What Others are saying
Here is the latest buzz on “design thinking” and related topics from sources we trust. Enjoy!
Getting the Most out of EPIC2019
September 13, 2019, 12:24 am – A pre-EPIC2019 presentation & meet-up hosted by MARTHA COTTON & MEG KINNEY October 15, 11:00am–12:30pm PST Overview This online gathering is designed to help conference attendees get the most out of the EPIC2019 experience. Everyone is welcome—fir... [ Read the full story ... ]
Check out Steve on the Happy Market Research podcast
September 9, 2019, 6:15 pm – Excerpt https://media.blubrry.com/happymr/s/content.blubrry.com/happymr/UPDATED-Steve_Portigal-Completed_Ep_2.mp3 I had a great conversation with Jamin Brazil for the Happy Market Research podcast recently. The audio and video are embedded above, ... [ Read the full story ... ]
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, (VEGAN) ICE CREAM
September 9, 2019, 6:59 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
Video from Awwwards: Great User Research For Non-Researchers
September 4, 2019, 6:27 pm – In the spring I spoke at the Awwwards conference in San Francisco. I gave a new talk “Great User Research For Non-Researchers.” The 25-minute video is here, and embedded below. Enjoy! [ Read the full story ... ]
Empathic engineers go global
September 4, 2019, 9:45 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
SUNSPELT – BRINGING THE ANCIENT GRAIN TO THE PRESENT
September 3, 2019, 11:43 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
DESIGN BITES REPORT 2018/2019
August 27, 2019, 1:58 pm – [ Read the full story ... ]
Remembering Barbara Crane
August 21, 2019, 8:13 pm – Barbara Crane, an Institute of Design alumna and a pioneering photographer, passed away on August 7, 2019, at the age of 91. Throughout her career, Crane experimented with a variety of techniques and formats to create a conceptually consistent but... [ Read the full story ... ]
Watch Steve on “We Can Do Better”
August 6, 2019, 5:06 pm – I was interviewed by Matthew Oliphant about all things research for “We Can Do Better: A Show About Experience Design”. It’s a loose and somewhat wide-ranging conversation. Check it out below! [ Read the full story ... ]
People-Centered (Not Tech-Driven) Design*
July 26, 2019, 10:25 pm – How did we reach the point where our technology is more important than people? How can we reverse this to ensure that technologies are designed with people in mind, more humane, more collaborative, and more beneficial to the needs of people, socie... [ Read the full story ... ]
The Four Fundamental Principles of Human-Centered Design and Application
July 23, 2019, 12:57 am – Human-centered design has four major principles: 1. Understand and Address the Core Problems; 2. Be People-Centered; 3. Use a Systems Approach; 4. Use Rapid Iterations of Prototyping and Testing. [ Read the full story ... ]
Imposter Ethnographer: The Value of Feeling Like an Outsider
July 22, 2019, 8:10 pm – by , Canela Consulting & European Women Payments Network At EthnoBorrel, an ethnography meet-up that I co-run in the Netherlands, we talk about the issues ethnographers face in their applied practice. One term in particular keeps cropping up: impo... [ Read the full story ... ]
Why Criticism Is Good for Creativity
July 22, 2019, 12:53 am – A popular mantra for innovation is “avoid criticism.” Criticism, it is thought, kills the flow of creativity. We suggest that this infuses a superficial sense of collaboration that leads to compromises and weakens ideas. Effective teams do not def... [ Read the full story ... ]
Expanding perceptions of the circular economy
July 11, 2019, 11:32 am – Resources, Conservation, and Recycling has published “Expanding perceptions of the circular economy through design: Eight capitals as innovation lenses” by ID associate professor Carlos Teixeira, ID adjunct professor Andre Nogueira, and Weslynne S... [ Read the full story ... ]
Gaurav Bradoo: No black turtlenecks required
June 24, 2019, 3:02 pm – In an interview, ID alum Gaurav Bradoo (MDes 2016) discusses humility, kindness, and how design can and should permeate the entire enterprise. From electrical engineer, to management consultant, to product manager 1. How did you find your way to I... [ Read the full story ... ]
CHANGING CULTURE: A FINNISH TEA CEREMONY
June 18, 2019, 6:25 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
ID students create Bauhaus newsletter
June 17, 2019, 4:41 pm – In 2019, we at Illinois Tech celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus, together with institutions worldwide. In the spirit of this celebration and IIT Institute of Design’s (ID’s) heritage as the New Bauhaus, student group mediaID pr... [ Read the full story ... ]
Livable Relations with Metrics
June 17, 2019, 3:46 pm – by , University of Helsinki It is easy to become pessimistic, if not dystopic, about tracking technologies. The current digital services landscape promotes scoring, selecting and sorting of people for the purposes of maximizing profit. Machine log... [ Read the full story ... ]
Blockchain and the Social Challenge of Cooperation
June 17, 2019, 3:19 pm – An EPIC Talk with ELLIE RENNIE, RMIT University 29 October 2019, 1:00–2:30 pm Pacific Time, online event Free for EPIC Members, pre-registration required Overview The value of blockchain is often expressed in terms of what it eliminates—the cost o... [ Read the full story ... ]
3 Narratives that Stymie Social Change and What We Can Do about It
June 4, 2019, 9:46 pm – by , FrameWorks Institute Social change requires culture change and social science can help. “Context matters.” “It’s a systemic issue.” “It’s…complicated.” As ethnographers and researchers these are our mantras—but how can we communicate about so... [ Read the full story ... ]
Agency and Change: Using Anthropology to Improve Organizational Change
June 3, 2019, 5:46 pm – An EPIC Talk with KATE SIECK (RAND) & STEVEN GARCIA (TeamOne) 10 September 2019, 11:00am–12:30pm Pacific Time, online event This event is over, but the video will be published here shortly! Join EPIC to access our video library. Description The la... [ Read the full story ... ]
Moral Crumple Zones: Agency and Accountability in Human-AI Interaction
June 3, 2019, 5:43 pm – An EPIC Talk with MADELEINE CLARE ELISH, Data & Society 1 October 2019, 11:00am–12:30pm Pacific Time, online event Free for EPIC Members, pre-registration required Overview Breathless rhetoric about AI has promised safer, more accurate systems tha... [ Read the full story ... ]
Ethnography, Independent Consulting, and the Gig Life
June 3, 2019, 4:32 pm – An EPIC Talk with SHELLEY SATHER & MEG KINNEY 3 December 2019, 11:00am–12:30pm Pacific Time, online event Free for EPIC Members, pre-registration required Overview Calling all independent consultants and freelance ethnographers! Join seasoned and ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Framing Brands and Markets: Consumer Culture Theory
June 3, 2019, 3:47 am – An EPIC Talk moderated by RITA DENNY (Practica Group & EPIC) with: DAVID CROCKETT (University of South Carolina), AMBER EPP (University of Wisconsin), CRAIG THOMPSON (University of Wisconsin), & SUNAINA SCHULTZ (Grounded Insights LLC) 25 September... [ Read the full story ... ]
Anthro Spectacle @SXSW: How Anthropology Captured the Imagination of Marketing Tech
May 28, 2019, 4:29 pm – by , Luminosity Research I live in Austin, Texas. Along with breakfast tacos, Willie Nelson, and scorching hot summers, Austin is the home of the international conference known as South by Southwest (SXSW). It’s actually three conferences (Interac... [ Read the full story ... ]
Delightful Products for Healthy Aging
May 26, 2019, 8:52 pm – More people than ever are living long, healthy lives. The number of active, healthy oldsters is large–and increasing. Despite our increasing numbers the world seems to be designed against the elderly. [ Read the full story ... ]
Why I Don’t Believe in Empathic Design
May 26, 2019, 7:33 pm – An Article written for Adobe Blog. I approve of the spirit behind the introduction of empathy into design, but I believe the concept is impossible, and even if possible, wrong. [ Read the full story ... ]
MEET THE EMPATHIC ENGINEERING TEAM
May 22, 2019, 7:11 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
Good design isn’t good enough
May 21, 2019, 4:56 pm – 2019 IIT Institute of Design Student Commencement Address By Evan Chan (MDes 2019) I’m going to let you in on a secret: there’s a certain type of question that will cause any student of the Institute of Design to freeze up, stumble over their word... [ Read the full story ... ]
One last framework for your future as a design leader
