Speaking

Katie is available to speak on the topic of Life & Death Design at conferences, meetings, and events. Her theater background makes her a dynamic speaker and she is often rated a crowd favorite. She's spoken internationally at SXSW Interactive, IxDA Interaction, Amuse, PUSH and many more.

CONTACT KATIE

Talk Description

Stress changes the human brain, enhancing some abilities and degrading others. In some of the most dangerous industries, creators of life-saving products have discovered how to leverage brain science and smart design to harness good instincts while reducing panic and aggression. They use human-centered design to help their users land airplanes, avoid car crashes, resuscitate heart attack victims, and escape burning buildings. Apply their techniques to your work in any field to create clear, intuitive experiences that effectively guide the behavior of your users, no matter their state of mind.

Takeaway #1

Learn the secrets of designing for users under stress developed by practitioners in some of the highest-stakes industries like healthcare, avionics, and the military, but applicable for great design in any field.

Takeaway #2

Unlock the science of the human survival instinct and learn how moments of peak stress change users’ physical and mental capabilities, affecting their ability to use certain types of designs.

Takeaway #3

Apply techniques for identifying potential high-stress moments and crafting experiences that can harness the user’s instinctive behavior, suppress it, or protect the user from panicked-induced actions.

Are you a student organization in the Chicago area?

I'm always interested in connecting with local design and user experience students. If you'd like me to come to your class and present, just ask!