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UX is Hospitality
Using UX design as an opportunity to make special connections between my users and me is something I strive for every day. At the core, I believe there is an element of hospitality tied to a user’s interaction with a well-thought-out design. When users interact with our products, they are entering into our domain, and it is our responsibility to be great hosts to our guests. Being proactive in meeting a guest’s many needs, predicting questions before asked, and serving as a concierge to make experiences frustration-free, all of these represent not only hallmarks of great hospitality but also great design. Every interaction is an opportunity for us to make an impression on our guests, to welcome them, to make them feel comfortable and eager to return.
I developed an appreciation for hospitality during my time as a management consultant and in business development, when I spent a fair share of my nights in hotels and far too many meals in hotel rooms. The common thread in what makes a stay memorable is often unspoken but not unnoticed. It typically includes a combination of incredible customer service, reliability in basic needs being met, and brand consistency, no matter which city you are in, a similar experience can be had. In my design, I try to embody all of these attributes, to me good design allows a user to feel like a valued guest. If my designs can act as a form of my extension and leave the feeling that my users are cared for, I have made a valuable connection.
Coming from a management consulting and business development background also lends itself to design insights in other ways. In my prior roles, I sat at a unique intersection of driving business decisions forward and working with demanding clients to deliver projects on time. I helped large companies navigate through business constraints to achieve higher management efficiency and ultimately higher cash flow. While I was in the position to problem-solve for these clients, it was often in the role of a distant advisor, where there was a degree of disconnection in the true impact I was having to the people I consulted for. It became less about helping people than helping large swaths of business organizations. At the core, I miss working and making impact with people.
I found myself constantly craving for more impactful connections and what I found was that human-to-human connections flourish when you problem-solve for individuals and their experiences.
Through this discovery, UX design has become my domain in making positive impacts on people. I wake up to design because I truly want to make a connection with people, to become a great host to my guests, and I look forward to every project, every product, and every feature release as an opportunity to make those special connections.
