UXPA: Designing Humane Experiences

In his Designing Humane Experiences: 5 Lessons from History's Greatest Innovation talk at UXPA Boston, Darrell Penta explored how the Korean alphabet (Hangul), created by King Sejong 600 years ago, exemplifies humane, user-centered design principles that remain relevant today. Here's my notes from his talk:

Humane design shows compassion, kindness, and a concern for the suffering or well-being of others, even when such behavior is neither required nor expected
When we approach design with compassion and concern for others' well-being, we unlock our ability to create innovative experiences
In 15th century Korea (and most historical societies), literacy was restricted to elites
Learning to read and write Chinese characters (used in Korea at that time) took years of dedicated study something common people couldn't afford
King Sejong created an entirely new alphabet rather than adapting an existing one. There's ben only four instances in history of writing systems were invented independently. most are adaptations of existing systems



Korean Alphabet Innovations

Letters use basic geometric forms (lines, circles, squares) making them visually distinct and easier to learn
Consonants and vowels have clearly different visual treatments, unlike in English where nothing in the letter shapes indicates their class
The shapes of consonants reflect how the mouth forms those sounds: the shape of closed lips, the tongue position behind teeth, etc.
Sound features are mapped to visual features in a consistent way. base shapes represent basic sounds. Additional strokes represent additional sound features
Letters are arranged in syllable blocks, making the syllable count visible
Alphabet was designed for the technology of the time (brush and ink)
Provided comprehensive documentation explaining the system
Created with flexibility to be written in multiple directions (horizontally or vertically)

5 Lessons for Designers

Be Principled and Predictable: Develop clear, consistent design principles and apply them systematically
Prioritize Information Architecture: Don't treat it as an afterthought
Embrace Constraints: View limitations as opportunities for innovation
Design with Compassion: Consider the broader social impact of your design
Empower Users: Create solutions that provide access and opportunity