The most enjoyable part of doing the podcast is talking to a wide range of people who, regardless of their industry or role, share a common goal: making things better. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Sometimes we make things better by selling something people need. Other times, it’s by teaching them something new, creating an art installation that moves them, designing a workplace where they feel fulfilled, or building tools that make tasks easier. Whatever the approach, the mission remains the same—to make things better.

This simple goal can often get lost behind the different names our work has taken over time. Take “UX,” for example. It started as “Human Factors,” then became “Human-Computer Interaction,” and eventually evolved into “User Experience” and “Human-Centered Design.” Whatever the term, it all comes back to the same principle: improving lives. The more we keep that in mind, the better we understand what this work is truly about.

There’s a lot of talk today about creating a “Digital First” strategy. But perhaps we should think in terms of a Human First strategy—focusing on what people want, what they need, and how we can help close the gap. One of the great things about being a podcast host, educator, and thought leader in this space is providing the tools that help others create the tools people need.

My guest on this episode of Experience by Design understands what it means to elevate human potential and create “human-powered excellence.” Terry Peters discovered his passion for computers and coding through his high school football coach. Over his 20+ year career, he has helped organizations shape their digital strategies through user research, systems design, and user-focused experiences. His systems perspective emphasizes the importance of employee experience within technological and digital design—prioritizing their voices to create solutions that truly make things better.

We discuss Terry’s journey into management information systems and eventually user experience. We explore the challenges of requirements gathering, the role of AI as a supportive tool in human-centered design (rather than a replacement), and Terry’s work with Veracity, now part of RGP, where empathy is central to projects that impact employees’ work and lives.

Finally, we reflect on the ethos of user experience: improving people’s lives and making things better. By integrating diverse perspectives, we can build tools that help people achieve that goal.

Terry Peters on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-peters-m-s-8198b61b/

RGP: https://rgp.com/

As listeners would have heard previously, I attended a FinTech event which got me thinking about financial literacy and financial experiences. I’ve started to write some thoughts down related to that which I am posting on my Substack. You can find that at https://garycdavid.substack.com/.

This post was about financial literacy as financial inclusion, and how knowledge is power especially in relation to financial decision making for oneself. I will admit this gets tricky because it can seem like the financial game at the highest levels may be for lack of a better term ‘rigged.’ Financial literacy may not go very far when the game is a ‘heads you win, tails I lose’ proposition. Nevertheless, it is important that people understand the nature of finance and financial decision making. FinTech in its variety of forms provides an opportunity to do this. There is a lot to explore and discuss in this realm, especially in relation to the creation of financial experiences.

My guest today on Experience by Design actually has a work background in financial services. Manny Fiteni worked in wealth management and financial planning. But that’s not why we talked. Rather, we talked about his work “The Mind Congruency Effect” and how it applies to leadership and more effective employee experiences. The book and his larger body of work explore how inner obstacles keep us from achieving greater potential, which is something that we can all relate to.

Beyond that, we discuss how this also stops managers from more effectively managing. I’ve often said, “If you call people managers, that’s what they’ll do.” We discuss how this is not necessarily the best role for managers. Employees need to have levels of autonomy in which they can have agency and some level of authority over their work. But it is not just employees acting alone, but together toward a shared goal and purpose. This is why managers need to act more like community organizers and facilitators which bring people together.

However, people in management roles are rarely if ever taught those kind of skills, and why they are important.

We talk about the traits of being a high-performing leader, and what an employee-centric manager looks like. We discuss how managing is different from leading, and how the people side is more important than the technical and compliance side. We also talk about how he is creating new training and development approaches to help better prepare managers to become leaders in a more employee-centric way. And we also talk about how he was working at a bank that was robbed, and how imagining that scenario prepared him on how best to respond. Like an athlete, if you rehearse something enough times, the mind creates patterns of how best to respond.

Manny Fiteni: https://mannyfiteni.com/

Manny Fiteni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-fiteni-b0173637/

“The Mind Congruency Effect”: https://www.amazon.com.au/Mind-Congruency-Effect-Transforming-Direction/dp/1763745406/

For those listeners in the United States, a Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Thanks for being part of Experience by Design podcast and making putting on the show worthwhile and rewarding. And for those of you in Canada, Happy Belated Thanksgiving. And for those in other parts of the world, I hope you can take a moment to give thanks for whatever you feel thankful.

Giving thanks is not just something that should be reserved for one day a year. Giving gratitude should be something that we all do everyday. I know that I am trying to do so, especially for the small things in life. Gratitude is a practice like any other practice, and the more we do it, the better we can get at it. Not that I am good at it yet, but I am definitely trying to get better.

Today’s episode is about giving thanks for those who served in such a way that they were awarded the highest honor in the US military: The Medal of Honor. I welcome Alexandra Rhue (SVP, Museum Engagement and Strategic Initiatives from the National Medal of Honor Museum) and Michael Lewis (Executive Creative Director from G&A) to talk about their work in creating and developing the National Medal of Honor Museum, located in Arlington, TX.

We talk about the 3500 plus stories behind each person who was awarded the medal, but how each story comes down to the same elements of courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship, and patriotism. A major element of the museum is to inspire all visitors to recognize how these elements are in all of us as well. In other words, we talk about the hero that is within us all by exploring the stories and lives of those who have been recognized for their supreme valor and in many instances ultimate sacrifice.

We talk about the symbolism that is layered throughout the National Medal of Honor Museum, starting with the very architecture of the structure. We explore the ways that US society has evolved in terms of recognizing and discussing military conflict and service. Alex and Michael emphasize the ultimate goal is not just recognition, but getting people to leave with a renewed sense of service to their own communities in whatever capacity they can, and to live the values embodied in the Medal of Honor.

We also discuss the design and visitor experience of a museum and memorial. We explore the balance between immersive technology and traditional museum elements, aiming to create an emotional and personal experience. Michael and Alexandra explained the use of multimedia, including large-scale images, VR installations, and interactive projections, while emphasizing the importance of technology that enhances rather than distracts from the visitor journey. Alexandra and Michael emphasized the importance of placing visitors' perspectives at the center of storytelling, incorporating both human narratives and technological elements to enrich the visitor experience.

Alexandra Rhue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-rhue/

National Medal of Honor Museum: https://mohmuseum.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mohmuseum/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/MohMuseum

Facebook: National Medal of Honor Museum | Arlington TX | Facebook

Michael Lewis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgelewis/

G & A: https://gallagherdesign.com/

G & A Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g.ampersand.a/

G & A LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/g-a-strategy-and-design/