Product Agility

Forget Beautiful – Here's Why Effective Design Wins (with Ashley Nicodemus)


Listen Later

Send us a text

In this week’s Product Agility Podcast, we explore the power of effective design with Ashley Nicodemus, a seasoned product designer and Senior Director of Design at UE Group. Ashley shares her deep expertise in mission-critical design and explains why beauty is great—but effectiveness is what truly drives impact.

Key Takeaways:

  • Design Beyond Beauty: Why effective design often means making products invisible in mission-critical environments.
  • Focus on Performance: Minimising cognitive load and maximising human performance in high-stakes situations.
  • Adoption Over Change: Learn how aligning with users' natural behaviours can unlock higher adoption rates.
  • Strategic Insights: Why prioritising workflows over aesthetics can make or break your product's success.


Practical Insights:

  • Mission-Critical Principles: Discover the surprising rules of designing for environments like aerospace and medical industries.
  • The Power of Minimalism: How “less is more” creates better outcomes in high-stakes environments.
  • Behaviour-First Design: Build around users’ existing workflows rather than forcing new habits.


Quotable Moments:

  • “Delight comes not from flashy features but from helping users get their job done seamlessly.”
  • “A great product feels like an extension of its user—effortless and intuitive.”
  • Links and Resources:


  • Explore Ashley’s work at UE Group: https://www.uegroup.com/
  • Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-nicodemus-23632867/


💬 Ready to rethink your approach to design? Tune in now and tell us: How does your product balance beauty with effectiveness?

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Don’t miss this episode—your users will thank you!

Host Bio

Ben is a seasoned expert in product agility coaching, unleashing the potential of people and products. With over a decade of experience, his focus now is product-led growth & agility in organisations of all sizes.

Stay up-to-date with us on our social media📱!

Ben Maynard

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmaynard-sheev/

🐦 https://x.com/BenWMaynard

💻 https://sheev.co.uk/

Product Agility Podcast

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/productagilitypod/

💻 https://productagilitypod.co.uk/

🖇️ https://linktr.ee/productagility


Listen & Share On Spotify & iTunes

  • Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0lkwAYJzVSuk5zfJ1vIDZq?si=4c691fb12f124a56
  • iTunes - https://apple.co/3YvTX8p


Want to come on the podcast?

Want to be a guest or have a guest request? Let us know here https://bit.ly/49osN80

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Product AgilityBy Ben Maynard

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

2 ratings