#visualdiary2

Unaffordable healthcare is a major problem, but I’d like to focus on unaffordable prescription medication specifically for this wicked problem. It’s not right that medicine isn’t easily available or affordable to a lot of people in our country. People who have mental illness need medication, that’s not something that just balances out without treatment (and all categories of illness as well). I feel very strongly about this matter because it affects a lot of people that I know and care about, so I can only image how many people struggle with this every day. I even have a hard time being able to afford medications and I’m always very upfront with doctors about having them write generic prescriptions for me so that I at least have a chance at being able to afford it!

How can we help companies utilize design thinking to accomplish their goals?

Visual diary #2 | Accessibility

I think accessibility is one of the most overlooked aspects of how digital products are built.

For many users, the web is difficult to navigate and understand. Color contrast ratios, text hierarchy, and keyboard navigation are an excellent start, but more impactful changes are needed to ensure every user has been considered.

For this Wicked Problem, I see a lot of things that need to change. I also see an industry that has never been more ready and accepting of making it happen.

I remember sitting in the crowd at the 2016 Adobe MAX conference. Keegan-Michael Key (from Key & Peele) was hosting one of the conferences most-beloved events: Adobe Sneak Peaks.

One after another, Key would introduce a nervous Adobe employee to join him on stage and present projects they were working on that hadn't been released to the public. All were very impressive but one, VoCo, stood out from the rest.

The engineer asked Key to say a few words. Any words. Key played along and made a few jokes about his co-star, Peele, who wasn’t able to make the event. Then the engineer began typing and the room was filled with Key's voice. The software had analyzed the words from Key and now allowed the engineer to make him say whatever was typed. (In reality, the software needed at least 20 minutes to analyze and learn from the original voice, but still, very impressive!)

What Adobe presented that day was the evolution of work they had perfected in other editing tools. Photoshop has allowed users to manipulate images for decades. After Effects does the same for video. Audio presented a unique set of problems but this demonstration made it clear that Adobe was set on understanding it.

What intrigues me about this software is the potential for people to use it negatively. It is already difficult to know if photos have been doctored. Imagine hearing something from a loved one, a politician, or other and having to wonder if they actually said it or if it was simply typed into a keyboard. The engineers at Adobe acknowledged the potential for harm and quickly addressed the audience.

"Don't worry," Jin said. "We actually have researched how to prevent forgery. Think about watermarking detection. As we're getting the results much better, making it so people can't distinguish between the fake and the real one, we're working harder trying to make it detectable." He then gave a thumbs up and grinned. (Gault, 2016)

I think it is great Adobe is aware and actively working towards keeping forgery detectable. But to say other companies in the future won't be so concerned is nearly a given. To me, having to wonder if someone actually said something has the potential to cause a lot of problems.

I see events like Sneak Peaks as an excellent example of a company actively focusing its efforts on experiences that will define the future of software products. Many of these projects will never find their way into the Adobe lineup. But for the ones that do, that shows a willingness and dedication to exploring the limits of creativity and problem-solving. 

A subject that is close to my heart and weighing heavily on my mind. With my wife being pregnant with our first child, we are appalled with all that we have been learning about where the United States lands in the worldwide rankings (49th) for maternal mortality ratios. 

Poverty and a lack of sustainable jobs is a problem every country faces, some more than others. There is not a simple answer or fix and that is why this is a wicked problem.

I’m making this post as sort of a combination of design leadership and wicked problems. Wicked problems are ones that do not have a fix, but they’re ones we can attempt to improve. Poverty and unemployment are some that come to mind and lead way to even more issues. 

Pura Vida Bracelets started out small with a positive impact on local artisans in Costa Rica, and now it is having an even greater impact on the world. Not only did it provide jobs for people who've struggled, but they also have partnered with over 174 different charities around the world and have donated more than $1,737,190.00 to different causes. They now sell a lot more than just bracelets and seem to be adding new merchandise daily. Another example of a company with a similar concept is Toms, which have been around for a long time now and have made a positive impact.

Visual diary #2 | Mindfulness

How can mindfulness improve our overall well-being?

We have misunderstood and ignored an integral piece of ourselves: our mind.

I would love to see the US take a more holistic approach to healthcare, specifically mental health. Encouraging more mindfulness practice has the potential to reshape the entire health industry. I consider our mental health a wicked design problem because of the complexity surrounding potential solutions.

We live in a world filled with more stress, anxiety, and pressure than ever before. But we also have the knowledge and technology to help us face these issues. There is no clear solution to this problem, in part because it is such a difficult problem to pinpoint. Other nations have invested huge amounts of money and time to better understand how to diagnose, support, and improve the mental health of their citizens. The United States, in contrast, seems to have turned away from this incredibly important aspect of our healthcare.

How do we leverage all we have to better address the mental health crisis unfolding in America?

Image resources:

1.  Burns, C. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/QaGNhezu_5Q

2.  Tonn, M. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/ezOKZhYJAFo

3.  Viadana, F. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/pUAuMUw4ny4

4.  Wilkes, S. (n.d.). [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/S297j2CsdlM