improve both their products and their design practices. These client companies create products and services in the B2B, B2C, and medical-software domains. They range in size from a 20-person startup to a multibillion-dollar technical giant with more than 5,000 employees in its R&D division alone.

The CEOs of these companies
and my former employers, along
with their executive staff, all
share a common goal: They want
their products and services to
embody world-class user experi-
ence. This desire is not altruistic.
Nor is it just lip service to a pass-
ing trend, or an emotional reac-
tion to the death of Steve Jobs.
They must do this to survive in
today’s highly consumer-oriented
marketplace, and they know it.

March + April 2013