May 21, 2019, 4:23 pm – 2019 IIT Institute of Design Commencement Address By Brandon Schauer (MDes + MBA 2005) Graduating students, faculty, staff, friends and families, it’s an honor to speak to you today. I can’t help today but reflect back. Because 14 years ago I was ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Owning Our Devices: Learning from People Who Adapt Tech for Well-Being
May 21, 2019, 1:38 am – An interview with by & , Stripe Partners Public debate has rightly focused on the perils and toxicity of new technologies, and questioned the motivations of the companies building them. Meanwhile though, people are creatively adapting technology t... [ Read the full story ... ]
From design thinking to design doing
May 15, 2019, 2:54 pm – Eight lessons from activism By Jessica Jacobs, PhD 2021, IIT Institute of Design (ID) and Interim Chair, Design, Columbia College Chicago We hear a lot about ‘design thinking’ these days, a phrase that appears redundant. Design is thinking. But it... [ Read the full story ... ]
More convening, less conference
May 8, 2019, 7:37 pm – What to expect at Design Intersections 2019 By Ruth Schmidt, Visiting Industry Professor, IIT Institute of Design (ID) Expect conversations, not keynotes. Other conferences have speakers—we’ll have participants. Questions and answers will be thre... [ Read the full story ... ]
GETTING A TASTE OF TREND FORECASTING
May 8, 2019, 1:37 am – [ Read the full story ... ]
Four steps to seeing the invisible
May 1, 2019, 9:33 pm – The complex systems that shape our everyday experiences By Carlos Teixeira, Associate Professor, IIT Institute of Design (ID) A bike ride, a smartphones, a credit card payment—all are unremarkable constants in our everyday lives. But in the backgr... [ Read the full story ... ]
Check out Steve on the “Nie tylko design” podcast
April 30, 2019, 4:44 pm – http://media.blubrry.com/nietylkodesign/s/traffic.libsyn.com/nietylkodesign/NTD025-Interview-with-Steve-Portigal.mp3 While I was in Poland last year I was interviewed by Tomasz Skórski about the state of UX and user research. The audio and video f... [ Read the full story ... ]
What is this thing we call Empathy
April 26, 2019, 1:04 pm – [ Read the full story ... ]
Steve interviewed by dscout for People Nerds
April 25, 2019, 4:33 pm – I was interviewed by dscout for their People Nerds blog. Check out Finding the ‘Aha!’ Moment! Expert user researcher Steve Portigal breaks down why thinking about bias and mistakes is the key to joyful discovery. Steve Portigal says being a resear... [ Read the full story ... ]
Rob Girling on designing radical new technology ‘at speed’
April 23, 2019, 2:30 pm – As a pre-conference 2019 Latham fellow, Rob Girling spoke to the design community at ID on April 2, 2019 about entrepreneurship and emerging technologies, one of the main topics of our 2019 Design Intersections conference (May 22–23). Rob is co-CE... [ Read the full story ... ]
Needed: Anthropologists in Insurance
April 22, 2019, 4:02 pm – by Swiss Re I work in life insurance. No, I’m not an actuary or underwriter—I’m an anthropologist, and it’s a great fit. I began my career working with refugees in the public and nonprofit sectors, then spent seven years teaching anthropology cour... [ Read the full story ... ]
21st Century Design for Societal Problems. Combining Community and Domain Experts
April 20, 2019, 12:36 am – We advocate a multi-step approach toward major societal issues, combining community-driven wisdom with knowledge of domain experts. Add an opportunistic, incremental approach to large problems, followed by continual attention to the fundamental pr... [ Read the full story ... ]
Inviting Workshop Proposals
April 19, 2019, 9:38 pm – Requesting proposals for a workshop on Community-Driven Design (fort the ACM Designing Interactive Systems conference). [ Read the full story ... ]
Overcrowded, by Roberto Verganti: In favor of criticism
April 14, 2019, 7:08 pm – In his book Overcrowded, Roberto Verganti argues that the rule "don't criticize" is flawed. Criticism is good -- it leads to radical innovation. This is an important book for designers: read it! [ Read the full story ... ]
10 Things You Should Know about Moving from Academia to Industry
April 8, 2019, 4:04 pm – by , Facebook In the fall of 2016, I made the jump from academia to UX research. As opportunities for permanent employment in the social sciences are becoming more and more scarce, this move is becoming increasingly common. And yet, I made this tr... [ Read the full story ... ]
The EPIC Gallery: A Space for Action and Intervention
April 1, 2019, 3:10 pm – by “We don’t fail because we are not intelligent or erudite enough; we fail because we don’t present our stakeholders with engaging material that will improve their ideas. We choose the medium which makes us comfortable, not the one our stakeholde... [ Read the full story ... ]
Ask Us Anything! April 4–5
March 28, 2019, 4:58 am – Join the EPIC2019 Program Committee April 4–5 for an “Ask Us Anything” session on the Ethnography Hangout Slack, #epic_org channel. If you've got questions about your conference submission (due April 12), the conference theme, or anything else abo... [ Read the full story ... ]
Dollars to Donuts is back, baby!
March 26, 2019, 7:29 pm – In case you missed it, Dollars to Donuts, the podcast where I talk to people who lead user research in their organizations, is back with new episodes! So far, I’ve spoken with Leanne Waldal, Marianne Berkovich, and Tomer Sharon. And there are more... [ Read the full story ... ]
SOCIAL MEDIA – ENTREPRENEURS’ DIVERSE TOOLKIT FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND MORE
March 18, 2019, 1:08 am – Through interviews with 18 innovative Finnish food companies and learning about their development activities, we realised that social media, particularly instagram and Facebook, are used for much more. Social media is often seen solely as a tool f... [ Read the full story ... ]
INTERTWINED AGENDAS WHEN YOU GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTOM LINE
March 3, 2019, 11:36 pm – The more we talked with different founders, the more evident it became that modern ventures do not need to make a stark distinction between business and a wider impact. For these new food and beverage entrepreneurs having high standards for keepin... [ Read the full story ... ]
Join my ‘Fundamentals of Interviewing Users’ workshop in NYC
February 27, 2019, 4:27 pm – I’m teaching a full-day workshop on Fundamentals of Interviewing Users in New York City on May 20. Indi Young is teaching a workshop the next day. You can register for one or the other or both. It’s part of a series of workshops that also includes... [ Read the full story ... ]
21st Century Design (50 seconds or 26 minutes)
February 26, 2019, 10:18 pm – The 50 second version (for my talk at Krupa, in Kiev, April 7, 2019)The 26 minute version for my talk at Interaction 19 (Seattle, February 2019)(Similar talks given in Dubai, UAE (World Government Summit, February 2019) and Ahmedabad, India (Insti... [ Read the full story ... ]
3 ways good design makes you happy
February 26, 2019, 10:08 pm – [ Read the full story ... ]
It's not you. Bad doors are everwhere
February 26, 2019, 9:52 pm – [ Read the full story ... ]
Elizabeth Pastor in Madrid
February 26, 2019, 3:16 pm – Humantific & TeamLabs Madrid Humantific CoFounder Elizabeth Pastor will be giving a free public talk on Strategic CoCreation Leadership at TeamLabs in Madrid on Friday March 1 at 6pm. ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Open Challenge Framing Public Session
February 21, 2019, 9:51 pm – Are you in Copenhagen tomorrow? Join us for a rare public (FREE) introductory session on Open Challenge Framing…also known as Upstream Challenge Framing!!! This is the framing required BEFORE downstream product, service, experience design briefs a... [ Read the full story ... ]
Dollars to Donuts is back!
February 19, 2019, 6:02 pm – Big news! The Dollars to Donuts podcast is back. Check out my brand new episode, a fascinating conversation with Leanne Waldal, Senior Director of Product Research at New Relic. If you don’t know, in this podcast I talk to people who lead user res... [ Read the full story ... ]
Future Work Skills in Denmark
February 13, 2019, 7:55 pm – Danish University & Humantific We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Denmark, building an internal team of Strategic ChangeMakers. Next week the Humantific Academy team lead by Elizabet... [ Read the full story ... ]
Video from NUX7: The Designer is Present
February 7, 2019, 7:16 pm – Last year I gave the closing keynote The Designer is Present at NUX7 in Manchester. The video is here, and embedded below, and the slides are here, and embedded below. Steve Portigal – The Designer is Present from Steve Portigal [ Read the full story ... ]
Wishing All A Hap-pig Lunar New Year!
