Priyama Barua

Priyama Barua, VP, Group Experience Lead at MERGE Michael Wood, Vice President, AI Engineering at MERGE Keir Bradshaw, Executive Vice President, Solutions at MERGE The implementation of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) and several policy milestones rolling out through 2028 will redefine how Americans access and pay for their care. For health system strategists and IT leaders, OBBBA is an opportunity to reimagine the entire operating model.

I believe the likability factor is creating a barrier to entry, affecting diversity in the field—and overall design outcomes are suffering. This provocative opinion piece explores the topic of likability, how it creates barriers for those trying to break into design, and strategies for overcoming the bias it engenders.

As design professionals, we must consider design through various lenses to ensure we design for target audiences. If design relies on users’ mental models formed by their own perceptions and past experiences, are we inherently missing a critical lens? What if an experience is altogether new to a user? What if they’re a first-time user, a “newcomer”. A design lens can work as a mental device for thinking about your design in a different way.