed primarily for mobile access particularly in health and financial sectors. While racial disparities exist in computer ownership, it is almost a non-factor when it comes to smartphone usage.
Centering user experiences on inclusive design can be effective as a tool to actively combat inequities and implicit bias. Disrupting longstanding norms in UX will not only result in drastically improved products, but also mark an important step towards accelerating growth in all communities.