How can creators innovate to instill more humanness in their designs?
Almost every part of our day-to-day lives brings us into contact with design; yet, design often leaves human needs and preferences out of the equation. Antonio Garcia is an executive design leader, illustrator, podcaster, and educator who advocates for human-centered design and innovations that consider people at every step of the process. He shares his perspective on where design is excelling, where it still has a ways to go, and why it’s essential to view both work and life from a lens of continuous compassion.
A human-centric definition of innovation
“Innovation is doing something new that is widely adopted and creates significant value.”
Despite often being considered purely economic, the fairly straightforward definition Antonio provides creates plenty of space for injecting humanity into innovative design, particularly around wide adoption and value creation.
The only way a new product, service, or idea will be accepted by a large number of people is if those people care about it. The only way to create something that people care about is to build something that provides value. And the most surefire way to provide value—to create something markedly better than what came before—is to spend time learning from its intended audience.
Prioritizing the humans in design
While critics exalt in sharing examples of design gone wrong, Antonio points out that there are at least as many shining examples of design brilliance as there are duds. Putting people at the center of the planning and making of things is how we achieve human-centered design.
The first step, then, is identifying who the humans are for whom a product or service is being designed. Ideally, Antonio envisions a process where that intended audience has a place at the table, as members of the design team or, better yet, as decision-makers. If, for instance, a company is designing a visual accessibility product, a person who is blind and uses screen readers and other aids in their day-to-day life must be a part of the process.
The need for a design code of ethics
One piece that Antonio notes is missing from the design industry is a code of ethics. Its absence in past decades has made sense—unlike healthcare or law, designs of the past have rarely had what could be seen as life-or-death outcomes. Today, though, that’s no longer the case.
Antonio provides two striking examples. Designers who create successful gambling apps deliberately incorporate addictive game mechanics to keep people betting, and yet when a user’s life falls apart due to their gambling addiction, the designers of the game hold no accountability.
Likewise, social media platforms provide photo after photo of unrealistic standards of beauty that lead young women, their primary audience, to experience depression, eating disorders, and even death by suicide. These unquestionably life-or-death examples call into question why accountability in the design industry is still largely unheard of.
Designing with love could highlight many of these ethical lines, and Antonio calls for compassion and empathy in innovation across the board. By incorporating these factors into the principles guiding every project and process, designers and agencies can ensure they maintain a focus on humans and humanity in everything they create.
The self-care component of care work
As well as caring for others at home and at work, Antonio has first-hand experience with what happens when self-care falls by the wayside. He spent years questioning how he might balance being a great father and a great designer—he even developed a podcast on this topic. After multiple demanding projects, including serving as VP of DEIB for Chicago’s chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, he stepped away from his many design-related projects to focus on his own mental health.
“I got help, I did the work, I’m still doing the work,” he says of his recovery through therapy and meditation. He takes great pride in his decision to step back and put his own oxygen mask on first. That’s the biggest thing he hopes listeners take away from this interview: it’s okay to rest and recalibrate. Stop chasing someone else’s goals and check in on your own values. If you need to, give yourself permission to reset and start over. If you’re at your limit, Antonio says, ask yourself if it’s a good time to pause so that you can come back stronger.
Alida’s interview with Antonio Garcia is filled with insightful takeaways about the past and future of design and how we might all incorporate more humanity into our innovation, whatever our industry. Listen to the full episode to hear Antonio’s inspiring ideas and personal experiences.