February 1, 2019, 6:53 am – It the time of the year where we look back, reminisce, reflect and appreciate everything that has happened to us... The post Wishing All A Hap-pig Lunar New Year! appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post. [ Read the full story ... ]
Listen to Steve on Tech for Good Live
January 28, 2019, 8:16 pm – While I was in Manchester last year I had a very enjoyable and friendly conversation with Bex and Jonny, the hosts of Tech for Good Live. We talked about the role of the user researcher, the increasingly blurry line between design and research, de... [ Read the full story ... ]
What Is the Future of Design (in 50 seconds)?
January 26, 2019, 2:07 am – A new talk,"21st Century Design: Addressing Major Societal Issues." I discuss what we in the UC San Diego Design Lab call "Complex Sociotechnical Systems." This "essay" is just the URLs of a 50 second video and the PDF of the slides. [ Read the full story ... ]
Design a better world Podcast
January 11, 2019, 7:38 pm – A UX Cake podcast "Design a Better World," hosted by Leigh Allen-Arredondo. What did I talk about? Mainly why, and how, designers and researchers in our discipline should be changing the world. [ Read the full story ... ]
HOW PIZZA COULD SAVE THE WORLD
January 9, 2019, 1:05 am – The platform known as pizza has empowered people all over the world allowing them to satisfy their unique cultures and desires. It is a model for societal platforms that can indeed change the world. [ Read the full story ... ]
COMMUNITY-BASED, HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
January 1, 2019, 8:10 pm – We propose a radical change in design from experts designing for people to people designing for themselves, leveraging the creativity of communities to solve their own problems. People in communities best understand their problems and the impedime... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR18-001 | Bring Home Methods: Additions to the Bootcamp Bootleg | Julia von Thienen, Hanadi Traifeh, Christoph Meinel, Antje Schubotz, Maximilian Diez, Simon Krogmann, Ahmad Bourazan, Anne Radunski, Arne Boockmeyer, Ramin Gharib
December 23, 2018, 10:44 am – For years, the Bootcamp Bootleg (d.school, 2010) has been a valuable toolkit to facilitate design thinking practice. The booklet shares methods for five process phases, or modes, in creative work. Teams are guided up to a point where they hold suc... [ Read the full story ... ]
Supporting Strategic Design Journalism
December 20, 2018, 7:31 pm – NextD Journal Reboots! We are delighted to be corporate sponsor of NextD Journal [Reboot], an experimental project undertaking peer reviews of 10 public documents seeking to help make sense of the mountain of confusion that now exists around the s... [ Read the full story ... ]
Measure of America & Humantific
December 14, 2018, 6:35 pm – Celebrating 10 Years of Collaboration! Asking “How are the people doing? rather than “How is the economy doing? Measure of America has become a legendary societal changemaking initiative. Focused on inspiring and informing policymakers regarding t... [ Read the full story ... ]
Humantific in Barcelona
December 12, 2018, 11:28 pm – Grab Your Tapas! Next week Humantific CoFounder, Elizabeth Pastor will be back in Barcelona teaching a workshop on EveryDay Innovation in collaboration with our friends at TeamLabs. This introductory glimpse workshop is OPEN to the public! Sign up... [ Read the full story ... ]
Future of Work Scenarios Clarity
December 4, 2018, 9:43 pm – Defuzzing Organizational Agility We do a lot of future oriented skill-building work and we are delighted to be part of the Future Work Skills Academy. We found the recently published report by World Economic Forum entitled “Eight Futures of Work” ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Thoughts on the iPhone Xs Max
November 14, 2018, 6:10 am – As a typical post-industrial type designer, I’ve given up the need to buy new stuff. This MacBook Retina I’m writing this... The post Thoughts on the iPhone Xs Max appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.... [ Read the full story ... ]
Humantific at TeamLabs Madrid
November 13, 2018, 4:11 pm – Unlocking The Power of Innovation Behaviors! Humantific’s Elizabeth Pastor will give a talk on Unlocking The Power of Innovation Behaviors at TeamLabs Madrid, Nov 21, 6-8pm. [ Read the full story ... ]
NextD Journal Reboots
November 8, 2018, 3:19 am – Design Thinking is Changing! Are You? Returning from a long pause, an experimental version of NextD Journal will be launching soon. Remaining focused on sensemaking the new series will undertake a ten part document review with commentary from nume... [ Read the full story ... ]
Listen to Steve on This is HCD
November 7, 2018, 8:50 pm – I had the pleasure of speaking recently with Chirryl-Lee Ryan about user research and more – we got into outcomes versus deliverables, tipping points for the tech industry, and a few other fun areas. The conversation is now live on This is HCD (in... [ Read the full story ... ]
Design Thinking Experts Fill In Gaps Between Steps
November 2, 2018, 7:20 am – How do you identify the best Design Thinkers? Separate the men from the mice? They can fill in the gaps between... The post Design Thinking Experts Fill In Gaps Between Steps appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Slides/audio from UX Australia: Stop Solving Problems!
October 9, 2018, 6:32 pm – I recently presented Stop Solving Problems! at UX Australia. The slides are here, and embedded below, and the audio is here, and embedded below. Stop Solving Problems! from Steve Portigal via @SketchGr via @fable_us via @jakecausby via @MikaelaLDe... [ Read the full story ... ]
2022 Future Work Skills Outlook
October 5, 2018, 4:40 pm – Innovation, Problem Solving, Learning Rising! The World Economic Forum has published its updated 2022 Skills Outlook. Since we are involved in and focused on the future of work we were delighted to see so much of what we do at Humantific on the ne... [ Read the full story ... ]
We turn 8 Today!
September 27, 2018, 8:17 am – It has been 8 years since I decided to evolve as a human by moving from employee-ship to entrepreneurship. Since... The post We turn 8 Today! appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post. [ Read the full story ... ]
What is the Difference Between Lean and Design Thinking?
August 14, 2018, 4:57 am – I get this question a lot. The next question after that would be: aren’t they all the same? I decided to... The post What is the Difference Between Lean and Design Thinking? appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see... [ Read the full story ... ]
2 Approaches to Design and 4 Rules for Understanding Humans
August 14, 2018, 3:51 am – I get this all the time. Whenever we talk about Design Thinking's user-centered approach to finding opportunities and understanding your customer better, someone always reminds me that one of the worlds most successful company (in my humble opinio... [ Read the full story ... ]
Zero to One: Find a Niche and Own it!
August 7, 2018, 7:05 am – I really like Zero to One by Peter Thiel. So much so, that I’m slowly reading it chapter by chapter to... The post Zero to One: Find a Niche and Own it! appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.... [ Read the full story ... ]
Design Thinking Singapore’s Future: What is Holding Us Back from Change?
