What can designers learn from astronauts and race car drivers?

In this episode of the Rosenfeld Review, Lou speaks with Katie Swindler to answer this and similar questions in her upcoming Rosenfeld Media book, Life and Death Design. Katie’s new book will help us redefine how we might view a core human function – specifically, the stress response – and how stress can be an informative tool for designers.

As an experienced presenter who has spoken on UX topics internationally at industry events, Katie believes that brands who wish to truly connect with consumers must expand utility through emotion. She illustrates how leveraging stress-informed design enables users to perform optimally during high-stress or traumatic experiences.

Important questions Katie tackles are:

How does understanding the stress response help designers deal with high-stress situations?
How can designers leverage redundancy and biomimicry to enhance a final product?
How stress-informed design can support experts in a way that preserves an organic workflow?
How did conscientious attention to detail in design help save the lives of heroic users?
What is “abusive design,” and how do we avoid it?