At Highland, we’ve written a lot about Jobs to be Done (JTBD). The JTBD framework is a fundamental part of our CX and design practices, and it shapes our approach to researching, designing and building products and services that fit the needs people have. Here’s a quick summary of what JTBD is about: Jobs to be Done is a…

A digital experience strategy can help enterprises and institutions effectively leverage technology at scale. When executed well, these strategies describe how to create impactful products and services that are orchestrated to work together — now and in the foreseeable future. (A “digital experience strategy” in this context is neither a…

The Product as a Viable Entity — Part 2 of 3 — In the previous article, we looked at several ways maps can take shape, offer us perspectives and insights, and be applied to a variety of contexts. …

Mapping Context & Complexity — Part 1 of 3 — I have a thing for maps. When I was a child, my family went most summers to Kings Island, a theme park outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. With all of the rides and sights, it was a very fun place to be and spend the day together. …

How Designing for Accessibility Can Generate Innovations in User Experience — A few months ago, I was running late to work and needed to call into an early standup while en route — from my motorcycle. My helmet has bluetooth and allows me to make calls, but my ability to interact with the team was limited because I wasn’t able to…

I’m about to take a belated vacation next week, having worked through the summer and believing in that Chicagoan fashion that it would never end. Now the leaves are turning and I hear the call of the American Southwest, the openness there.

Airbnb is actively becoming more accessible as it scales, but is it still true to its original value prop of a more personal stay? — I became an Airbnb host in March, 2011, when I received my Daily Good email and it contained a compelling bit about a quickly growing service for connecting travelers with host homes in the cities they were visiting. I was several years into restoring my 135-year-old Victorian house in Old…

Engaging Clients Early via Collaborative Prototyping — Once we have recognized an opportunity, and potential solutions, it’s time to validate the ideas and their potential impact. …

You may have heard by now that not all juicers are made equal. Some, it seems, are over-engineered after $120M in funding has to find a development target. …