Challenging Assumptions with Stephanie Peschel

Stephanie Peschel is the lead user experience (UX) designer at true. She has worked at several digital agencies and as part of internal design teams throughout her 10-year career. This has provided her with exposure to a breadth of industries and organisations, from the Ministry of Defence, Higher Education, Automotive, Utilities, Ecommerce and Charity sectors, to name only a few. Steph loves talking to people and getting to know what makes them tick. You can find her working on a problem that some people may say is too hard to solve. 

LBB> Tell us about your current role and design specialism(s)? 

Stephanie> Lead UX designer at true. 

My role has me working with a range of clients at any one time. I help them realise their ambitions, through the lens of the user.

I spend my time working out what the client and customer need, then devise solutions that support both parties to achieve their goals. I enjoy educating clients on what it means to be truly user centred. 

LBB> What drew you to design in the first place and how has your design career evolved?

Stephanie> Before moving into UX design I worked as a ‘Transformation Consultant’ within local government. My work focused on identifying opportunities to streamline and automate outdated processes. 

The turning point into UX design was a project called ‘My Portal’. The platform enabled people to report missed bin collations, along with other services. Missed bins was a huge % of the calls into the contact centre. Removing these calls and moving toward self-service model would help save the council money. When the project went live it didn’t have the expected impact on call numbers. After a little bit of investigation, it seemed obvious. No one had thought of the end-user experience, the website and form design were terrible! Why would anyone choose to use it? I thought there must be a better approach than a purely tech implementation. This is how I discovered User Experience design. 

LBB> What aspects of design do you get really nerdy about personally?

Stephanie> Solving complex problems. On multiple occasions, clients have pushed back with comments like “we couldn’t possibly put that on the site, it’s too complicated” and “there’s too much variation” or “the user won’t get it”. This often happens when research has shown the missing information is key in the decision-making processes. I love finding novel ways to express information and guide users to find what is right for them. I also like the surprise on clients’ faces when they realise it can be done, and the user is engaging with it. 

LBB> There are so many new design tools out - what tools do you like to use and why?

Stephanie> Miro for those initial ideas, brain dumps and workshops. 

Figma for wireframing and prototyping. 

Dovetail for capturing, analysing and sharing insights.

The key thing these tools all have in common, is that they enable a high degree of collaboration. You don’t have to be expert in design or research to use any of these tools and be part of the design processes. 

LBB> Design Thinking - thoughts?

Stephanie> Design Thinking is great! As a UX designer, I always utilise human methods and user-centred in their approach. The iterative process allows teams to challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and breed innovation, with time to gather user evidence for decision-making. I like the fact that it can be applied to any specialism within the design sphere. ‘Design Thinking’ can complement other delivery methods such as ‘Lean’ and ‘Agile’ when implemented effectively. Although, I believe in utilising different techniques from the various design methodologies. Find out what works for your team. No one is coming to check you have implemented a methodology in its ‘purest’ form.

It can be challenging to onboard clients to ‘Design Thinking’. The empathising or testing activities can often get cut by client budgets and then the approach moves away from being user-centric. But, if a client truly values the user experience, then Design Thinking is a methodology that can ensure you are getting it right. I find clients can respond well to the speed of delivery that is supported with ‘Design Thinking’ as they can get hands-on with solutions quickly. 

LBB> What are the most persistent misconceptions about your design specialism that you see across the advertising and marketing landscape?

Stephanie> There are so many misconceptions about UX. People still think it’s just wireframing. 

But the one I find most challenging is the notion that UX “is expensive”. UX design has a high ROI and can generate returns over long periods. While an ‘inward out’ approach, which assumes the business already knows what is right, is a complete gamble. User validation will always be worth it. 

LBB> Accessible design is an increasingly prominent topic - from your experience what are the most challenging facets of accessible design? And what does best practice in accessible design in your design specialism look like?

Stephanie> I always consider a range of permanent and temporary access needs when designing experiences, components, and content. Government Digital Service (GDS) does a great job of explaining them and demonstrating that we all might experience them at one time. They also have several posters that break down basic design principles. These can be a helpful reminder to colleagues who don’t regularly interact with users, about the big impact small design decisions can make. 

All known accessibility standards are implemented throughout the design process. However, I find validating the accessibility of design solutions, with users that require assistive technologies, difficult at the ‘clickable’ prototyping stage. Many of the prototyping tools don’t support assistive technologies. This means any user testing with participants that require assistive technologies, occurs later within the project when development work has started, which can be more challenging.

LBB> What design controversies or challenges do you find trickiest to navigate or do you find yourself thinking about most frequently?

Stephanie> The biggest controversy in design is other people’s opinions. Design is so subjective, but UX design should be evidence-based. It can be hard to challenge someone’s opinion when a user-centred design methodology isn’t utilised, and you don’t have the required evidence available. When this occurs, I rely on my experience. 

To help mitigate this, when the required insight isn’t available, I like to use co-creation. It allows the client to feel part of the design process. You get early visibility of expectations and opinions. It’s a safer space to push back or question the client without it feeling like a battle. I find this approach leads to less resistance down the line. 

LBB> How do you think about the ethics of design?

Stephanie> I mostly encounter ethical considerations when you are balancing client needs, with the user experience. A client may want to introduce a dark pattern. A dark pattern is a subtle design feature that encourages users to perform a specific action. The dark pattern benefits the company (rather than the user) by using deception. Clients may need guidance that a design decision could in the long term, harm their brand and impact the overall experience. 

LBB> What are some of your favourite examples of creative design solutions that inspire you?

Stephanie> Inspiration can be found anywhere. I find I get a lot of inspiration from the physical world. From robotic prosthetics and LifeStraw water filter to 360 car seats and well-thought-out packaging. These experiences all solve problems for people, which is a fundamental part of UX. They make me want to design experiences that help and delight people.

LBB> Which design projects throughout your career have been the most satisfying to work on and why?

Stephanie> The projects that are most satisfying to work on are the ones that last beyond the website. 

I worked at Motability helping to bring specialist car leasing to individuals with mobility issues. The project focused on ‘New to Scheme’ customers obtaining their first assisted vehicle. Previously this process had to be in person and at the dealership. Extremely hard for some with mobility issues. This project changed how this service was delivered and how applications were tracked. I am sure users wouldn’t say it was life-changing, but it was a hell of a lot easier and would help them achieve more independence, quicker. 

LBB> What’s going on at the moment in design that’s getting you particularly excited?

Stephanie> AI – isn’t that what’s on everyone’s mind? Although there is nervousness there is excitement. There are so many questions – How can I get the most out of AI technologies? How will my work change? What new considerations are there for designing AI tools? What are the new ethical implications? 

I think any area that leaves me with lots of questions gets me excited. 

LBB> Who are your design heroes and why?

Stephanie> My colleagues. 

Since moving into design, I have been supported by excellent Managers. Managers who have given me their time, knowledge, and the tools I need to succeed.

Designers don’t work alone, great teammates are so important! They have helped me understand the problem, shaped the solution, and ultimately achieved great things together. Nothing makes my heart sing more than when someone from a different discipline says “But that’s not what the research shows.”

LBB> Thinking of people at the beginning of their career, what advice would you give them for navigating this constantly changing field?

Stephanie> The advice I would give to someone just starting is to keep learning - reading, attending conferences, and looking outside of your discipline. A big part of learning is also feedback. Ask for it wherever and whenever you can. That might be from someone senior in your discipline, a team member, the end user, or even your partner. Feedback is your best learning opportunity.