A Journey of Continuous Improvement

Starting my career on the production floor gave me a different perspective as an engineer that I may not have gotten elsewhere. Growing in a company whose core values are grounded in lean manufacturing principles has influenced how I approach my work wherever I am. One which I carry with me in my career and personal life is the principle of continuous improvement, Kaizen.

As an engineer, I empathized with the people on the production lines that I support. Treating them as experts, I look to them for inspiration on solutions I should design. Observing how they work with the material and the tools they use and hearing their frustrations they experience helps me create solutions that help make their jobs easier.

A couple of years ago, I discovered UX design and saw the similarities between their process and how I approach my work. As I learned more about the design process, I realized how UX design practices can apply in any industry or work environment.

I saw the importance of prioritizing the user’s experience when designing solutions. There have been instances where I witnessed a worker confused or frustrated when a new tool or a process impacted their workflow. Instead of being an incremental change to improve their job, it did the exact opposite. It made their job slower and introduced more mistakes. When I design, my solutions are only as good as how people interact with them, regardless if they are technically sound. If it makes it harder to achieve their goals, I go back to the drawing board and keep iterating.

I’ll continue to explore the world of UX design and find ways to incorporate it into my work.