World Usability Day: Designing for a Better World

Join us in celebrating World Usability Day 2024.

Agenda for Day (CST) :

9:00am – 10:00am: Canary in a Coalmine

• Krystle Christensen – Krystle uses the “canary in a coal mine” metaphor to illustrate how data and customer behavior signal opportunities to enhance usability and create exceptional experiences. Focusing on UX, CX, and Accessibility, she highlights the importance of user-centered design that aligns with both business and customer needs. Through data-driven insights—from journey mapping to click tracking and cart analysis—Krystle provides actionable strategies to boost engagement, retention, and conversions, helping brands connect meaningfully and sustainably with their audiences.

10:00am -11:00am: Reimagining Play

• Palak Gupta – This study investigated whether integrating a fidget cube into digital gameplay could effectively engage children in activities beyond the digital realm. Fidgital Play, a hybrid game combining physical interaction with digital challenges, was developed using insights from interviews with parents, a co-design workshop with designers and a parent, and user testing with children aged 8-10. The results showed high engagement, with four out of five users rating the game 5/5 for fun, and three expressing eagerness to play again. Fidgital Play successfully shifted the focus between digital and physical play, offering a promising approach to balancing screen time while promoting active, educational engagement

11:00am – 12:00pm:  How a career in UX prepared me to be a finalist for the new MN flag

• Brandon Hundt – My flag was one of six finalists to become the next flag of Minnesota (F29, L’toile du Nord, “Starflake”). It was a whirlwind period in which I found myself leaning on the skills I picked up as a Product Designer of over 16 years. I will share about this experience and my attempt to change Minnesota for the better.

12:00 -1:00pm : Lunch Break

1:00pm – 2:00pm:  Intersections and Blindspots in Usability: A Panel Discussion

•  Ben Solberg (moderator) and speakers Tasha Riedman, Cameron MacDonald, and more. – Usability, Sustainability and Inclusivity all have positive impact on the world around us. When we think of and work in these areas, how can the similarities and differences of the 2D and 3D worlds improve our efforts? We’ll explore this topic as part of a panel discussion and try to come to a better understanding of how we can plan for tomorrow by exploring these ideas and spaces in between.

2:00 – 3:00pm- Trauma-informed Content Design

• Alexandra Carson –Framing design from a trauma-informed perspective works to create experiences where everyone feels safe and supported. By acknowledging that there is no “normal” experience or way things “should” be, and learning to practice radical empathy, we begin to see how other people really feel about interacting with the tools we build. Shaping a strategy from the 6 foundational principles of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), and a well-tested practice of trauma-informed architectural design, we can see how these leading practices can be brought to digital. A trauma-informed approach is about designing with empathy, awareness and, ultimately, love. 

3:00 – 4:00 pm: Designing for a cooler world

• Kami Norland and Olaf Kuhlke -“Designing for a Cooler World” shows how human-centered design can bring climate awareness down to earth, literally. Through community-driven projects in art and storytelling, we’re equipping youth and elders alike to capture and confront climate change right where they live—strengthening bonds and sparking real action at every step.”

Free for members.  $25.00 for non- members

thanks to Mike Larson for the graphic.