Designing for Consequences. Not Just Screens (Glaringly Obvious)

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I dropped a clip from my conversation with Martin Tomitsch, who co-wrote The UX Butterfly Effect with Steve Baty, a sharp reminder that design decisions don’t happen in a vacuum.

In the episode, they breakdown how even small UX changes can ripple outward in ways teams rarely plan for… impacting mental health, energy usage, and even supply chains. Their approach pushes us to go beyond the user journey and into the systems that shape behavior, business, and the planet.

Why This Matters

In our conversation, they talk about how tools like systems maps ripple canvases visuals help designers:

  • Spot unintended consequences early
  • Understand how product decisions affect society and infrastructure
  • Move from interface thinking to systems awareness
  • Balance desirability and effort with real-world impact

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:speech_balloon: Discussion

  • Where have you seen small UX decisions lead to big impacts, positive or negative?
  • How do you help your team zoom out from the interface to see the full system?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

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I shared the interview and some additional thoughts on how I believe systems thinking and mapping can benefit design and product leaders.

Obviously, Glare is an important part of thinking about how decisions can affect users more holistically when testing with an audience. The more teams test around an idea, they begin to see the bigger impact those decisions have on the entire system.

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