July 10, 2018, 5:10 am – A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong said: “Good design thinking was a key... The post Design Thinking Singapore’s Future: What is Holding Us Back from Change? appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above... [ Read the full story ... ]
Steve on the Service Design Show
June 11, 2018, 6:23 pm – Thanks to Marc Fonteijn for having me as a guest on The Service Design Show. The episode, entitled How To Unlock The True Power Of User Research, is online now (Soundcloud, YouTube) and embedded below. By now we all know that storytelling is one o... [ Read the full story ... ]
Watch Steve on Like/Unlike
May 21, 2018, 3:34 pm – Here’s a twenty-minute conversation with me, for the show Like/Unlike for, in anticipation of Product Camp Poland, coming right up! I talk about three things – something I recently experienced that I liked (our Punk Rock walking tour of the East V... [ Read the full story ... ]
Video from User Research London keynote: Learning From User Research War Stories
May 16, 2018, 2:22 pm – Last summer I went to London to give the opening keynote at User Research London, User Research War Stories. The video is now available and I’ve embedded it below. The talk features bonus war stories from Kristina Lustig (27:24) and Elizabeth Ches... [ Read the full story ... ]
Much Better Than The Original
May 15, 2018, 6:37 pm – Comedian Laurie Kilmartin tweeted Hey aspiring comedy writers, when my brain is foggy or I just need multiple punchlines for the same setup, sometime I consult my transitions list! It’s dumb but it helps It’s sort of a low-fidelity methods card ap... [ Read the full story ... ]
Amazing Jobs – a young user researcher
May 7, 2018, 8:19 pm – Amazing Jobs is a podcast where a young girl named Lisette interviews people about their jobs (e.g, train conductor) (Some interviews are in French). User research starts young. Also see: Kids Interviewing Bands [ Read the full story ... ]
Listen to Steve on the Conversation Factory Podcast
April 16, 2018, 7:51 pm – It was great fun to speak with Daniel Stillman about research, collaboration, communication and facilitation. now live on the Conversation Factory site, and embedded below Here’s part of how Daniel framed the conversation in his writeup Steve is a... [ Read the full story ... ]
Tad Friend: Interviewing Master
March 13, 2018, 4:13 pm – I love this bit from Tad Friend’s New Yorker profile of Donald Glover Noting that he often spoke about how life would be different if he were White Donald, I asked Glover how our conversations would be different if I were black. He gave me a consi... [ Read the full story ... ]
Listen to Steve on the User Defenders Podcast
March 12, 2018, 5:34 pm – Artwork by Eli Jorgensen I had a wide-ranging and personal conversation with Jason Ogle for the User Defenders podcast. We talked about my professional trajectory, my disdain for Forrest Gump, rapport-building, listening, disgust, and war stories ... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR17-002 | Success-Failure Analysis: A Tool for Advancing Domain Knowledge - Design Thinking Style | Julia von Thienen, Anja Perlich, Christoph Meinel, Giovanni Corazza
August 28, 2017, 1:08 pm – Drawing on the Dynamic Creativity Framework and Failure Theory, this paper explores what it means to advance domain knowledge with creative ambitions. Failures are analysed as an extraordinary resource in the search for radical innovation. Success... [ Read the full story ... ]
Are you a designer, or just a facilitator?
August 27, 2017, 1:37 am – A few weeks back I was standing in a room facilitating a large ideation workshop. Mid-session I found myself thinking, I am not sure if I enjoy this. Walking out of that workshop, I told myself that I entered into the design field to become a desi... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR17-001 | A Short Theory of Failure | Julia von Thienen, Christoph Meinel, Giovanni Corazza
July 25, 2017, 7:16 am – Failures are a key concept in design thinking. They are discussed as a resource for learning, whereas fear of failure would be a major block to creative activity. We attempt to clarify the term by reconstructing “failures” as “inconclusive outcome... [ Read the full story ... ]
Culture eats innovation for breakfast
July 1, 2017, 3:18 pm – There are often times when I come to a sudden halt and find myself feeling stuck or unable to produce or execute work that I otherwise may feel confident and comfortable to complete. This happens to everyone at some point in their career, and more... [ Read the full story ... ]
The Asshole Survival Guide: My Latest Book
April 17, 2017, 4:19 pm – The No Asshole Rule was published 10 years ago. It focused on building civilized workplaces. Yet the most frequent question that it provoked were variations of "Help. I am dealing with an asshole (or a bunch of them), what do... [ Read the full story ... ]
the strategy behind design
March 18, 2017, 11:42 am – This year I was invited to teach an online subject for a master’s degree, of which was simply titled design strategy. I was also offered the liberty to (re)create the subject, as I saw fit, and as such had the freedom to structure it how I liked. ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Ten Building Blocks of Rolling out Design Thinking in an Organization
March 6, 2017, 8:44 am – Design Thinking has matured. From a magic potion that you plunge into in colorful trainings to a framework that many organizations have embraced and adapted for themselves. In the last few years, I had the opportunity to participate and co-shape [ Read the full story ... ]
Is Your Business Ready for Innovation?
February 23, 2017, 11:53 am – Some of you might be familiar with the Diffusion of Innovation. It is a theory that seeks to explain how... The post Is Your Business Ready for Innovation? appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post. [ Read the full story ... ]
What is Design Worth? A Masterclass on Design’s Value
February 23, 2017, 9:48 am – Our partners Methodology.sg is running an awesome Masterclass workshop called: DESIGN LEADERSHIP: How to Identify and Communicate the Value of Design.... The post What is Design Worth? A Masterclass on Design’s Value appeared first on Design Soj... [ Read the full story ... ]
Have we misunderstood innovation?
November 6, 2016, 3:08 am – When you think of the word ‘innovation’ what comes to your mind? Many will say Uber, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or even design thinking. Today, if you peer into the world of design, you will be bombarded with the word innovation. Innovation is becoming... [ Read the full story ... ]
The power struggle behind big data: forfeiting emotional autonomy to the machine
August 7, 2016, 1:27 pm – I encounter a lot of debates between myself and those who defend the authority of big data. It made me begin to wonder what kind of perception we are generating and what kind of attitudes we are embedding into our practice due to this desire for a... [ Read the full story ... ]
The design process isn’t the problem. You are the problem
July 16, 2016, 1:46 am – (harsh, but true) This debate keeps cropping up like a seasonal virus. Once again, I encountered a bit of chatter across the internet and amongst practitioners on the ol’ topic that design thinking has failed to live up to its hype. This is a pos... [ Read the full story ... ]
My PhD thesis
May 1, 2016, 1:35 pm – Hello world. My thesis is finally available for web via the link below: https://www.academia.edu/24919250/Understanding_the_behaviour_of_design_thinking_in_complex_environments It is not perfect, but it was enough for a PhD. I hope you enjoy [ Read the full story ... ]
The end of an era: reflective practice
April 17, 2016, 4:10 am – I am entitled to be just a little dramatic with my headline as I have now officially completed my thesis. Those who follow me on twitter would have noticed the excited tweets. I know that many have been asking me for my thesis, and I can assure yo... [ Read the full story ... ]
The d.school project and teaching fellowships are now open for 2016-2017!
March 14, 2016, 11:03 pm – It's that time of the year! The d.school fellowship applications are now open. Each year, the d.school offers two fellowship opportunities: the Project Fellowship and the Teaching Fellowship. [ Read the full story ... ]
Design generates growth here and now
December 10, 2015, 10:33 am – Far too many companies have a management approach that is too traditional to secure their long-term market value. Studies and think tanks from several countries point to strategic design as part of the answer, but many business leaders think that ... [ Read the full story ... ]
The design cluster aims to transform Denmark into an innovative society by means of design
December 9, 2015, 2:41 pm – In the design cluster D2i – Design to innovate, we are sharpening our focus with four new priority areas aimed at contributing to growth in Denmark. Our design cluster consists of companies, organisations and knowledge environments working togethe... [ Read the full story ... ]
An Exercise in Empathy: Donald Trump Supporters
November 17, 2015, 9:25 pm – The true art of empathy is being able to listen to and follow the views and motivations of people who are NOT like yourself. Especially in times of polarizing debates in which we’re all busy trying to sort out good [ Read the full story ... ]
Short Video Interview for Innovation Blog
September 29, 2015, 9:17 pm – A while ago I ran a Design Thinking workshop for Safari Consulting, an innovation consultancy based in Mainz, Germany. It was a very fruitful exchange of experiences and tools with an energetic group of clever and knowledgeable consultants. They w... [ Read the full story ... ]
Interview on Design Thinking vs. Rock Music
September 5, 2015, 4:34 pm – As part of his series “Jochen meets…”, my friend and co-author Jochen Gürtler interviewed me about the differences and commonalities of creativity in a rock band vs. a Design Thinking team. The interview is in German, you can read it... [ Read the full story ... ]
Your Creative Space is your Extended Super Brain
July 12, 2015, 7:43 pm – A couple of years ago, when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life I studied psychology for a semester. Though I did not pursue this field, there is one lecture which I remember quite vividly. [ Read the full story ... ]
Coaching Approaches for Longer Design Thinking Projects
June 16, 2015, 5:06 pm – Design Thinking education for professionals mostly comes in short, experiential formats. After having spent two or three days going through a full innovation cycle in which no step takes longer than an hour, participants are often asking about pos... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR15-002 | Manifesto: Design Thinking Becomes Foundational | Larry Leifer, Christoph Meinel
May 19, 2015, 10:33 am – With the integration of design thinking into engineering education, a missing link has been created between the science-focused, context-independent part of engineering and the human society-focused, context-dependent aspect. The latter area has l... [ Read the full story ... ]
The underrated writings of Bruce Archer
April 21, 2015, 7:47 am – Well looks like we can all just pack up on design thinking and call it a day! There is an author that i had left out of my initial posts on the history and development behind design thinking, and his name is Bruce Archer. Bruce is not as well know... [ Read the full story ... ]
A place for design thinking in academic research
March 24, 2015, 8:29 pm – Can design thinking help people do better research and better science? Enter the d.school pop-up class “Research as Design: Redesign Your Research Process“, which was taught this past winter. The class provides PhD candidates, post-doctoral resear... [ Read the full story ... ]
Learn to teach the d.school way: Apply to be a teaching fellow!
