Before I became a UX designer, I worked in the mental health industry for about 5 years. I had the opportunity to work with children, youth and adults in daycares, schools and residential homes. This is where I learned the relevance and implications of client-centered care. Although I was first introduced to the term “human-centered design” when I first started studying UX Design, I experienced this concept first-hand while working in the mental health industry. I noticed that certain companies talked about a “client-centered perspective”, so I learned the term without really understanding the gravity of what this phrase meant…
We grow up being taught to know things. To be able to respond with the correct answer when the teacher calls our name in class. To “know more” became the thing we always wanted to attain. In fact I’m absolutely obsessed with it — this desire to know more. So much in fact that I’m paralyzed by it sometimes and I stop consuming information as some sort of unconscious and passive rebellion.
As a designer, I think that needing to know can work against us. In fact, not knowing has allowed me to make better decisions at times.
Let’s rewind…
Jacqueline Williams
UX Designer with a background in psychology and linguistics
