Sharanya is a design and user experience expert with 12 years of industry experience, currently working on enhancing the Chase JP Morgan mobile app to improve financial well-being. She has expertise in e-Commerce, advertising, fintech media and holds dual degrees in computer science engineering & media designs.

Sharanya's achievements include securing Microsoft Research grant & filing an innovative patent; she strives to make technology accessible for all users regardless of their technological understanding through virtual experiences.

The Significance of Design Ethics in Today's Corporate Landscape
Design ethics encompasses considerations and principles that guide the development of technological solutions. Transparency and accountability are essential in addressing ethical concerns related to user data and information sharing. Designers and companies should carefully consider how user data is used, the extent of information shared, and the level of user awareness regarding its use. Ethical practices can vary across companies and industries, but honesty and transparency are vital in fostering ethical design.

In todays digital and globalized world, it is essential to acknowledge and address the diverse needs of a broader audience

Additionally, accessibility is often overlooked but crucial in ensuring that solutions can be accessed by a wide range of individuals, including those with disabilities or temporary limitations. As technology advances and user comfort with technology increases, it becomes increasingly important to handle customer information responsibly. Companies should be cautious about the amount of information customers share and how that information is utilized. While some companies may have mature practices in place, there is always room for improvement and the implementation of further accessibility measures.

As per my experience, building diverse teams is a valuable approach to ethical design, as it helps ensure inclusivity and representation of different perspectives and user demographics. Hiring diverse team members helps avoid tunnel vision and ensures that solutions are designed for a diverse range of people, preventing exclusion during the solution-building process.

Challenges Faced by Financial Institutions in Delivering Exceptional Service
Modernization and digitization are essential for fostering innovation and developing new solutions within industries. However, striking a balance between compliance and innovation can be challenging. Companies must navigate this complexity by making trade-offs and optimizing security without compromising the user experience.

Identifying small wins and low-hanging fruit can help bridge the gap between security and usability. By tackling specific areas where improvements can be made, companies can gradually modernize their practices and systems.

For successful modernization, it is crucial for employees to embrace new technologies and understand their value. Change management and training initiatives can help in fostering a culture of technological adoption and adaptation within the organization.

Customer sentiment and comfort with technology are important factors to consider. As customers become more tech-savvy and trusting of digital solutions, businesses must evolve to meet their expectations. By understanding customer needs and preferences, companies can enhance the customer experience while maintaining compliance and security.

Overall, finding ways to improve both compliance and customer experience is crucial. Incremental progress and small gains can contribute to creating a more frictionless and secure experience for users, enabling the successful modernization and digitization of legacy industries.

Aligning Design Initiatives with Business Objectives and Measuring Success
By establishing a clear connection between design decisions and the broader goals and miss- ion of the company through defined OKRs and KPIs, you create a strategic alignment that highlights the importance of prioritizing specific projects.

The process of laddering up the OKRs and KPIs of individual initiatives to those of the company and the business helps strengthen this connection and emphasizes the contribution of design decisions towards achieving overall objectives. This approach instills confidence in senior stakeholders and executives that even small design decisions can have a positive impact on the organization's bottom line and broader goals.

Ongoing alignment, agreement, and prioritization across teams and projects are facilitated by referring back to the established OKRs and KPIs. This ensures that design decisions are continuously evaluated within the context of their impact on the business, fostering a shared understanding and a unified approach.

Incorporating this alignment strategy between design decisions and business priorities is a straightforward yet effective way to ensure that design efforts are closely linked to the company's overall objectives. By doing so, teams can work towards a common goal and contribute to the success of the organization as a whole.

In todays digital and globalized world, it is essential to acknowledge and address the diverse needs of a broader audience

Creating an Inclusive and Safe Design Team Environment: Fostering Diversity and Diverse Perspectives for Effective Collaboration
Building products with inclusivity in mind, considering the needs and experiences of both the majority and minority populations, is crucial. Lack of diversity and representation in the creation of algorithms can result in unintended biases and exclusion for certain groups.

In today's digital and globalized world, it is essential to acknowledge and address the diverse needs of a broader audience. By prioritizing diversity and inclusion, companies can design products that cater to a wide range of users, ensuring equitable access for all. Inclusive teams that bring together diverse perspectives foster innovative thinking and lead to the development of user-centric solutions that are more inclusive. Embracing diversity within organizations not only drives innovation but also has a positive impact on a wider range of end users. Overall, prioritizing diversity and inclusion in product development is essential for creating solutions that are inclusive, equitable, and have a meaningful impact.

Exploring Design Thinking: Unveiling Key Principles and Problem-Solving Approaches
Design thinking has indeed evolved and gained increasing adoption among businesses as a core differentiator in their products. It has moved beyond aesthetics to encompass strategic thinking, emphasizing the creative problem-solving aspect of design rather than just superficial enhancements. This mindset promotes inclusivity and forward-thinking by breaking down silos and encouraging collaboration.

Design thinking is a customer-centric approach, where understanding and addressing customer problems take precedence. By involving diverse perspectives and expertise from different teams, design thinking fosters innovative thinking and expedites the process of finding effective solutions.

Prominent companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook prioritize design thinking and recognize its value by giving design a prominent role in decision-making. These organizations understand that design thinking allows for early stakeholder involvement, enabling the discovery and ideation phases to uncover potential issues and feasibility constraints. By engaging the right people at the right time, they mitigate risks and drive innovation.

It is important to recognize that every company has its own level of maturity in adopting design thinking. Acknowledging the current stage of design thinking maturity is crucial in determining the necessary steps for progress. Each company's journey toward design thinking maturity will be unique, and understanding the company's current position is essential for charting a path toward further advancement.