Humans First: Design-Driven Strategy

Every roadmap hides a tough dilemma: do you slow down to align with global systems that scale, or move fast with local solutions that solve the problem today? Push too hard in either direction and you risk rigid platforms that can’t adapt—or fragmented experiences that collapse under growth.In this episode of Humans First, we break down global vs. local optimization:What these terms really mean in product designWhen local solutions spark speed and creativityWhen global consistency prevents user frustration and costly reworkWhy giving teams a shared language for these tradeoffs changes the conversation🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX design, product strategy, global optimization, local optimization, design systems, user experience, product leadership, design maturity, human-centered design, product roadmaps

What if your biggest frustration on a project isn’t the timeline, the tools, or the team, but a mismatch between what’s possible and what you’re expecting?Designers often walk in hoping to “do it right”: full research, deep modeling, layered design. But most projects aren’t built for 100%. And pushing for a perfect process anyway? That’s how good designers burn out—or get ignored.In this episode, we introduce the idea of a project fingerprint—the unique mix of constraints, appetite, and maturity that shapes what’s achievable. We’ll explore how to recognize it, how far to push, and how to stop chasing perfection in a world that rarely allows it.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX strategy, design maturity, product leadership, UX burnout, human-centered design, adaptive UX, design constraints, team alignment, enterprise design, design influence

Everyone wants better UX.But when it’s time to invest, the questions start:“Why does it cost so much?”“Can’t we just hire one designer?”“Isn’t this just a UI refresh?”In this episode of Humans First, we pull back the curtain on what good design really costs—and why most teams underestimate it.From $25K quick wins to $6M embedded partnerships, we break down the five biggest factors that drive the cost of UX design—and the hidden costs of getting it wrong.You’ll hear real stories, real numbers, and hard-won lessons from working with companies who’ve tried it both ways.If you’re budgeting for UX, building a product, or just wondering where design fits into your strategy—this episode will help you see the full picture.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX cost, UX pricing, human-centered design, product strategy, design ROI, embedded design teams, UX investment, design leadership, hiring designers, UX team structure, enterprise UX, design maturity

Thinking your product needs a “redesign?” Don’t miss the deeper layers of UX design. In this episode, we break down Jesse James Garrett's "Elements of UX" and explain why focusing only on surface-level design can lead to strategic failure.Discover why neglecting the deeper layers—skeleton (wireframes, interactions), structure (information architecture, content strategy), scope (features, functionality), and strategy (user needs, business goals, technology)—can negatively impact your product's success.Learn how design thinking at a strategic level can uncover root problems, build user trust, and drive market share, far beyond superficial aesthetics.Hosts Andrew Sladky, Andy Van Fleet, and Nick Bray share stories from decades of UX work, discuss how human-centered design should influence business strategy, and offer practical ways to assess your own team's UX maturity.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX design, user experience strategy, Jesse James Garrett, product design, human-centered design, design thinking, design maturity, product strategy, design leadership, visual design, UX layers, design team building

Why is radical transparency the secret weapon of the best consultants? In this episode of Humans First, Andy Van Fleet, Kurt Vander Wiel, and Kayla Byington discuss Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni—a book that has shaped how Visual Logic approaches client relationships.They break down the three fears that hold people back—losing business, being embarrassed, and feeling inferior—and share real-world examples of overcoming these fears to build trust and drive meaningful progress. If you’ve ever struggled with difficult conversations or worried about looking inexperienced, this episode is packed with insights on how authenticity can transform your work.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: consulting, leadership, radical transparency, business relationships, Patrick Lencioni, Getting Naked, trust-building, professional growth, UX design, workplace authenticity

Why is UX in the military and defense industry lagging behind commercial tech? Designers in this space face massive hurdles—from bureaucratic layers and security constraints to an engineering-first culture that prioritizes capability over usability.In this episode of Humans First, Nick Bray, Jason Thompson, and Ben Rendall break down the design maturity scale in defense, the challenges of getting user feedback, and why UX is becoming a competitive advantage for the DoD. They also discuss how the industry can attract top design talent and what commercial UX teams can learn from these challenges.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit visuallogic.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogic.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX in defense, military ux, military software, design maturity, defense tech, user research challenges, DoD innovation, human-centered design, usability in government, UX strategy, UX leadership, design thinking, defense industryFor more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogic.com/podcast

Does your team struggle to balance big ideas with practical execution? Do brainstorming sessions feel endless, or do rigid processes stifle innovation? In this episode of Humans First, Visual Logic’s Andrew Sladky, Kayla Byington, and Nick Bray explore how understanding the roles of generators and synthesizers can transform the way teams collaborate and make decisions.Drawing from Kim Goodwin’s Designing for the Digital Age, they break down how generators push boundaries while synthesizers bring order—and why teams need both to succeed.Discover how embracing these roles can lead to better collaboration, more effective decision-making, and stronger product development. Learn how to identify these traits in yourself and your team, and optimize the way you work.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit vlgux.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogicux.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: UX design, product development, team collaboration, leadership, innovation, design thinking, agile methodology, business strategy, decision-making.

