Introduction
In the world of UX design and high-performance culture, we are obsessed with “human-centered” products. But as I discussed recently with Nauko Leong in the UX Rotterdam Podcast, there is a dark irony: while we build for humans, the humans behind the screens are often hitting a wall.
The real cost of the “perfect” design
During our conversation, we peeled back the layers of the creative industry. We talked about how 20 years of HR experience across international borders led to the birth of GoDIEP.
The creative industry is under immense pressure. Designers, researchers, and strategists are expected to be infinitely creative, yet the “invisible load” of modern work is draining the very battery they need to perform. As I shared in the podcast: “Work should energize you, not drain you.” If it doesn’t, there is a systemic error in the process, not a failure in the person.
Deep dive: key insights from the UX Rotterdam podcast
The 92% Delusion: Bridging the Perception Gap During our conversation, we discussed a startling statistic: while an overwhelming majority of managers believe their teams are “thriving,” the teams themselves feel something entirely different. This is what we at GoDIEP call the Perception Gap. We manage based on what we think we see (the surface), while the real experience tells us something else. Data shouldn’t just measure performance. It must make the human reality visible.
From “Human-Centered” products to “Human-First” cultures. The UX world is obsessed with the user, but who is looking after the maker? We concluded that the pressure in the creative sector often leads to a ‘survival mode. You cannot design innovative solutions if your own system is overheating. GoDIEP shifts the focus; we optimize the human first, so that high-quality output follows naturally.
The AI era: scaling output vs. scaling exhaustion. We are on the verge of an AI revolution, but more speed often just means we are running toward burnout faster. In the podcast, Amrita explains that AI is a powerful co-pilot, but only if the ‘pilot’ (the human) isn’t disconnected from their own energy. The future of work is about who can best safeguard their human boundaries in a world that never sleeps.
Energy is the new currency. Energy Management is the currency of the future. One of the most important takeaways from our talk is that rest is not a reward for hard work, but a strategic prerequisite for success. The ‘inclusive performance’ methodology of GoDIEP proves that when people respect their own rhythms, creative output can increase by 55% without burning people out.