March 24, 2015, 5:16 pm – UPDATE: The d.school fellowship applications are now open! The teaching fellowship applications, described below, close midnight, Pacific Time, April 9, 2015. Have you ever attended a d.school class or workshop and wondered what goes into teachin... [ Read the full story ... ]
A deadline takes a break
March 20, 2015, 12:57 am – We all need a break every once in a while. That includes the whiteboard newsletter. Winter quarter has ended, and spring break is upon us. That means the campus is getting a little quieter. But the d.school is humming. There are changes to the spa... [ Read the full story ... ]
In media design, it’s about ‘who’ not ‘what’
March 19, 2015, 6:50 pm – Media design. It’s a popular term now at the d.school as we embark on a two-year exploration. But what is it? It’s pretty broad, when you think about it. There’s media. Nearly everything, from a piece of paper to the food on your plate, can serve ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Update
March 17, 2015, 3:31 am – Hello all! Just a quick update to say that more posts are on the way in the coming months. I am in the final stages of wrapping up/editing the PhD and once it has been submitted I will have plenty of new and interesting content that I hope you wil... [ Read the full story ... ]
The d.school @ SXSW: Discover the superpower within
March 12, 2015, 7:38 pm – Batman is my favorite superhero. Beneath the tragic life story, the brooding and the money — the infinite gobs of Wayne Enterprises money — is a human being. He can’t fly, he doesn’t have a magic ring, he can’t breathe under water and webs don’t s... [ Read the full story ... ]
The floundering pitch
March 5, 2015, 11:33 pm – I have been trying to wrap my head around vulnerability recently. Yes, I finished reading Brené Brown’s “Daring Greatly“. No, I am not the first person to do so or to be taken with the concept of vulnerability as a powerful force in our everyday... [ Read the full story ... ]
Switchmate: Making a business d.school style
March 5, 2015, 1:12 am – If you want to automate your home today, chances are you have to change something major about it. It may mean switching out a thermostat or replacing a light switch. There’s no getting around fumbling with wires, a screwdriver, and hoping not to g... [ Read the full story ... ]
MOOCs for Design Thinkers
March 2, 2015, 5:39 pm – I’m a big fan of MOOCs and there are a number of formats around innovation and Design Thinking now, each with its own take on the topic. This is a list of the ones that I came across, along with my [ Read the full story ... ]
TR15-001 | Building on a Stages of Change Model to Bring Home More Big Design Thinking Ideas | Julia von Thienen, Christoph Meinel
February 27, 2015, 9:30 am – Design Thinking is an approach to creating human-centered product or service innovations, based on a model of problem solving. Regularly, design thinking projects yield exciting visions for a better future. However, up to the present they often fa... [ Read the full story ... ]
Sticky Stories: A, B, C, D…stick!
February 26, 2015, 4:35 pm – by Emi Kolawole & Erik Olesund The moment is unmistakeable. You are in the garage, you’ve long since shut off the engine and you’re just sitting there listening. Maybe you’re in a dark theater and you’ve forgotten how much time has passed. Perhaps... [ Read the full story ... ]
Discovery and inspiration between flowers and vines
February 23, 2015, 11:28 pm – Where do you retreat? I visit the plants on my patio. There’s an orange tree (named “Apple”), a struggling rosemary bush, a hydrangea on the mend and some succulents, among other plants. I visit these plants to get away from everything. More often... [ Read the full story ... ]
Insights after the dust settles
February 20, 2015, 7:28 am – It’s over. In fact, it has been over for a while. I just needed some time to recover. The class, in all, was a wonderful prototype — an attempt to have a group of people from multiple disciplines consider the entirety of the news ecosystem, ascert... [ Read the full story ... ]
Redesigning the News Ecosystem: The final stretch
February 13, 2015, 7:34 am – I am exhausted. The idea of writing this post is terrifying (nothing good can come of this level of fatigue), yet here I am. Before I launch into our third class, I wanted to take a moment to remember media critic and award-winning journalist Davi... [ Read the full story ... ]
The Dark Side of Scaling Up: Will You Want to Live in What You Build?
February 12, 2015, 11:21 pm – My Stanford colleague Huggy Rao and I devoted seven years to learning about what it takes to scale up excellence in organizations. We studied how leaders and teams build and identify pockets of goodness in organizations and spread such goodness... [ Read the full story ... ]
A secret fear of sticky stories
February 10, 2015, 11:09 pm – I have a horrible secret: It is really difficult for me to listen to stories. The reason has always escaped me. Now, listening to one story, I think I understand why this simple act is so difficult for me. I am afraid. I am afraid of what the stor... [ Read the full story ... ]
Redesigning the News Ecosystem: Can we ever break the ‘news’?
February 10, 2015, 7:43 pm – If I hear that we need to think outside of the box when it comes to news one … more … time … Regular readers of the whiteboard know I am in the midst of teaching a class on Redesigning the News Ecosystem. The teaching team, aside from myself, is m... [ Read the full story ... ]
Please read this in your underwear: A thought on the new public speaking
February 10, 2015, 2:30 am – I want to write more. I do. But the thing is… writing is f#$%ing hard. But, as I sit here with knots in my stomach trying to tie up my first blog post on the whiteboard, I’m realizing that writing isn’t actually the hard part. In fact not only is ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Designing a drive to make a difference for girls
February 9, 2015, 7:20 pm – Update: The Kickstarter is underway for this project. You can learn more about Girls Driving for A Difference and show your support through March 26, 2015. The more time I spend practicing design thinking in the d.school, the more inspired I feel... [ Read the full story ... ]
Redesigning the News Ecosystem: A guide to class #2
February 7, 2015, 2:29 am – The classroom will be packed, and all of the students are, in some way, interested in or passionate about what I and my teaching team members are passionate about: finding a radically new and better way to deliver news and information to people. O... [ Read the full story ... ]
We’re clueless, and it’s perfect
February 5, 2015, 8:08 pm – Okay, we have some ideas about what we’re doing. They’re just scrawled on whiteboards and orange sticky notes, which are pasted to a board wrapped in butcher paper and blue tape. We have notebooks full of raw ideas and an empty tumblr. We just fig... [ Read the full story ... ]
A flare within a flare
February 4, 2015, 11:25 pm – I have yet to meet a brainstorm I don’t like, assuming the basic rules are obeyed. Those rules are pretty simple: There is no such thing as a bad idea. Get as many ideas out there as you possibly can. Build on others’ ideas. Don’t force the ener... [ Read the full story ... ]
‘A glimpse of humanity that’s nearly perfect’
February 4, 2015, 5:43 am – I’m sitting in a bar in Managua next to Peter Stanley, the chairman of my board of directors, and we’re drinking cold Toña, the Nicaraguan beer of choice. We’re in the country for our annual meeting, which always involves a site visit to Clinica V... [ Read the full story ... ]
Understanding the design thinking process
January 31, 2015, 12:21 am – Stanford d.school fellow Jason Mayden is “The Design Fellow” over at Hypebeast. He recently wrote a post on an introduction to design thinking, tracking back through the history of design. Here is an excerpt: “It’s beauty in the struggle homie, u... [ Read the full story ... ]
Rock a 60-minute work session
January 28, 2015, 9:10 pm – There’s a big difference between the way teams collaborate when they’re in a facilitated design workshop and when they’re left to their own devices. In many instances the difference is clear, and there are observable behaviors that illustrate it: ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Why Pharma is (and should be) interested in Design Thinking
January 25, 2015, 8:44 pm – When people ask me what industries I think are the most active in exploring Design Thinking, they are often struck when I say 1. banking 2. mobility 3. pharma. Right now I’m investing a lot of my energy into projects with the [ Read the full story ... ]
Reminder: Constraints can be fun
January 23, 2015, 11:46 pm – I am currently in the middle of writing another, longer piece (well, two really), but I was reminded of something I often forget in design work: introduce fun constraints during brainstorming. Often, we think of constraints in negative terms. They... [ Read the full story ... ]
