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.

Confessions of a Human-
Centered Designer

I never intended to be a designer. I
wanted to be a famous artist. As an
undergraduate art student, I creat-
ed a series of fake products that did
absolutely nothing as a statement
of disdain about consumerism in
the modern world. But then I expe-
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 help-
church 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 eas-
ier way to interact with her world. I
was ready to step up to the task.

March + April 2013

interactions

rienced 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
ing 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
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,