"If you build it, they will come." If only design were that easy. In reality, great design fails every day.

In Sara's career she has seen many great ideas come and go, but one thing has remained constant. Innovative design succeeds when it not only meets user needs but also aligns with the overall values and motivations of its target audience. Putting the user as the guiding light of innovation can be the difference between knocking it out of the park and being left on the sidelines.

Currently working at Priority Designs, Sara will walk through one of their own great design failures and dissect how even with good intentions, the product failed to align with the values of its intended customer and ended up collecting dust in the back room. She will explore how research could have been conducted to gather insight into the context of the user and their environment which may have led the design team in a different, and potentially more successful direction.

The audience will learn:

1. How usable and useful design does not always equal a desirable product.

2. How incorporating user insights at the beginning of the design process can provide a strong foundation for innovation.

3. How user insights can elevate disruptive design rather than stifle it.

4. How even failure can provide value and insights for future design.