I have read 2 chapters that are relevant to me from Katie Swindlers Life and Death Design book. I will now reflect on my findings.
This chapter looks at how stress affects people, both physically and mentally. It mainly looks at short term stress and how it changes the way we act and make decisions. It's important for designers to understand this to better meet user needs, especially during emergencies. Understanding stress is key to making products that work well normally and also help users when they need it most.
This chapter changed how I see design. It's not just about creativity but also about understanding people. We need to think about how people react to stress and design things that work well in those situations.I now see the designer's job as more than just making good looking products.
Going forward, I want to keep these ideas in mind. I want to make sure the products I create are not just easy to use, but also really helpful when people need it most. This will make the user experience better and make technology more human.
This chapter talks about the sad story of Alexander Kearns. He was a college student who ended his own life because he didn't understand the money risks on the Robinhood trading app. We look at how the app's design might have made his stress worse and led to his actions. It's important for designers to know how stress affects how people use technology. We go into detail about the mental effects of how digital screens look and work. We emphasise that designers need to make sure their designs don't cause these kinds of reactions. They can do this by making their designs more caring and easier to understand.
This chapter made me understand the serious role of a digital designer. The sad story of Alexander Kearns reminds us how design choices can seriously affect users. It shows how important it is for designers to understand how users might see and respond to information, especially on important platforms like trading apps.