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Associated Press
29-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
DNDA25 Summit Registration Opens: Shaping the Future with Humanity-Centered Design
Singapore Polytechnic and the Don Norman Design Award to co-host international summit, November 19-21, 2025, with registration now open SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, July 29, 2025 / / -- Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and the Don Norman Design Award (DNDA) are proud to announce that registration is officially open for the DNDA25 Summit. Taking place from November 19–21, 2025, at the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre (SPCC), this milestone event marks the first time the Summit will be held outside the United States, a meaningful shift that reflects Asia's growing influence in shaping design for societal impact. Under the theme, 'Humanity-Centered Design (HCD+): The Future of Education, Business and Community,' the DNDA25 Summit will unite designers, visionaries, innovators, educators, and changemakers from around the world. The Summit unfolds with three days filled with transformative keynotes, candid stories of design breakthroughs and setbacks, and spirited debate on how HCD+ can drive lasting, positive impact for people and the planet. The DNDA25 Summit boasts an illustrious lineup of keynote speakers, including legendary design pioneer Don Norman himself; Ezio Manzini, professor of design at Politecnico di Milano and a leading voice in sustainable innovation; and Daniel Iacofano, founding principal and chief executive officer of MIG. Joining them are Dr Wong Sweet Fun, chief transformation officer at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Sanjay Purohit, chief executive officer of the Centre for Exponential Change, with more inspiring speakers from Asia and across the globe to be revealed in the coming months. A major highlight will be the DNDA25 Awards — celebrating exceptional contributions in early-career work, educational programs and organizational leadership. Honorees will share first-hand lessons from their design journeys, fostering inspiration for those working to embed humanity-centered values into innovation and transformation. DNDA25 builds on a trusted partnership between SP and Don Norman, who first joined SP as Guest of Honor at the DT|UX Summit in 2023 and later endorsed the launch of the institution's HCD+ Innovation Framework. The collaboration deepened in 2024 with the inaugural regional DT|UX Summit in the Philippines and SP's global recognition at DNDA24 for leadership in the HCD+ space, making it one of only eight institutions worldwide to receive the honor. Whether you are an early-career professional, student, educator, or industry leader, DNDA25 invites you to be part of a global movement redefining the impact of design. Secure your spot and learn more at — join those determined to harness design as a catalyst for good. About Singapore Polytechnic Singapore Polytechnic (SP), established in 1954, is a leading educational institution committed to shaping future-ready talent and driving innovation. With a staff strength of 1,400 and over 12,800 students across 30 full-time diploma courses and four common entry programmes, SP is known for its strong industry focus, mastery in teaching, and emphasis on lifelong learning. Visit to learn more. About Don Norman Design Award The Don Norman Design Award (DNDA) organization is dedicated to promoting the global adoption of Humanity-Centered Design (HCD+). DNDA champions holistic and sustainable design practices that benefit all people, living things, cultures, and the planet. Founded in 2023 as a nonprofit organization, DNDA draws inspiration from the work of Don Norman, a luminary in the world of design with a distinguished career as an author, teacher, advisor, and executive at companies such as Apple, HP, and the Nielsen Norman group. Please visit to learn more. Contacts: Cynthia Chin Singapore Polytechnic [email protected] Christine Trimble Don Norman Design Award [email protected] Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Entrepreneur
06-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Your Product's Design Could Be Costing You Customers
What good design teaches us about making products people actually want to use. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. I've lost count of how many times I've done this: standing like an idiot before a door with a handle screaming "PULL ME!" while a tiny sign says "push." We all have. Don Norman, the User Experience (UX) legend, labeled this a "Norman Door": design so bad it needs instructions to use. And I'm here to tell you: Your product might be a Norman Door. In my years as a product manager, from enterprise to small business software, I've cringed watching users struggle with prototypes my team swore were intuitive. This door problem isn't abstract design theory. It's a product disease that's bleeding your conversion rates dry. Related: The 10 Obstacles Keeping You From Great Product Design Affordances aren't just design jargon When I first learned about affordances, visual cues showing how something works, it seemed like design-school fluff. Then I watched a user test where people couldn't find our "obviously placed" save button, and suddenly Don Norman didn't seem so theoretical. Take Robinhood's original interface. While dinosaur brokerages buried users in cavernous websites, Robinhood stripped investing to its essentials: up means good, green equals money, swipe to act. It wasn't just "easier." It fundamentally changed who wanted to invest by making actions obvious. The mistake product managers and teams make is designing for ourselves. Most products make perfect sense if you built it and already know how it works. But customers only have what is in front of them, and that needs to be intuitive. Your customers are always right When users struggle with your product, it's tempting to blame them. "They didn't read the manual." "They need training." "Not our ideal customer persona." This is the product version of slapping a "PUSH" sign on a door with a pull handle. Good design doesn't need a manual. Bad error messages are my personal pet peeve here. Many are written by developers for developers: "Error code 5432: Null pointer exception in transaction handler." Great, helpful. HCI research (and common sense) shows that effective error messages need to explain what happened in human language, clarify consequences and suggest a fix. When Slack tells you "You're trying to upload a file larger than 50MB" and immediately suggests "Try compressing it or using our Google Drive integration," they're preventing the rage-quit I've seen too many times in usability tests. Related: How Prioritizing UX Design Can Fuel Long-Term Growth in the Next Decade Constraints as a business strategy Industrial designers use constraints intentionally — like how a SIM card only fits one way (though I still somehow get it wrong every time). Product constraints aren't limitations; they're clarity engines. The most successful products I've worked with deliberately limit options to prevent catastrophic errors and the blank stare of cognitive overload. Look at how Figma entered the design