Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D.

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Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. is Chief UX Strategy Officer for ICS and Boston UX. She is focused on designing natural user interfaces to achieve simple-but-compelling user experiences for emerging technologies and the Internet of Things. Dorothy has 30+ years of experience in a broad range of user experience (UX) skills, including UX strategy, user research, interaction design, visual design, and programming. Dorothy is passionate about creating usable beauty and beautiful usability.

Articles by Author

Industry publications:

Design World: Trends in UX Design: the IoT Perspective

My Beautiful Medical Device

Monday, December 12, 2022 - 13:58 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, medical device, usability design

Aesthetics matters in medical device design in terms of safer, more usable products.

Embrace EV and Get a Jump on the Future of UX Design

Monday, January 31, 2022 - 12:42 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, Automotive

The future is electric. Designers who adopt early can make a lasting impact on both the profession and our world.

User Happiness Can Make or Break Your Digital Transformation Project

Tuesday, September 7, 2021 - 12:40 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX

UX pros can contribute in meaningful ways to the success of digital transformation projects.

High-Fidelity Prototypes are Essential When Designing Embedded and IoT User Experiences

Monday, June 8, 2020 - 12:47 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, rapid prototyping

Hi-fidelity prototypes shrink risk and lead to better outcomes.

Need Physicians to Test Your Medical Device? Here's How to Recruit Them

Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 07:55 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • Usability Testing, medical device

It's best practice for appropriate professionals to try out your product before it hits the market.

Tackling Medical Device Usability Design Early Speeds FDA Approval

Monday, November 4, 2019 - 10:44 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, medical device

Start usability design at the outset, as soon as you can articulate business, user and safety requirements.

IoT, Ethics and Natural Interactions Transforming UX Design

Friday, July 12, 2019 - 12:30 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • IoT, UX

A world saturated with computer-enabled things badly needs good UX design.

Do You Need a UX Strategy?

Monday, December 24, 2018 - 09:16 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D., Stephanie Van Ness • ROI of UX Design, UX

To reap the benefits of UX design, including increased ROI, enhanced productivity and reduced development risk, you need a cogent strategy.

Why Has the IoT Gone Button Crazy?

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - 07:07 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, natural user interface (NUI)

Creating natural and frictionless interactive experiences may mean limiting button use.

Determining the Optimal Touch Target Size is a 3D Problem

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - 12:36 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design

Creating a natural user interface requires a good understanding of how hands actually interact with screens.

UX Design for IoT is a New Frontier

Thursday, September 20, 2018 - 07:09 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX

Designing for embedded devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) is challenging because unlike with web and desktop, there are few common design aspects shared across devices.

What’s a Natural User Interface and Why Should I Care?

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 - 08:46 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, natural user interface (NUI), Graphical User Interface (GUI)

If you use NUI principles to design a touch interface you'll get better results than if you default to GUI principles.

Does Minimalist UX Design Require Maximal Design Effort?

Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - 13:48 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, design leadership

New technologies and cutting-edge IoT products require substantial design effort — even for the simplest-appearing designs.

Is the Future of UX Design Super Minimal?

Thursday, June 14, 2018 - 14:18 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, design leadership, product design

Super minimal design is the way of the future for IoT devices, hiding vast complexity behind the simplicity.

Co-Creating? A Little Emotional Intelligence Goes a Long Way

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 07:39 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Here's how to gain value and avoid conflicts when co-creating with your stakeholders.

6 Reasons Why You Should Co-Create

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 07:37 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Including stakeholders in the creative process will pay dividends for your project.

The Trick for Moving Clients Beyond Their Fixed Design Ideas

Friday, May 18, 2018 - 07:24 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Clients want the best possible outcomes for their projects, but sometimes they get in their own way. Here's how to guide them toward success.

Reduce UX Friction: Start with User Journeys, End with Successful Products

Thursday, May 17, 2018 - 08:36 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Friction in a digital experience causes customers to turn away from your products. Here's how to avoid that.

4 UX Design Best Practices to Keep Your Team on Track

Thursday, December 21, 2017 - 13:33 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership, best practices

Following these best practices will ensure your user experience design and development process is focused and effective.

In UX Design, Quality Hinges on Effective Micro-Decision Making

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - 13:58 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Do you have stellar designs that don’t translate into stellar implementations? Here’s the remedy.

Want Your UX Design Project to Succeed? Include Stakeholders in the Process

Monday, October 2, 2017 - 11:00 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design leadership

Despite tight budgets and short deadlines, taking time to sketch helps stakeholders make informed decisions.

How Attractive User Experiences Deliver Unexpected Payoffs

Monday, August 7, 2017 - 12:59 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, UI

Humans are driven by what they find attractive. That’s why product development teams should prioritize appealing UX.

Designer/Developer Dissonance: How to Create Harmony for Your Next Project

Tuesday, May 23, 2017 - 08:49 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX Design, UX design team

Designers and developers approach the same problems from different vantage points. For a successful collaboration, adhere to these 3 guidelines.

Use Design Thinking to Close More Deals

Friday, April 14, 2017 - 11:54 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design thinking, design leadership

Design thinking is hot. Apply it anytime, anywhere to show your clients you understand their goals.

How to Create a Culture that Values Customer Empathy

Friday, March 3, 2017 - 15:09 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design thinking

To become a more design-driven company like Apple or Intuit, you need the right policies in place.

Does Your Company Embrace Design Thinking? Here's Why It Should

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - 08:33 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, design thinking

Powerful design extends beyond the product to the entire enterprise. Learn how design leadership can deliver better products.

Design Leaders Ask Pushy Questions

Monday, January 16, 2017 - 08:57 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • Success in UX Design, UX design team

Empathy is at the core of great design. Understanding what others see and feel leads to more effective design and, ultimately better products.

What Do Castles Have to Do with UX Design?

Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 10:12 • By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D. • UX, UX Design

A family vacation touring the castles of Europe turns into a real-life lesson in UX design.