The value-menu course prototype
January 20, 2015, 9:20 pm – Members of the d.school’s winter-quarter teaching community gathered in Studio 2 at the end of the first week of classes. The topic: improving the d.school classes application process. The workshop focused primarily on the application process, but... [ Read the full story ... ]
#DSXOAK Day 2: Preparation to presentation
January 18, 2015, 6:52 pm – Note: If you want to follow the students and a live social feed of today’s events check out our tag board, #DSXOAK. We’re back at The Crucible here in West Oakland for day two of the pop-up school prototype Design School X. The two-day experience ... [ Read the full story ... ]
#DSXOAK: A prototype school comes to life
January 17, 2015, 8:16 pm – Note: If you want to follow the students and a live social feed of today’s events check out our tag board, #DSXOAK. If you could completely re-design the school experience, giving students the greatest possible creative agency, how would you do it... [ Read the full story ... ]
d.compress: Designing for discovery & intent
January 16, 2015, 8:19 pm – A workshop was held at the d.school just before students left for the holidays. Aptly called “d.compress”, it offered students an opportunity to retreat from the stresses and pressures of the fall-quarter finals period. The event was organized by ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Creating space for idea capture
January 16, 2015, 3:55 am – I hide my clutter. I push it under rugs and stuff it in drawers. This clearly has its disadvantages. So, recently, I have tried to cut into my clutter piles by getting rid of the things I don’t need. I have also been challenging myself to part wit... [ Read the full story ... ]
#design4death: Death, discussion and design
January 14, 2015, 6:02 pm – In order to truly look at health care, we must also look at how we die. This idea rests at the heart of d.school fellow and artist Jae Rhim Lee’s project at the d.school. Jae Rhim is part of the d.school fellows cohort focused on health care, bu... [ Read the full story ... ]
‘Design School X': Prototyping a new school
January 6, 2015, 6:02 pm – Two of the d.school fellows — David Clifford and Jae Rhim Lee — are launching their design sprints today at the d.school. This means that both fellows will start working with their design teams on key aspects of their projects. The design teams ar... [ Read the full story ... ]
My Organizational Behavior Class: The Current Iteration
January 3, 2015, 7:13 pm – The first time I taught an introductory organizational behavior class was in 1980 or 1981. I was a second-year doctoral student in organizational psychology at The University of Michigan. I had no teaching experience (except for one guest lecture ... [ Read the full story ... ]
12 Books That Every Leader Should Read: Updated
December 17, 2014, 9:03 pm – I have been maintaining – and occasionally updating -- a list of “Books Every Leader Should Read” on this Work Matters blog since 2011. These are books that have taught me much about people, teams, and organizations -- while at... [ Read the full story ... ]
Open lecture by Silvia Grimaldi
November 17, 2014, 2:04 pm – Tellable Objects: Designing Narrative Product Interactions On Wednesday 19 November designer, researcher and academic Silvia Grimaldi will visit Kolding and present a series of techniques and guidelines to help designers think of the product exper... [ Read the full story ... ]
How Strategic Use of Design Connects Business with People
October 28, 2014, 12:08 pm – Arne Jacobsen chairs, PH lamps and blue fluted china. These are classic examples of Danish design. But design is so much more. Design includes – when used strategically – top executives going on observation trips far from vision statements and Exc... [ Read the full story ... ]
Design Thinking for Human Resources
September 25, 2014, 8:28 pm – Together with Impact Solutions (now zero360), we recently designed a two day program on “Design Thinking for Human Resources”, an experimental open workshop to explore the topic with experts from the field. HR, as the name suggests, is a people... [ Read the full story ... ]
An effective diet starts with a saliva sample
September 24, 2014, 9:39 am – A newly started company may sometimes find it a challenge to target its business – particularly when its product is intended for an extremely broad group. The Danish-owned start-up Diet and Genes found help in understanding market mechanisms at a ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Film: Isover – from product sale to project sale
September 23, 2014, 1:16 pm – Watch the film and see how Saint-Gobain Isover through application of design thinking developed their business model. The company learned through a design consultation with D2i how to apply design thinking so they could identify their customers ne... [ Read the full story ... ]
Film: Easyfood – when design-thinking causes less waste and more growth
September 23, 2014, 12:35 pm – Over the years Easyfood worked increasingly more focused on design thinking and design methods in product development and innovation. The company has repeatedly sought help and inspiration for design thinking and accompanying innovation. They have... [ Read the full story ... ]
Film: Kruuse – supplier for the veterinary industry and design thinkers
September 23, 2014, 12:27 pm – At D2i we focus on how companies use design thinking in their different development processes. Kruuse A/S is an example of a company that works consciously with creative processes, designers and design thinking can initiate. Kruuse will among othe... [ Read the full story ... ]
A mobile space for innovation
September 22, 2014, 9:42 am – For the past 50 years, OJ Electronics has been producing electronic solutions for controlling heating and ventilation. When preparing an overarching, more closely targeted innovation strategy, the company came up with completely new ideas and spec... [ Read the full story ... ]
Kitchen users and designers deals with waste issues
September 22, 2014, 9:36 am – What started out as a no-obligation full-day meeting between the Danish kitchen manufacturer Kvik and a team of designers from Design2innovate quickly developed into something more exciting. The partnership has now resulted in the development of a... [ Read the full story ... ]
Ad agencies can be innovation agencies
July 18, 2014, 8:54 pm – I recently ran a very interesting design thinking project with a leading global ad agency. They had approached us with one of their projects in which the customer was planning to launch a financial offering in Germany and had commissioned [ Read the full story ... ]
TR14-002 | A Design Thinking Process to Tackle Individual Life Problems (Created for Use in Behaviour Psychotherapy) | Julia von Thienen, Christoph Meinel
May 28, 2014, 7:13 am – The design thinking community has at its disposal a rich pool of teaching material to help students master the process of creative problem solving. We re-designed some of this material for use in a new context: behaviour psychotherapy. Here, patie... [ Read the full story ... ]
Random thoughts on the future and implications on corporations and universities
May 19, 2014, 3:26 am – I just got back from the Bay Area Maker Faire 2014. Looking at all of the cool maker stuff, the upcoming technologies and the startups pitching their next generation 3D printing robot drones has got me thinking about the future. I thought it wou... [ Read the full story ... ]
Random thoughts on the future and implications on corporations and universities
May 19, 2014, 3:26 am – I just got back from the Bay Area Maker Faire 2014. Looking at all of the cool maker stuff, the upcoming technologies and the startups pitching their next generation 3D printing robot drones has got me thinking about the future. I thought it wou... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR14-001 | Let’s Bring Home Even More Benefits from Design Thinking: Ideas for an Iterated Design Thinking Process Model | Julia von Thienen, Christoph Meinel
May 12, 2014, 7:39 am – Design thinking research has provided two good reasons for a revision of the design thinking process model. (a) Prototyping is now considered an important means for facilitating communication in all stages of the design thinking process. Therefore... [ Read the full story ... ]
Innovation Networks in Action: The Case Study of Intuit's Innovation Catalysts
May 2, 2014, 7:58 pm – I recently published a case study on the Innovation Catalysts. I was focusing on how creating a network for people to connect with upon completing innovation training can ensure the lasting impact of the training and ignite new opportunities to r... [ Read the full story ... ]
