At Axon, we place a high value on Product Design and user experience. We recognize how critical an intuitive and consistent user experience is to our customers’ and communities’ safety—including TASER devices, Digital Evidence Management, VR training, body cameras, and Records and Dispatch software. To learn more about how Axon maintains a competitive edge by valuing Product Design, we sat down with Daan Lindhout, our VP of Product Design & UX Research.

What sets the Axon Product Research & Design team apart?

Axon is working on meaningful problems around safety and justice that directly improve and protect the lives of people around the globe. Our products play a crucial role in getting people help when they need it and preserving truth. Working at Axon is an opportunity to apply your knowledge and insights for social good. It’s our mission to Protect Life that galvanizes our team of 45 Product Designers and UX Researchers, who are each passionate about improving communities around the world.

The Product Design and UX Research team is well established at Axon. We have an Axon Design System that guides each new project and application with tremendous support from the larger organization. The entire company recognizes how critical our work is to Axon’s success in empowering our customers to keep communities safe. And the level of integration in our ecosystem, the ease with which our products work together, makes us an industry leader.

What is your approach product design?

We start by ensuring we understand the needs of our users. Our UX Researchers conduct usability testing with customers across industries and use cases. Usability testing is an opportunity to get insight into customers’ workflows, observe them doing their jobs, and seek feedback on our product ideas. It’s a fantastic moment when we truly understand their perspective and experience, and then improve their experience through our products.

Our solutions are being used in pivotal moments when getting help faster and better can quite literally save lives. So, we prioritize ease of use, efficiency, effectiveness and consistency, with an emphasis on how we can achieve these tenants through connectivity—like a body cam automatically recording when sirens turn on or a TASER device is deployed.

Product design can be challenging work, especially given the complex social settings our products are used in. The Axon network needs to function seamlessly in the rapidly evolving, emotionally charged settings our customers encounter. It is important to note the scenarios our customers encounter differ. Axon products must flex to service customers around the globe, each with their own procedures, laws and social norms.

What’s next?

We’re growing rapidly, expanding our team to meet the needs of Axon’s expanding ecosystem of public safety solutions. Across the globe—from the US to Vietnam and remote—we’re hiring. I am really passionate not just about the work we do, but about the team we’ve built. There is nothing more rewarding than growing a team of driven individuals who are doing the best and most impactful work of their lives. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together and am excited about the innovations yet to come.