I explore 4 moments in the last decade of my career in Design and Strategy. This is an exploration of IMPACT not INTENT. And these thoughts are my own, not those of my employer, past employers or others.

1. S X S W
How not
to design...
A story in 4 parts

2. T A N A R R A S C H N E I D E R

3. Let’s face it.
We all do stupid
things. Or we
struggle to find the
right way to achieve
the desired outcome.
With any luck, we learn from
them, and share our failings
with others so they can learn
too.

4. How NOTtoDesign… …In 4parts

5. This is not
about
INTENT*.
It is about IMPACT.
*See Road to Hell

6. MIND YOUR EDGES

7. MIND YOUR
EDGES
*
* Edge control is used by women to tame the edges
of their hair, especially around the temples

8. Single handedly redesign
36 Channels
of PornWhile redesigning a 36-channel porn
website (not playboy.com), I learned to see
“edges” differently. I had been following the
80/20 rule, which didn’t serve me well.
Mistakes I made…
• Designed for two-handed use & full
function
• Couldn’t test it in a traditional lab due to
the content
• Made assumptions about where the
content would be consumed

9. There is no
such thing as
an edge case.
And edges are not always
where you think they are.

10. You might consider

11. SWOOP & POOP

12. SWOOP &
POOP

13. The holy grail…
Good work, with
good people, to
do good…
While part of UX for Good, we descended on
NOLA, and spent 3 days designing to help
musicians participate in the fast-growing
“cashless” economy.
Mistakes we made…
• We did great work, but didn’t leave the
people we were designing FOR tools to take
the work further
• We weren’t really able to stick around to help
implement what we designed
• We bit off more than we could chew in 3
days

14. If you think
you’re being
the ‘white’
savior, well…
Especially if you’re not going
to stick around for the
aftermath.

15. You might consider

16. YOU’RE A TOOL

17. YOU’RE A TOOL

18. Designing an app & website for a
Community
Based Non-
ProfitAs we embarked on our first project with
MASK, members of the team wanted to use
dScout to engage the community rather than
talking to them directly.
Mistakes we made…
• Presumed everyone who “volunteered”
had the right mindset for the work
• Didn’t immediately get out of the office
and into the community
• Presumed to use digital to distance us
from feeling out of place

19. If you can’t have
a conversation,
don’t enter their
world.
And for god’s sake, don’t
send a tool to do a human’s
job.

20. You might consider

21. #STAY WOKE, BABIES

22. #STAYWOKE,
BABIES

23. An amazing opportunity to tackle a
Public Health
Crisis
We had the honor to be part of a program
with a client recently to examine the rise in
infant mortality in Ohio in some very specific
communities. While the team did great work,
we made some strategic errors along the
way.
Mistakes we made…
• Our team skewed white and male
• Terms like ”stay woke” were utilized in serious
business conversations with our team to
encourage people to have the right ’mindset’
• We didn’t reflect those we were asking to trust
us with their stories

24. Reflect your end
users in
whatever way
possible.
And please, don’t use the
term #woke.
EVER.

25. You might consider

26. Let’s have a chat…

27. We must not use tools or excuses to
distance ourselves from the real work. When
we do that, we …
Diminish the
social impact
design can
help achieve

28. ”Design is both a process and a mindset. It’s an intentional set of practices to unlock
new, sustainable value from changeand uncertainty. It allows individuals and
organizations to bemore flexible and resilient in the face of constant change."
-Design aBetter Business, Vander Pijl, Lokitz, Solomon

29. Itisn’t enoughto wanttomake a positiveimpact inthe worldwith ourwork.
Itisn’t enoughto havethe skills tosolve
wicked problems inthe firstplace.
ORTHDOXIES
MENTALMODELS
RITUALS
LANGUAGE
STORIES
To doso,responsibly, requires thatweseek stories, examine rituals,and
decode languageto betterunderstandourownbiases.

30. S X S W
How not
to design...
in 4 parts
TANARRA SCHNEIDER
FJORD, CENTRAL