Designing for the Worst Day of Your Customer’s Life

Описание: Presented on 11 December 2025

Description: As designers, we often measure success in terms of performance, reliability, and efficiency. But what happens when our systems are pushed to the edge - when users are injured, disoriented, or in shock? On Ford's Safety & Security team, I design features like 911 Assist, Stolen Vehicle Services, and Cabin Occupant Detection - products I pray our customers never have to use. In this high-stakes design space, failure isn't an option because the consequences are severe: a confusing interface following a collision could cost precious seconds, a poorly designed stolen vehicle recovery flow could leave someone stranded, and an overlooked edge case in child detection could be fatal. This isn't your typical UX process optimizing for engagement - here, getting it right is the only metric that matters.

The challenge goes far beyond interface design. Through detailed case studies from Ford, I'll reveal how we learned to elevate edge cases that affect thousands despite representing just 1% of users. You'll discover why even life-saving features face customer resistance when experiences feel unfamiliar, how we iterated through multiple failures to earn trust in products designed for customers' own good, and the complex web of corporate politics, legal constraints, and global industry pressures that shape every engineering and design decision. This talk provides a framework for building reliable, human-centered systems in high-stakes environments. Whether you’re designing automotive safety, medical devices, or AI-driven platforms, the lesson is the same: in moments of crisis, your product is never neutral - it’s either dead weight, or a lifeline.

Presenter Sarika Goel: I'm a (loud and proud) Canadian, currently living in the Bay Area and working as a Senior Digital Designer at Ford Motor Co., where I'm spearheading design and strategy for numerous safety and security features. Prior to Ford, I worked with Getty Images to revolutionize their product by pioneering the design of AI-driven content generation capabilities. I also established and led a design team at Enthusiast Gaming to build out an entire esports platform for competitive gamers. With a background in systems engineering that evolved into a fruitful career in design, the gears in both my left and right brain are always turning, as I strive to deliver solutions that perfectly blend analytical precision with deep-rooted empathy for the user. Outside of work, I am a serial entrepreneur, avid slam poet, and amateur Muay Thai fighter.