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

by Katie Swindler

Stress changes the human brain, enhancing some abilities and degrading others. In some of the most dangerous industries, creators of life-saving products have discovered how to leverage brain science and smart design to harness good instincts while reducing panic and aggression. They use human-centered design to help their users land airplanes, avoid car crashes, resuscitate heart attack victims, and escape burning buildings. Apply their techniques to your work in any field to create clear, intuitive experiences that effectively guide the behavior of your users, no matter their state of mind.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! An interesting read for anyone who appreciates well designed products and the psychology of high-stress situations, but an especially great resource for anyone who designs or develops products for use by people (whether for use in high stakes situations or not). Definitely a book I’ll be coming back to often.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swindler has written a useful, engrossing, and optimistic guide to designing products that are useful and usable in times of crisis. The strategies in this book aren't just for designers working on literal life and death issues, though. Similar to how accessibility best practices can elevate products for all users, Swindler's advice would make any product easier and more enjoyable to use. I'm excited to put this book into practice.

[Alok Shukla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fresh perspective on UX design using real life examples and concepts. The author makes an effort to use the primary research and solid concepts to drive the conversation. Learnt a lot and would be applying the learnings in my professional life. Thanks Katie for writing such an important piece

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great except for the part where it praised TurboTax. Please don’t promote TurboTax, even if you’re only praising the design of the app