Confessions of a human-centered designer

or a day out in the sunshine. I learned how to empathize with her, and I felt it to be imperative that someone create products and services that would give her an easier way to interact with her world. I was ready to step up to the task. Fast-forward in time. Armed with a freshly minted master's degree in interaction design, I had been formally trained in user research methods to gain a deep understanding of people's spoken and unspoken needs. I joined e-lab, her when she cried out for help— the bus driver would often fail to see that she was waiting for the bus and drive past her. Over the next few months, I got to be friends with Mabel, keeping her company when I spotted her on the corner and helping her flag down the bus. I saw the world and her many frustrations in navigating it through her eyes. I saw her fear and helplessness and experienced it firsthand. I also saw her happiness and pleasure in the simple things like a meal from her I never intended to be a designer. I wanted to be a famous artist. As an undergraduate art student, I created a series of fake products that did absolutely nothing as a statement of disdain about consumerism in the modern world. But then I experienced a situation of real need, the eye-opening revelation that started my journey as a real designer. An elderly lady, stooped into a full bow from osteoporosis, often waited for the bus across the street from my apartment. I first noticed Jodi Forlizzi is an associate professor of design and human-computer interaction at carnegie mellon university. She also leads the human-Systems interaction Group of the Quality of life Technology center, an NSF engineering research center.