Design for Bad with Katy Mogal and Michael Winnick

As designers, we optimize for the happy path. The applicant gets the job. The girl gets the boy.  The service works flawlessly. But of course in many product experiences, the typical path is not necessarily a happy one: bad things happen. We are left-swiped. We fail to get off the couch. We send cover letters and applications into the silent void. These moments can leave us with unhappy users who may choose not to stick around for more frustration and rejection.

As product leaders, Facebook's Katy Mogal and dscout’s Michael Winnick both influence product experiences that risk leaving users feeling rejected or demotivated ­— even when the overall intent of the service or product is to deliver positive outcomes. As researchers, they decided to work together to see what might be done to create a better, bad experience. They will share a set of principles and stories drawn from their own experiences, primary research conducted on this topic, and interviews with designers in relevant fields from dating to venture capital.  They'll uncover the reality of less-than-ideal product experiences, and identify ways to make them less painful and more useful.