Design inherently makes a difference, whether we plan on it or not. Design will impact the world through its every existence. The question becomes how to design for good. Eleni Stathoulis, Principal in Design at Mad*Pow joins us in the Experience by Design studios to talk about her approach to designing to make a difference and improve people's lives. The key is to keep people in mind and make decisions with them at the center. We explore these points, and how to create that impact regardless of the context for which you are designing.
It can be easy to forget that experience design, whatever the kind, is about people. More than that, it is about making not only experiences better, but more importantly their lives better. As experience designers, we can help in ways great and small. It can be an overused phrase to be customer, or patient, or user centric. And we can lose sight what that means, and what our design recommendations and decisions can mean, in people’s lives.
Eleni Stathoulis is focused on delivering that difference through design. She is Principal in Design at Mad*Pow, a New England-based firm that creates innovative experiences and solutions that benefit people and businesses. She has worked with clients across a variety of business sectors and industries, but with always the same goal: to bring the voices of people back into the design process in order to do good.
We talk with Eleni about her path to her current position. From her education as a graphic design major and communications minor, she has integrated both to better relate findings to clients. We talk about how by keeping the goals of the project in mind, and the needs of the people at the center, we can deliver designs that matter and create change.