Talent is a gift.

I see my son’s illustration or my friend’s design work or a beautiful font choice and I wonder what it is that makes the talent click into place.

My love for usable, user-centric design spawns from a deep understanding in Customer Service. That’s right, customer service.

In a conversation with a good friend of mine today I had the opportunity to relate a story surrounding the feeling of desperation one can have when placed overseas on a project without the tools or communication lines one needs to perform simple administrative functions (i.e. payroll services and expense report management). It can be said that a student traveling overseas, thousands of miles away from home, can feel the same sense of internal desperation.

Our employees, our customers and our friends need the support of a solid and well-planned user experience. This includes making sure that the Information Architecture is planned for almost any audience scenario, and NOT that of the department from which it comes.

Case in point: Department leadership at a large company is faced with the task of presenting a large volume of information and administrative tools online to assist in the remote life events of a field employee.

The employee goes on their trip (or logs in remotely from home) and is immediately challenged with finding what they need without the support of their employer. Imagine being up at a regular business hour, say, 09:00 AM where YOU are and the company for which you work is still bundled up in their sheets and blankets. Your task is to download a form for your tax records, but the company put it in an obscure location, never to be seen again. Oh, and don’t bother searching for it. The company forgot to put in the proper meta data to help you get it.

Paying attention to an audience’s needs is what user-centric design is all about. Sure, it’s great if you’re pleased to show off a fancy new trick to your design or have a killer layout, but don’t let your IA kill the experience and leave your employees in the dust.

It’s a weekend. Go enjoy it.