Jeff LeBlanc

With an engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (where he's also an adjunct professor), Jeff is an expert at bridging the gap between design and development. What makes his day? Applying human factors principles to UX design. Oh, and 3D-printing a wearable Iron Man suit.

Articles by Author

Tips for Creating Voice User Interfaces

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 - 10:08 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX Design, voice assistant

Our Introduction to Voice Design webinar brought up some interesting questions. Here are the answers.

From Pilots to Passengers: The UX of Self-Driving Cars

Thursday, March 14, 2019 - 11:29 • By Jeff LeBlanc • automotive IVI

ICS is working toward our inevitable self-driving future.

Beyond the Fitbit: The Changing Landscape of Medical Wearables

Friday, February 8, 2019 - 11:05 • By Jeff LeBlanc, Stephanie Van Ness • Innovation

The global market for wearable medical and health-related devices is expected to reach nearly $19.5 billion in 2021.

Style Meets Technology in the World of Wearables

Wednesday, November 21, 2018 - 07:52 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX Design, Innovation

The market for wearable tech is booming and users are looking for devices both helpful and easy to use. UX designers must rise to the challenge.

Keep Your Developers Happy by Pipelining UX with Product Development

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - 14:48 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, product development, Agile

A pipelining approach allows you to prioritize UX while still providing your dev team with adequate time to work on system features.

Investing in UX Design Can Drive the Success of Your Next Project

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - 07:56 • By Jeff LeBlanc • ROI of UX Design, UX, UX Design

A commitment to UX design from the outset can be the difference between a project’s success or failure.

How the IoT and a Focus on UX are Leading a Medical Device Revolution

Thursday, June 15, 2017 - 10:46 • By Jeff LeBlanc • IoT, medical device, UX

To be transformational, IoT medical and health-centric devices must deliver an intuitive and compelling user experience.

UX Designers Can Save Your App by Identifying Usability Problems Before You Hit the Market

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 - 12:17 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, Usability

Ensure your app is blooper-free by applying the principles of heuristics.

The Difference Between Connected Devices that Simply Look Cool and Those that Truly Improve Your Life Lies in the User Experience

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 - 14:10 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX Design, IoT, medical device

To truly help people, connected devices — including medical devices — must deliver a well-designed user experience.

Lessons in UX Design for Non-Designers

Wednesday, March 29, 2017 - 11:32 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX

ICS' Jeff LeBlanc offers UX design insight for software developers.

ICS’ Head of UX Answers Your Questions

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - 09:06 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, UX Design

Director of User Experience Jeff LeBlanc tackles a few questions raised in ICS' recent webinar UX Design for Software Engineers.

Internet of Things: It's a Kind of Magic

Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - 10:55 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, UX Design, IoT

When paired with innovative, new technology, compelling UX can deliver magical experiences.

Beautiful But Dangerous: Cinematic Interfaces in the Real World

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 08:59 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, Interface Design, Iron Man

The dangers of intentionally sacrificing usability for the sake of visual coolness.

Left Out in the Kold: The User Experience of Keurig

Monday, May 16, 2016 - 08:49 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, User Experience, user-centric design, transfer of learning

UX design lessons learned from a cup of Joe.

Eight Golden Rules: Rule 8 - Reduce Short Term Memory Load

Monday, May 2, 2016 - 13:12 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, user experience design, Eight Golden Rules

Eight Golden Rules - Eight is great.. Read the final entry on this intelligent series of user experience principles to help you make your UX great! Read more...

Eight Golden Rules: Rule 7 - Support Internal Locus of Control

Monday, April 18, 2016 - 15:58 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, User Experience, user experience design, navigation, locus of control

Do you have an internal or external locus of control? What do you users have? Find out the importance of designing UX for this one thing....read more...

Eight Golden Rules: Rule 5 - Make Errors as Impossible as Possible

Monday, March 7, 2016 - 11:18 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, user experience design, UXD, software developers, engineers

Check out the fifth of Schneiderman's Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design.

Eight Golden Rules: Rule 2 - Cater to Universal Usability

Monday, February 8, 2016 - 15:12 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, user experience design, Usability

Eight Golden Rules: Rule 2 - Cater to Universal Usability: People come in a wide variety. Are you designing for the widest range of users, possible? Read more...

Eight Golden Rules for Success in UX Design

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 - 10:23 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX Design, UX, User Experience, Success in UX Design, building a UI, Qt

Are there really golden rules that apply in UX Design that help designers to be more successful? We examine the Eight Rules here and why you should use them. Check it out.

Anti-Patterns of User Experience Design

Monday, December 28, 2015 - 13:39 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, user experience design, UI, ui design, anti-patterns, Design Patterns

Some time ago, I wrote a post about the use of patterns in user interface (UI) design. The idea is that, when one solves problems for a living, over the years the same problems will crop up, and similar solutions will be re-used. The context may change, but a solution that worked well at one point may also end up working well for a new problem. Having the experience to recognize these patterns and not have to re-invent the wheel each time is what makes one an “expert”.

And the Winner Is…(The (Miss) Universe of Bad Design)

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 16:30 • By Jeff LeBlanc • User Experience, UX Design, steve harvey, Miss Universe

What does user experience, Steve Harvey and the Miss Universe pageant have in common? Check it out.

Giving Thanks for UX Design

Monday, November 16, 2015 - 14:40 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX Design, Human Factors, HCI, visual designers

Engineers designed and developed products, and usability tended to be an afterthought. Anyone who remembers programming a first-generation VCR should know what I’m talking about.

Lighting Up the Internet of Things

Monday, October 19, 2015 - 15:12 • By Jeff LeBlanc • Internet of Things, IoT, UX, User Experience

Here at ICS, we've been working with IoT technology for some time now, and it's been very exciting work.

The T in a Great UX Design Team: Generalists, Specialists and T-Shaped People

Monday, September 14, 2015 - 14:59 • By Jeff LeBlanc • UX, UX design team, user research, User testing

For a UX designer, there is a wide (and not fully agreed upon) list of possible skills one could have: user research, user testing, ethnography, interaction design, wireframing, sketching, information architecture and visual design are only some of them.

There Is No Magic Here

Monday, August 24, 2015 - 12:15 • By Jeff LeBlanc • User Experience, technology, software projects, UX

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke

If You Can Dream It, We Can Design AND Build It

Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - 19:08 • By Jeff LeBlanc • User Experience, UX, interactive devices, Design, engineers

One of the challenges to creating effecting and engaging User Experiences (UX) for interactive devices is balancing the creative aspect with the functional. Talented visual designers can create amazing works in Photoshop, some of which make even experienced software engineers cringe when it comes to having to implement them. Knowing the capabilities of your development team can be critical when trying to make the right decisions in the early phases of a design effort.

Solving Problems is Often a Matter of Perspective

Monday, July 27, 2015 - 14:13 • By Jeff LeBlanc • developers, designers, user experience design, UX

Before getting the opportunity to run a design team, I worked as a Qt developer and trainer for many years. This has given me some insights into the development pipeline that I think a lot of people have missed.

It’s All About the (Customer) Experience

Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 11:52 • By Jeff LeBlanc • Customer Experience, touch-enabled devices, digital signage, retail, UX

“The Times They Are a Changin’” – Bob Dylan, 1964 How many of you have noticed a change in the buying behavior of consumers today? As Bob Dylan so aptly stated more than 50 years ago when major disruptive social change was occurring, change comes with a force that shakes the walls and windows. The times, they are indeed changing. And for everyone in retail today, times they are a changin’ yet again. View the Its All About The Customer Experience On-Demand Webinar