--- title: Iterative development, user-centred design, and the fear of getting it wrong in publishing - Todd Carpenter talks to Sam Herbert description: The recent NISO Online Conference, hosted by Todd Carpenter, was all about approaches to the user experience.  “What makes sense to the developer may be baffling to the user. Navigation may or may not be intuitive. Buttons labels can be confusing. Processes seem tedious or cumbersome. How can we ensure that users find the functionality... image: https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert-featured.png --- [Skip to content](https://67bricks.com/blog/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert#main-content) [![67bricks-logo-white](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/67bricks-logo-white.svg "67bricks-logo-white")](https://67bricks.com/) - Who we are Show submenu for Who we are - [Meet the team](https://67bricks.com/meet-the-team) - [News & Insights](https://67bricks.com/news-insights) - How we help Show submenu for How we help - [Our work](https://67bricks.com/our-work) - [Client Testimonials](https://67bricks.com/testimonials) - Careers Show submenu for Careers - [Current opportunities](https://67bricks.com/our-careers) - [Developers' blog](https://blog.67bricks.com/) - [Our culture and values](https://67bricks.com/our-culture-and-values) - [Contact us](https://67bricks.com/contact-us) - Who we are Show submenu for Who we are - [Meet the team](https://67bricks.com/meet-the-team) - [News & Insights](https://67bricks.com/news-insights) - How we help Show submenu for How we help - [Our work](https://67bricks.com/our-work) - [Client Testimonials](https://67bricks.com/testimonials) - Careers Show submenu for Careers - [Current opportunities](https://67bricks.com/our-careers) - [Developers' blog](https://blog.67bricks.com/) - [Our culture and values](https://67bricks.com/our-culture-and-values) - [Contact us](https://67bricks.com/contact-us) ![placeholder_200x200](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/content/email-template-images/placeholder_200x200.png "placeholder_200x200") ##### [News](https://67bricks.com/blog/tag/news) , ##### [Insights](https://67bricks.com/blog/tag/insights) # Iterative development, user-centred design, and the fear of getting it wrong in publishing - Todd Carpenter talks to Sam Herbert Share [mailto:?subject=&body=https://67bricks.com/blog/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert](mailto:?subject=&body=https://67bricks.com/blog/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert) The recent [NISO Online Conference](https://www.niso.org/events/2022/01/user-experience-just-fix-it), hosted by Todd Carpenter, was all about approaches to the user experience.  *“What makes sense to the developer may be baffling to the user. Navigation may or may not be intuitive. Buttons labels can be confusing. Processes seem tedious or cumbersome. How can we ensure that users find the functionality or content they expect?”*  The session concluded with a vision talk by 67 Bricks’ Sam Herbert, which sparked this [follow up article](https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2022/02/01/iterative-development-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing/) in Scholarly Kitchen, that explores what is holding publishers back from putting users at their core, why they need to change, and some real life examples of publishers adopting new mindsets and leading the way, including [Emerald Publishing](https://www.67bricks.com/case-study/scholarly-publishing/beyond-academia-how-67-bricks-and-emerald-publishing-created-a-modern-platform/).     ## [![](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Secaro%20launch%20news%20card%20(1).png) About The Team, News 67 Bricks appoints former international CEO Peter Lake as Board Advisor to support next phase of growth 6 February 2026](https://67bricks.com/blog/67-bricks-appoints-former-international-ceo-peter-lake-as-board-advisor-to-support-next-phase-of-growth) ## [![secaro platform launch built by 67 Bricks](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Secaro%20launch%20news%20card.png) News, Press Release Secaro launches new supply chain intelligence platform built by 67 Bricks 17 December 2025](https://67bricks.com/blog/secaro-launches-new-supply-chain-intelligence-platform-built-by-67-bricks) ## [![](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20LinkedIn%20article.png) News, Insights How IWSR built a modern data platform that unlocked growth, new revenue streams and a high-value acquisition 13 October 2025](https://67bricks.com/blog/how-iwsr-built-a-modern-data-platform-that-unlocked-growth-new-revenue-streams-and-a-high-value-acquisition) ## [![](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20Bone%20%26%20Joint%20card%20(1).png) About The Team, News, Awards AI Talks with Bone & Joint takes home the ALPSP Innovation Award 25 September 2025](https://67bricks.com/blog/ai-talks-with-bone-joint-takes-home-the-alpsp-innovation-award) [![67bricks-logo-white](https://67bricks.com/hubfs/67bricks-logo-white.svg "67bricks-logo-white")](https://67bricks.com/) **Where to find us** 67 Bricks, The Quad Summertown, Lambourne House, 311-321 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7JH Email: [contact@67bricks.com](mailto:contact@67bricks.com) A registered company in England and Wales 06242204. VAT registered GB 912135855. Registered address: Office 102, 120 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6XX © 2026 67 Bricks Ltd - [Terms](https://67bricks.com/terms-conditions) - [Privacy](https://67bricks.com/privacy-policy) - [Environmental policy](https://67bricks.com/environmental-policy) - [Terms](https://67bricks.com/terms-conditions) - [Privacy](https://67bricks.com/privacy-policy) - [Environmental policy](https://67bricks.com/environmental-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Admin", "url" : "https://67bricks.com/blog/author/admin" }, "dateModified" : "2025-07-30T14:26:48.767Z", "datePublished" : "2022-02-02T00:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Iterative development, user-centred design, and the fear of getting it wrong in publishing - Todd Carpenter talks to Sam Herbert", "image" : [ "https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert-featured.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://67bricks.com/blog/iterative-development-user-centred-design-and-the-fear-of-getting-it-wrong-in-publishing-todd-carpenter-talks-to-sam-herbert", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://67bricks.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(42).png" } } } ```