Innovation Networks in Action: The Case Study of Intuit's Innovation Catalysts
May 2, 2014, 7:58 pm – I recently published a case study on the Innovation Catalysts. I was focusing on how creating a network for people to connect with upon completing innovation training can ensure the lasting impact of the training and ignite new opportunities to r... [ Read the full story ... ]
Walt Disney and Brad Bird on Why They Want to Make Money
March 7, 2014, 12:06 am – I was exchanging emails with a colleague that used to be at the Stanford d.school and now works with schools. He menionted Brad Bird, which reminded my of an interview that Huggy Rao and I did with him in 2008... [ Read the full story ... ]
Why Big Teams Suck: Seven (Plus or Minus Two) Is the Magical Number Once Again
March 3, 2014, 5:28 pm – I also posted this piece over at LinkedIn this morning. It offers a simple lesson, but one that is often disregarded, and in turn undermines the team and organizational performance, creates dysfunctional conflict. and weakens social bonds. In 1957... [ Read the full story ... ]
The Writing Life And Scaling Up Excellence: You Are What You Do
December 27, 2013, 11:42 pm – A few years back, one of my closest friends at Stanford, Steve Barley, made a comment that I still think of often “If you are what you do, then I am a sociologist.” Steve was making a general point (drawn... [ Read the full story ... ]
Essentialism; It Will Make You Think and Might Even Make You Less Crazy
December 8, 2013, 3:08 pm – Greg McKeown's publisher sent me an advanced copy of his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. I said I would look at for a possible blurb (I don't do advanced praise for a lot of books, in part, because... [ Read the full story ... ]
Huggy Rao, Scaling, and Me: An Excellent, Exacting, and Eccentric Adventure
November 27, 2013, 5:16 pm – During the seven years that Huggy Rao and I worked on Scaling Up Excellence, we got involved in some pretty unusual situations – at least for two rather staid old professors. We did everything from working with a company that... [ Read the full story ... ]
Three Hallmarks of Good Performance Evaluations
November 24, 2013, 8:18 pm – Phyllis Korkki of the New York Times wrote a piece this Sunday for her Workstation column called Invasion of the Annual Reviews. It emphasizes the risks and downsides of annual reviews, and she quotes me quite a bit -- I... [ Read the full story ... ]
Creativity,Inc. by Pixar's Ed Catmull: One of the Best Business Books of All Time
November 22, 2013, 7:12 pm – Ed Catmull has been one of my favorite senior executives for a long time. I admired him from afar after reading about him in David Price's excellent The Pixar Touch. I admired him even more after talking to people at... [ Read the full story ... ]
Scaling Up Excellence: The Problem of More
October 9, 2013, 4:34 pm – This is reprinted from the Harvard Business Review site. A big thanks to Julia Kirby for the wonderful editing. Start talking about the challenge of “scaling” with people, and you’ll find the term gets used to mean a lot of... [ Read the full story ... ]
James G. March: Organizations aren't Rigid, They are Impressively Imaginative
October 7, 2013, 4:28 pm – Stanford's James G. March is arguably the most prestigious living organizational theorist. We are reading his 1981 classic paper "Footnotes to Organizational Change" for my scaling up excellence doctoral class. There is one paragraph in this paper... [ Read the full story ... ]
Back at HBR, the Joys of Writing, and Continuing the Scaling Conversation
October 5, 2013, 6:37 pm – Earlier in the week, I did my first post at HBR.org in over 2.5 years -- my last was in January 2011. I was pretty shocked that it had been so long -- my last post was about a story... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR13-002 | Jumpstarting Scrum with Design Thinking | Christophe Vetterli, Falk Übernickel, Walter Brenner, Thomas Kowark, Franziska Häger, Jens Krüger, Jürgen Müller, Hasso Plattner, Barbara Stortz, Vishal Sikkha
September 23, 2013, 9:25 am – Customers have become more demanding in terms of customization, speed, and involvement with the value proposition of today’s services and products. This means that in order to remain competitive, companies need to re-design their existing developm... [ Read the full story ... ]
F.M. Cornford's Complete Principle of the Dangerous Precedent
August 28, 2013, 9:51 pm – I was tried to get this out over Twitter, but breaking it into pieces ruins it. If you want to read one of the most spot on, timeless, and funny books about organizational politics, check out the F.M. Cornford's 1908... [ Read the full story ... ]
Scott Berkun's The Year Without Pants: Funny Title, Silly Cover, Seriously Well-Crafted Book
August 22, 2013, 6:43 pm – Several months back, Scott Berkun's publisher sent me an advanced copy of "The Year Without Pants" to read; it is a pretty silly title and as you can see, the cover is pretty wild too (I love it). Scott's last... [ Read the full story ... ]
Dysfunctional Competition, the Knowing-Doing Gap, and Sears Holdings
August 21, 2013, 9:56 pm – A compelling and instructive story on Sears Holdings appeared in BusinessWeek last month -- they own Sears stores, Kmart, Land's End and a host of other brands such as Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, and DieHard batteries. It is written by... [ Read the full story ... ]
Delta Airlines Shows How to Apologize
July 15, 2013, 4:30 pm – Please forgive my months of silence. I appreciate all the folks who have asked if I am OK (I am fine!) and who have urged me to start blogging again. You will start hearing more here about what I've been... [ Read the full story ... ]
Lessons from Leading the Innovation Catalysts
May 30, 2013, 6:16 pm – I have a fantastic job that I love. I know that I'm lucky, but I also have aligned my work to my strengths and passions.My current job is as the Leader of the Innovation Catalysts at Intuit. I've been a part of the Innovation Catalyst program her... [ Read the full story ... ]
Lessons from Leading the Innovation Catalysts
May 30, 2013, 6:15 pm – I have a fantastic job that I love. I know that I'm lucky, but I also have aligned my work to my strengths and passions.My current job is as the Leader of the Innovation Catalysts at Intuit. I've been a part of the Innovation Catalyst program her... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR13-001 | Design Thinking Research - Building Innovation Eco-Systems | Christoph Meinel, Larry Leifer
April 19, 2013, 6:44 am – This is the introductory chapter of the fourth volume “Design Thinking Research – Building Innovation Eco-Systems” edited by Hasso Plattner, Christoph Meinel, and Larry Leifer to be published in the series “Understanding Innovation” of the Springe... [ Read the full story ... ]
Beyond the PhD - advice for PhD students and grads who want to get into Industry
March 16, 2013, 9:54 pm – I recently spoke on a Panel at USC at their "Beyond the PhD" conference. I was struck by how academia hasn't really changed much in it's preparation of PhDs for the outside of academia (clearly, of course, USC recognized this, thus put on the con... [ Read the full story ... ]
Beyond the PhD - advice for PhD students and grads who want to get into Industry
March 16, 2013, 9:53 pm – I recently spoke on a Panel at USC at their "Beyond the PhD" conference. I was struck by how academia hasn't really changed much in it's preparation of PhDs for the outside of academia (clearly, of course, USC recognized this, thus put on the con... [ Read the full story ... ]
UX Influence & Innovation
March 16, 2013, 7:42 pm – UX Influence & Innovation from Wendy CastlemanA talk I recently gave at the Walmart Global UX Summit on Gaining influence as User Experience Professionals within corporations by empowering others with your tools. [ Read the full story ... ]
UX Influence & Innovation
March 16, 2013, 7:42 pm – UX Influence & Innovation from Wendy CastlemanA talk I recently gave at the Walmart Global UX Summit on Gaining influence as User Experience Professionals within corporations by empowering others with your tools. [ Read the full story ... ]
12 Books Every Leader Should Read:Updated
November 26, 2012, 9:13 pm – I first posted this in 2011, but I update it now and then. Note I have removed two from the list: Men and Women of the Corporation and Who Says that Elephants Can't Dance? They are both great books, but... [ Read the full story ... ]
Kurt Vonnegut, Joe Heller, and a Great Thanksgiving Message
November 22, 2012, 5:53 pm – It is Thanksgiving morning here in California and I was thinking of all the good things in my life I have to be thankful for, just as I know that so many of you are thinking today. I thought it... [ Read the full story ... ]
Two talks I gave and haven't posted here...