Why do so many companies feel stuck in an endless cycle of feature requests and customer demands? Often it’s because they’re trapped in a pattern of reacting to their customers instead of leading their customers. In this episode, we break down the three phases companies go through—engineering-led, customer-led, and design-led—and why making the leap to a design-led organization is the key to innovation.We explore the hidden forces that keep companies from feeling a “glory days” mindset, the difference between simply listening to customers vs. truly leading them, and how to build a product vision that inspires your team while shaping the future of your industry.🎧 Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit vlgux.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogicux.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: design-led organization, product strategy, customer-driven innovation, design maturity, user experience, engineering vs. design, feature creep, product leadership, innovation mindset, digital transformationFor more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast

Why do some of the best products—built by amazing teams—still struggle? Even when they are building exactly what the customer asks for? The answer lies in understanding three key models that shape product success:The engineering model (how it actually works)The user model (how people think it works), andThe design model (how we want them to think it works).In this episode of Humans First, hosts Andrew Sladky, Kurt Vander Wiel, and Nick Bray unpack why misaligned models lead to bad user experience (UX), why customer feedback isn’t always enough, and how great design bridges the gap. We explore real-world examples, from toasters to banking software to missile defense systems, showing how companies can build more intuitive and effective products.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit vlgux.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogicux.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: product design, UX, user experience, customer insights, product strategy, design thinking, user research, digital transformation, innovation, engineering, design maturity

Are banks and fintechs fighting for your financial data? A new data regulation is changing the way consumers control their money—and it’s creating a high-stakes environment between banks, fintechs, and regulators.In this episode of Humans First, we talk with Lee Wetherington, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at Jack Henry, about what this means for financial institutions, UX design, and the future of banking. How will fintechs need to evolve? Can banks modernize fast enough? And why does user experience play a bigger role in financial services than ever before?Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit vlgux.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogicux.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: open banking, fintech, financial UX, data wars, banking innovation, user experience, financial services, design thinking, customer experience, bank technology

How long should UX take? Many executives set arbitrary deadlines for design work, expecting fast results without understanding the risks. But UX isn’t just about making screens look good—it’s about deeply understanding users, their workflows, and the business itself.In this episode, Andy Van Fleet, Nick Bray, and Kayla Byington break down the UX timeline, explaining why the upfront discovery phase is crucial, how misjudging timelines can backfire, and the trade-offs between speed and usability. They also introduce the concept of the conservation of complexity—how UX teams either absorb complexity or pass it on to the user.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast—Keywords: UX timeline, user experience strategy, UX research, UX process, product design, usability, design thinking, software development, enterprise UX, human-centered design

Are you struggling to find the right UX talent for your team? In this episode of Humans First, UX experts Andy and Kayla Byington share their secrets for hiring top-notch UX professionals. They discuss the four essential qualities you should look for when interviewing candidates: empathy, problem-solving, communication, and humility.Learn how to spot these traits during interviews and avoid common hiring pitfalls that could lead to bad fits for your team. Whether you’re hiring for the first time or looking to refine your process, this episode offers practical insights that will help you build a stronger UX team.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.2:55 - Empathy6:47 - Humility9:50 - Problem-Solving12:06 - Communication—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast—Keywords: UX hiring, empathy in design, problem-solving in UX, communication skills, humility in design, design thinking, UX interview tips, UX talent, hiring for UX, team building, leadership in design, UX best practices

How do you go from leading a design team of 10 to a global group of 300 in just a few years? In this episode, we talk with Timothy Embretson, VP of Experience Design at Inca Group, IKEA’s largest franchisee.Timothy shares his journey of scaling a design team across multiple continents and navigating IKEA's largest digital transformation in its 80-year history. He discusses the importance of being proactive, empathetic, and building teams that reflect diverse perspectives—vital ingredients for fostering innovation. If you’re looking for insights on leadership, team-building, and the future of human-centric design, this episode is for you.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast—Keywords: Design leadership, team-building, scaling teams, proactive design, empathy in design, human-centric technology, diversity and inclusion, digital transformation, IKEA design, inclusive design.

