Practitioner's Profile: Howard Montgomery

Practitioner Profile: Howard Montgomery

Brian Flaherty | Reading time: about 4 min

Howard Montgomery is a Senior Design Strategist who very recently joined the CCSQ Human-Centered Design Center of Excellence (HCD CoE) team.  In his roles, Howard is responsible for the application of strategic thinking and support for HCD training, consulting, methods and planning for ISG. 

We sat with Howard and asked him about his work, HCD, and what makes him tick. 

What’s a typical day like for you?
Well, it usually starts with waking up to NPR at 5.50 am, but what makes it is the Rancilio Expresso maker that constantly delivers a great mug of Americano coffee every day. Now that is the only way to get going. This is our second machine and can't say we don't work'em hard! Then off to my basement office, a truly unique and endearing space. Since Covid I've worked in my old Bavarian speakeasy bar called 'Gesundheit', a beautifully decorated traditional wood-paneled interior. Finished in 1934 it is a welcoming space to work and share with online friends. After our HCD team's Daily Standup meeting at 8.30 am it's a hands-on deck. As a newbie to the HCD CoE team, it's been a process of rapid learning, aligning, understanding the strategy and immersion in tasks, processes, knowledge sharing and taking on the role of a feature owner in our monthly sprints. .

How does your job promote better practice of Human-Centered Design at CMS?
I immerse myself daily in the CMS culture, where I provide accessible support, methods, training and coaching. I'm constantly refining & adapting the HCD method set to build actionable value to CMS working culture. 

Is Human-Centered Design important? Why?
Human-Centered Design is an integral touchstone of how to think and act outside-in from every touchpoint in the human experience. It is a mindset that intrinsically helps us understand emotional human needs that creates meaningful memorable experiences. 

What do you feel makes Human-Centered Design unique?
The critical value of HCD is the unequivocal drive to understand and partner with stakeholders and end-users as the solution-makers to opportunities and challenges. This delivers sustainably relevant solutions that drive tangible value.

Can you provide an example of HCD methodologies being applied to a project/program that has proven more successful than otherwise would have been had HCD not been applied? 
A really powerful example was a project for United Way Suncoast (UWS) in Tampa, Florida. The senior UWS team presented an opportunity to help with Collective Impact (CI), challenges with multiple competitive agencies, declining donors and low moral. Through the HCD process of conducting and collaborating with many diverse stakeholders; donors, volunteers, food banks, housing organizations, case managers and law enforcement in HCD workshops the problem was redefined as social justice, lack governance, infrastructure and issues of trust. The discovery led to a completely new strategy solution for a new funding framework, DEI equity initiatives, metrics, direct B2C donor and CI agency framework that were finally implemented by the UWS Board.

What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
Exploring with people. Active Listening. Codifying. Abductive Reasoning — and I enjoy doing these things too.

What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?
My greatest pastime — and one of the most highly underrated — is actually doing nothing. Sitting and watching a great film is a very singular joy or sitting reading on the beach. It just doesn't get any better than that! 

Throughout your career, who is someone you admire, acted as a mentor, and/or changed the way you perform your job?
Aesthetically, I first saw the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and my feelings have never changed. Saliently wonderful. I've visited most of his architectural works first-hand in the UK and seen many of his paintings. Thinking, the writer Nassim Taleb has always struck a chord with me on ideas of humans, knowledge and randomness. 

The best piece of advice I've ever been given is...
I suppose the best piece of insight I ever gained was from my first worst boss... Freedom is doing what you like, happiness is liking what you do.... It's true and sometimes you have to learn from the worst.

On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…
Sitting in a chair drinking my mug of Americano coffee and reading. It doesn't get any better than that... is that a deja vu? Those Americano's are good.....

Which magazine would you take on a long flight?
Monocle & FourFourTwo - cover all the bases.

If I weren't so damn good at my job, I'd probably be...
Game designer or a whisky distiller - nice flexible options.

Cats or Dogs (or Other)?
Cats.

The most important thing I learned before I finished high school was...
Exams sucked... well academics wasn't for me!

My favorite person, people, or thing(s) is...
People of Alba, the Scots. 

If I could invent a holiday, it would definitely involve...
Doing nothing. Seriously, don't make it hard.

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grow up?
Well I remember we did discuss the merits of being a magician, possibly a priest, and then again I had a keenness for being a painter. All dynamic options.

What is a cause or charity that you care about?
Being an adoptive parent we support non-profit family organizations in possibly one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Guatemala. 

:: THANK YOU FOR SHARING HOWARD! ::