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.

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UX Design Strategies for Specialized Domains

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 - 13:52 ">  •  By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D.  •  UX Design, medical device

For specialized, highly technical domains, effective UX design is built on an extensively collaborative process where the designer serves as both facilitator and creator.

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UX for Small Embedded IOT and Medical Device Screens

Monday, October 30, 2023 - 12:55 ">  •  By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D., Stephanie Van Ness  •  UX Design, designing for embedded, medical device

Small embedded screens are significantly different to design for than smartphones.

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Align with Users Through a Minimum Viable Product Process

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 - 08:34 ">  •  By Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D.  •  UX Design, product design

Use a minimum viable product to avoid investing too much in a venture until you know it has potential to succeed.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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