Life and Death Design: What Life-Saving Technology Can Teach Everyday UX Designers

“Katie Swindler does a brilliant job of breaking down our stress response, with vivid stories that demonstrate how the systems we create can help or hinder at critical times.”— Carolyn Chandler, coauthor, A Project Guide to UX Design and Adventures in Experience Design

Emergencies—landing a malfunctioning plane, resuscitating a heart attack victim, or avoiding a head-on car crash—all require split-second decisions that can mean life or death. Fortunately, designers of life-saving products have leveraged research and brain science to help users reduce panic and harness their best instincts.

Life and Death Design brings these techniques to everyday designers who want to help their users think clearly and act safely. 

Katie Swindler is a user experience strategist who writes and speaks on topics related to human-centered design. She was originally educated as a theater director, and because of that, she brings a unique perspective to digital work. She believes that if brands want to truly connect with consumers, they must combine emotion, utility, storytelling, and technology to fulfill real human needs. Katie is currently the Design Strategist for Allstate Insurance’s Innovation group, guiding the design of new products and services. Prior to joining Allstate, she was a UX Director at FCB Chicago, where she was the UX lead on the 2016 global redesign of JackDaniels.com, as well as the lead experience designer for many other clients such as Cox Communications, Meow Mix, and Toyota Financial Services. Katie is an experienced presenter who has spoken on UX topics internationally at design industry events such as SXSW Interactive and IxDA Interaction. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Jacob, daughter, Olive, and their snuggly pup, Rocket Rainbow.