tool space. Rather than trying to cram in every Adobe feature accumulated since 1990, they constrained their tool to the essential components of interface design. They deliberately avoided complex layer effects in favor of making collaboration seamless. I watched countless designers switch over once they realized these "limitations" actually sped up their workflow dramatically. For your business (and mine), this means ruthlessly killing features that don't support your core value. Features that don't align can actively undermine your UX. The feedback loop that actually matters Don Norman's "gulf of evaluation" — the gap between what users expect and what happens — applies as much to your quarterly business reviews as it does to your checkout flow. When a user takes an action in your product, how quickly do they know if it worked? If the answer is "they have to check email" or "they'll find out later," you've created an evaluation gulf that will drown user confidence. I've been guilty of this. My team once built an "instant" data export feature that actually took 30 seconds to run — with zero feedback during processing. User testing revealed people were clicking the button 5-6 times, thinking it was broken. We added a progress bar, and users now wait patiently. Amazon mastered this with one-click ordering. The moment you tap "Buy Now," you get confirmation that your order is processing. It resolves the uncertainty anxiety that kills conversion rates. For your product strategy, this means investing as much in confirmation states as feature development. Users remember uncertainty more than they remember your feature list. Related: What a Complete User Experience Process Looks Like — and How Investing in One Can Benefit Your Business Apply these principles now These HCI principles are practical business tools I use daily. Here's how to apply them immediately: Find your product's "Norman Doors" by watching new users interact without help (and resist the urge to explain when they struggle) Map the entire user journey, flagging every moment of confusion or surprise Review error states with the same rigor you apply to feature development (seriously, audit them all) Evaluate feature requests against your core constraints instead of automatically adding them to your backlog The products that win aren't those with the most features or flashiest tech. They're the ones that communicate clearly, prevent errors gracefully and deliver feedback instantly. They're doors that you know how to open the first time. Though honestly, those "PUSH" and "PULL" sign manufacturers are probably doing just fine. There's always money in bad design.
Forbes
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Lyft Silver For Seniors: Why Is Good Design Age-Restricted?
Lyft is introducing Lyft Silver, a new service for seniors. NurPhoto via Getty Images Rideshare company Lyft just announced a new service aimed at older adults called Lyft Silver. The company says it's about giving seniors "the gift of independence, without the weight of worry." The service features larger text, simpler menus, and prioritizes matching riders with vehicles that are easier to enter and exit. It even offers live human support when needed. According to Lyft's announcement, they've "poured their hearts" into this design, thinking about "those we cherish most." They've worked with experts on aging to create what they call a "groundbreaking feature." It all sounds thoughtful and well-intentioned. But when I look at the list of features, I can't help but wonder: why are these improvements only available to seniors? Wouldn't many of them be just as useful for riders of any age? Let's examine what Lyft Silver actually offers. According to Fast Company , the service uses a font that's 1.4 times larger than the standard app. It has a cleaner, simpler interface. It connects users with vehicles that are easier to get in and out of . (Apparently Lyft's data showed seniors are twice as likely to cancel when matched with pickup trucks.) And it offers access to phone support with real human beings. Are any of these features that only older adults would benefit from? Wouldn't many people of all ages struggle to read tiny app text on a sun-drenched phone screen while standing on a street corner? Who hasn't been frustrated when an app update buries an essential function three menus deep? Might other users prefer to be matched with vehicles that are easier to enter? And who wouldn't want to connect with a live human when things go south? Design legend and usability expert Don Norman puts it perfectly: "Designing for people with disabilities almost always leads to products that work better for everyone." The Paradox of Specialized Design The irony is that making these features "special" actually reinforces a problematic mindset about design. I don't think I've ever quoted former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about anything. But he was absolutely right when he stated, 'Accessible design is good design.' When companies create separate, specialized interfaces for different user groups, they're often implicitly acknowledging that their main product isn't as usable as it could be. Instead of fixing the core experience, they create an alternate path that often gets less attention and fewer updates over time. There's also something mildly patronizing about age-segregated design. The Fast Company article notes that only 5.6% of Lyft's riders are over 65. Today, that age bracket makes up 18% of the U.S. population. Lyft's low senior usage rate likely revealed a usability problem, not a lack of need or interest among older adults. The Business Case for Universal Design From a business perspective, making your product more usable for everyone isn't just the right thing to do, it's smart strategy. When curb cuts were mandated for wheelchair accessibility, they ended up benefiting parents with strollers, travelers with luggage, delivery workers, and countless others. Lyft's own data points to the business upside. Fast Company reports that older adults are 57% more likely to miss their rides. That's lost revenue, not to mention frustrated drivers and riders. By making the service more accessible, Lyft stands to increase successful rides across all demographics. Moving Beyond Age-Restricted Design What would a truly inclusive Lyft app look like? Perhaps it would offer customizable font sizes and contrast options for everyone. It might let any user select vehicle preferences based on ease of entry. And imagine offering a "Get Help" button for all users, not just those over a certain age. Design that accommodates diverse needs doesn't have to mean designing for the lowest common denominator or sacrificing aesthetic appeal. In fact, as Don Norman argues , there's no reason assistive devices can't be beautiful and elegant. The same applies to digital apps. Lyft Silver for All? Lyft deserves credit for identifying gaps in their service for older users. But the real innovation would be recognizing that the improvements they've created for Lyft Silver shouldn't be age-restricted at all. When good design gets labeled as a specialized option for a particular demographic, we all lose out. Isn't it time we stopped treating ease of use as a special feature?