In this episode of Humans First, Dr. Stacy Van Gorp—co-founder at ⁠See What I Mean⁠, a consulting agency who specialize in facilitating organizational change—shares her groundbreaking research on the role of trust in fostering innovation and managing change within organizations. Stacy explains how trust—not just leadership—can drive employees to embrace new ideas, technologies, and processes, even when they’re psychologically resistant to change.With practical advice on how to measure trust and understand its many layers, this episode offers valuable strategies for leaders looking to create environments that foster innovation and collaboration. Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.——To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcastKeywords: trust in organizations, innovation, change management, user-centered design, leadership, organizational transformation, resistance to change, trust research

Is your company struggling with low user engagement, inefficient product development, or lack of innovation? These problems often stem from a lack of organizational design maturity.In this episode of Humans First, we dive into the seven levels of design maturity with Nick Bray, UX Design Director at Visual Logic. From companies just starting to invest in design to those fully embedding human-centered thinking across their organization, we explore what it takes to evolve—and why design maturity impacts business success.Learn practical ways to assess your organization's design maturity, common roadblocks to progress, and how leading companies like Tesla, Airbnb, and Disney have made design their competitive advantage.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.—To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, ⁠visit vlgux.com⁠.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: ⁠www.visuallogicux.com/podcast⁠—Keywords: design maturity, UX strategy, human-centered design, product development, user experience, organizational design, innovation, business strategy, digital transformation, design thinking

Why do some digital products fail to gain traction, even after countless redesigns? In this episode of Humans First, Andy Van Fleet and Kurt Vander Wiel break down what design really is—and what it isn’t. They explore the story of a company that spent 20 years refining its digital experience, only to find that users still preferred calling a human. The reason? A fundamental misunderstanding of the real problem.Listen in as they discuss the core differences between art and design, why user resistance is often psychological rather than technical, and how designers must go beyond visuals to build trust, confidence, and usability.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcastKeywords: UX design, user experience, digital adoption, product design, customer psychology, usability, business strategy, design thinking, human-centered design, UX failures, user research

In our debut episode, we explore the hidden complexities of UX work: from asking uncomfortable questions to uncovering the real problems, to navigating business constraints and designing solutions that actually work.User Experience (UX)–and all other adjacent Experience disciplines (i.e., CX, EX, OrgX)–help solve complex business problems.Visual Logic partners Andy Van Fleet and Kurt Vander Wiel, along with Senior UX Designer, Andrew Sladky share real-world stories of UX in action, including how a military project forced a last-minute redesign and why simplifying a healthcare workflow meant rethinking the entire process.Listen now on Humans First and subscribe for more insights into design, strategy, and leadership.To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit www.vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast

In then first few episodes of Humans First, we're introducing the idea of human-centered design, how it should be embraced by more than just your design team, and how it can impact both your product and your organization. Topics will include:Defining "design"Improving your organization’s design influence through "design maturity"Building a global design team (featuring Timothy Embretson, Global VP of Experience Design at IKEA)Trust and change Must-Have Qualities in a UX HireUX Timeline, and how design impacts your delivery dateWe hope you'll join us as we shift our mindsets to a humans-first approach in our organizations and products.—Humans First is a podcast for business leaders that places a human-centric lens on your business strategy. Join us as we discuss topics such as embracing human-focused design as an organization, scoping a UX project, and hiring the right team to shift your company toward a "humans-first" culture.To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit www.vlgux.com.Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love.Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence.For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast

Humans First is a podcast for business leaders that places a human-centric lens on your business strategy. Join us as we discuss topics such as embracing human-focused design as an organization, scoping a UX project, and hiring the right team to shift your company toward a "humans-first" culture. Humans First is hosted by Visual Logic, a User Experience (UX) design firm with over 30 years of experience helping organizations such as Cargill, Pella, Bobcat, John Deere, Feeding America, and the U.S. Military put humans at the center of their products and organizations. — To learn more about Visual Logic’s Humans First approach, visit www.vlgux.com. Since 1988, Visual Logic has been a trusted User Experience partner for leading companies–helping guide product strategy, and designing stand out user interfaces & customer experiences. Our process helps simplify complex products and leads to elegant, easy-to-use solutions that your customers & end-users will love. Getting to simple is hard. We’ll help you build & launch with confidence. For more Humans First, visit: www.visuallogicux.com/podcast