A common struggle faced by UX designers is the so-called "value pitch," where designers must defend their proposed designs in conversations with engineers, business teams, and other stakeholders. And somehow, no matter how much time we put into the presentation, the concept comes out muddled or is misinterpreted by the audience. Frustratingly, no one can understand our ideas quite as clearly as they are in our own heads.
For Horizons, we wanted to tell the story of what it's like to be in this position through lighthearted metaphor, since we believe this isn't strictly tied to design; communication barriers arise from differences in not only knowledge and expertise, but also from cultural differences and experience. To convey this, we created a physical installation in which passerby are asked to answer open-ended questions using strictly a keyboard of emojis. By limiting their vocabulary, we hope to demonstrate this sense of frustration as they try to express complex topics.
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