Professional Reflections
TARA (FEAR) WILLIAMS
Senior Executive Officer & Interaction (UX) Designer at Office for National Statistics
A digital reform is quietly happening, unnoticed by most and noticed by few (like the elephant in the room). I really hope we actively notice it, join and make it basic practice in what we do. Whatever you create, make it beautiful - sure... but more than anything, make it thoughtful, make it usable and make your work someone's effortless experience.
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After graduating from MDX in 2016, I have continued learning about physical product design, digital product design of services heck, I even learnt about surviving new motherhood in a pandemic! Yet, through all the formal education, self learning and working hours one thing I have gained the most is empathy. Having the ability to connect and empathise with users as a designer (for physical or digital products) is what will make your career great (and most importantly) rewarding. Reshaping today’s design ideologies! When I was at MDX, I always had a focus on designing for those with disabilities, but looking back I wish I hadn’t. Why? Because I should not have had to. We
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PRODUCT DESIGN Middlesex University Faculty of Science and Technology
are unfortunately in a world where we have products that unintentionally discriminate. I wish that instead of focusing on making products to help disabled people, I focused on redesigning products to be inclusive. Too many times I have heard ‘normal people won’t struggle’ using a product. To be clear, we are all normal and we should drop this word as designers if we cannot use it correctly. Unfortunately, until I entered UX, I didn’t realise how much we as designers/creators take the ‘easy’ or ‘pretty’ route. We all are guilty (at some point) of dropping our jaw in amazement and applauding a beautiful user interface, commenting on how ‘polished’ a service is, from a mobile app or even a virtual