Time Business News
02-05-2025
- Time Business News
When Did UX Design Become Popular?
What makes a user keep coming back to your product? How do you design a product that looks great and feels just right? These questions are at the heart of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX)—where creativity meets empathy. The best UX/UI tools offer a structured framework for organizing data, mapping the user journey, and bringing your design concepts to life. But remember, it's not about having every platform in your tech stack—it's about finding the ones which best serve your specific needs and complement your existing workflow. Whether you're building an intuitive website or working on a must-have invention, we've compiled a list of the best UI and UX tools, so you can transition your design process from 'it works' to 'truly exceptional'. Here's the tools we'll be looking at: While the official term 'User Experience Design' was coined in the 1990s, the principles behind UX have been around for a long time. For centuries, craftsmen, architects, and engineers have been designing with the end user in mind—seeking ways to make tools, environments, and systems more intuitive, comfortable, and efficient. But it wasn't until the rise of digital technology that UX began to take on a more formal role in design practices. The shift started to become noticeable with the rise of human-computer interaction (HCI) in the 1980s. Computers were no longer just tools for scientists and corporations—they were entering homes, schools, and small businesses. Designers and engineers began to realize that the usability of software and hardware could make or break a product. In the early 1990s, Don Norman joined Apple and gave a name to what many designers were already trying to achieve: seamless, human-centered interaction with digital products. He introduced the term 'User Experience Design' to describe the full journey a user takes when interacting with a product—not just the interface, but everything from branding to functionality to emotional impact. This was the moment when UX started to shift from an abstract design philosophy into a definable discipline. Yet, at that point, it was still mostly confined to major tech companies and academic research. Most industries were slow to adopt UX as a core part of their product strategy. The real explosion in UX popularity came during the 2000s, as the internet matured and software became more ubiquitous. People were spending more time online, using digital services for everything from shopping and banking to learning and socializing. Expectations started to shift. It was no longer enough for digital products to simply function—they had to feel effortless. Companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon began investing heavily in user research and product design. With competition growing fast, UX design became the key to differentiation. The rise of mobile technology also accelerated the importance of UX, as designers now had to consider smaller screens, touch interactions, and on-the-go use cases. This decade saw the introduction of popular UX tools and methods—wireframing, user personas, A/B testing, journey mapping—each helping teams design more intuitively for their audience. By the 2010s, UX design had officially 'arrived.' Startups and enterprise companies alike began hiring dedicated UX designers, researchers, and strategists. Design systems like Google's Material Design and Apple's Human Interface Guidelines created new standards and best practices for building consistent, user-friendly interfaces. Design-centric companies like Airbnb, Spotify, and Uber proved that great UX wasn't just a nice-to-have—it was a key driver of user retention and business growth. Designers were no longer being brought in at the end of a project to 'make it look nice.' They were involved from day one, shaping the entire user journey. For businesses looking to compete globally, hiring the right talent became essential. Collaborating with a skilled UX design expert in London or similar markets helped many companies elevate their product design and adapt to user expectations quickly. Today, UX design is not just popular—it's fundamental. In nearly every digital product, from mobile apps to smart devices to enterprise software, UX is a critical part of the development process. The field has expanded to include areas like voice UX, motion design, service design, and accessibility. Tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Webflow have made the UX process more collaborative, while methodologies like design thinking and agile UX ensure that products stay aligned with real user needs. And with AI now playing a bigger role, designers are thinking even more deeply about human behavior and ethical interaction. UX is no longer just a design trend; it's a mindset embedded in successful product teams around the world. So, when did UX design become popular? While the seeds were planted long ago, its true rise happened in the early 2000s—gaining full momentum in the 2010s when companies realized that intuitive, user-focused design was the key to loyalty, trust, and long-term success. The beauty of UX is that it never stops evolving. As technology changes and user expectations shift, UX adapts, guiding us toward better experiences, smoother journeys, and products that truly connect. If you're building something today, the question isn't whether you need UX—it's how deeply it's embedded into every part of what you create. Because ultimately, the most successful designs are the ones that make people feel seen, understood, and empowered. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