April 27, 2012, 2:23 pm – These are two webinar format talks that I gave over the last 9 months that I neglected to post on my blog. Actually, I've been neglecting the blog completely for a while. Perhaps its time to revisit...Shift: 5 lessons for changing a corporate cu... [ Read the full story ... ]
Two talks I gave and haven't posted here...
April 27, 2012, 2:23 pm – These are two webinar format talks that I gave over the last 9 months that I neglected to post on my blog. Actually, I've been neglecting the blog completely for a while. Perhaps its time to revisit...Shift: 5 lessons for changing a corporate cu... [ Read the full story ... ]
TR12-001 | Design Thinking Research Report | Christoph Meinel, Larry Leifer
March 27, 2012, 6:40 am – This is the introductory chapter of the third volume “Design Thinking Research – Measuring Performance in Context” edited by Hasso Plattner, Christoph Meinel, and Larry Leifer to be published in the series “Understanding Innovation” of the Springe... [ Read the full story ... ]
Go through training to be your customer
June 28, 2011, 3:49 am – We all know that when we aren't our customer, we make design choices that often don't really resonate with the customer. This can be especially true if you are highly tech savvy and your customer is not. In some cases, we are designing for audie... [ Read the full story ... ]
Go through training to be your customer
June 28, 2011, 3:49 am – We all know that when we aren't our customer, we make design choices that often don't really resonate with the customer. This can be especially true if you are highly tech savvy and your customer is not. In some cases, we are designing for audie... [ Read the full story ... ]
Deep Customer Empathy Method: Be the solution
June 7, 2011, 10:08 pm – Want to understand the relationship between your customer and your product? Here's a method that might reveal some good insights. Use bodystorming with your customer and have them teach you. In this case, you play the role of your product. Ask y... [ Read the full story ... ]
Deep Customer Empathy Method: Be the solution
June 7, 2011, 10:08 pm – Want to understand the relationship between your customer and your product? Here's a method that might reveal some good insights. Use bodystorming with your customer and have them teach you. In this case, you play the role of your product. Ask y... [ Read the full story ... ]
Get first-hand experience with the task to understand the experience
September 23, 2010, 3:55 pm – I've worked with a lot of teams who have been trying to design a feature or product to help people with a particular task. Oddly, I often find that people on the team have not tried the task itself, either with their solution or with any other me... [ Read the full story ... ]
Get first-hand experience with the task to understand the experience
September 23, 2010, 3:32 pm – I've worked with a lot of teams who have been trying to design a feature or product to help people with a particular task. Oddly, I often find that people on the team have not tried the task itself, either with their solution or with any other me... [ Read the full story ... ]
AIGA D.Talk on The Rise of Service Design
September 17, 2010, 4:45 pm – Last night I attended a panel at AIGA on “The Rise of Service Design”. It was a packed room, reflecting the general interest in this topic. The session was moderated by Josh Levine (Great Monday) The panelists were: Chris McCarthy (... [ Read the full story ... ]
AIGA D.Talk on The Rise of Service Design
September 17, 2010, 4:38 pm – Last night I attended a panel at AIGA on “The Rise of Service Design”. It was a packed room, reflecting the general interest in this topic. The session was moderated by Josh Levine (Great Monday) The panelists were: Chris McCarthy (... [ Read the full story ... ]
Make your life an integral part of your customer's life
September 16, 2010, 9:00 pm – We all want our products and services to be important to our customers. So important that they are integral; the customers can't live without them! Since this is our aim, we need to really be intimate with that customer's life. Talking with them ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Make your life an integral part of your customer's life
September 16, 2010, 8:32 pm – We all want our products and services to be important to our customers. So important that they are integral; the customers can't live without them! Since this is our aim, we need to really be intimate with that customer's life. Talking with them ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Become the Customer for Deep Customer Empathy
September 15, 2010, 3:49 pm – About a year ago, I wanted to understand the big deal about Farmville... it seems that 1% of the world's population plays Farmville. I know that it leverages some of the key components of gaming that make it compelling (check out slide 8 on Byron ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Become the Customer for Deep Customer Empathy
September 15, 2010, 3:12 pm – About a year ago, I wanted to understand the big deal about Farmville... it seems that 1% of the world's population plays Farmville. I know that it leverages some of the key components of gaming that make it compelling (check out slide 8 on Byron ... [ Read the full story ... ]
101 Ways to get Deep Customer Empathy for Design Inspiration and Insights
September 13, 2010, 3:06 pm – Okay, so I'm not going to list all 101 right now. What I am going to do is start a series where I will be talking about these 101 ways. My goal is to write about at least 2 per week... but, before I start, I thought I'd lay some context:Why do y... [ Read the full story ... ]
101 Ways to get Deep Customer Empathy for Design Inspiration and Insights
September 13, 2010, 2:51 pm – Okay, so I'm not going to list all 101 right now. What I am going to do is start a series where I will be talking about these 101 ways. My goal is to write about at least 2 per week... but, before I start, I thought I'd lay some context:Why do y... [ Read the full story ... ]
Necessity as the mother of invention
August 20, 2010, 6:51 pm – I'm sure you've heard the Plato's phrase "Necessity is the Mother of Invention".. .A couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to someone who once again drove this home. His name is Matthew Browning. He's a nurse and founder of a really cool web a... [ Read the full story ... ]
Necessity as the mother of invention
August 20, 2010, 6:50 pm – I'm sure you've heard the Plato's phrase "Necessity is the Mother of Invention".. .A couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to someone who once again drove this home. His name is Matthew Browning. He's a nurse and founder of a really cool web a... [ Read the full story ... ]
Understand Your Customers' Minds
July 12, 2010, 2:40 pm – In some ways, this method isn't at all new. Yet, the video articulates it and the benefit so well... [ Read the full story ... ]
Understand Your Customers' Minds
July 12, 2010, 2:40 pm – In some ways, this method isn't at all new. Yet, the video articulates it and the benefit so well... [ Read the full story ... ]
iPad, Kindle and Paper - Reading Speeds and Immersion
July 2, 2010, 5:01 pm – Jakob Nielsen just released a study on iPad, Kindle, Paper and PC reading rates.I have issues with this study, but it's interesting. As a user of Paper Books, PCs, a Kindle, and an iPad, I can definitely say that I have some preferences. But, wh... [ Read the full story ... ]
iPad, Kindle and Paper - Reading Speeds and Immersion
July 2, 2010, 4:56 pm – Jakob Nielsen just released a study on iPad, Kindle, Paper and PC reading rates.I have issues with this study, but it's interesting. As a user of Paper Books, PCs, a Kindle, and an iPad, I can definitely say that I have some preferences. But, wh... [ Read the full story ... ]
Innovation Lessons from Visual Perception and Walks
June 9, 2010, 8:31 pm – I was just out on a walk at the lovely Shoreline park, just behind where I work. I was walking along, thinking about Innovation challenges, and passively observing the world go by.One of the things I noticed was the phenomenon of Motion Parallax.... [ Read the full story ... ]
Innovation Lessons from Visual Perception and Walks
June 9, 2010, 7:20 pm – I was just out on a walk at the lovely Shoreline park, just behind where I work. I was walking along, thinking about Innovation challenges, and passively observing the world go by.One of the things I noticed was the phenomenon of Motion Parallax.... [ Read the full story ... ]
Digging for innovation diamonds
June 2, 2010, 4:17 pm – This morning on NPR, I heard a story about Einstein’s brain. Bear with me, this is relevant to innovation…Apparently,Einstein’s brain was fairly normal, except that it had an overabundance of a type of cell called a Glial cell. When I was taught... [ Read the full story ... ]
Digging for innovation diamonds
June 2, 2010, 4:12 pm – This morning on NPR, I heard a story about Einstein’s brain. Bear with me, this is relevant to innovation…Apparently,Einstein’s brain was fairly normal, except that it had an overabundance of a type of cell called a Glial cell. When I was taught... [ Read the full story ... ]
Is your culture inhibiting your creativity?
May 26, 2010, 7:32 pm – I'm giving a talk tomorrow morning on the impact of working environment "culture" on creativity and capability to design great solutions. This is an update on the one that I gave a little over a year ago at the Design Research conference in Spoka... [ Read the full story ... ]
Is your culture inhibiting your creativity?
May 26, 2010, 7:28 pm – I'm giving a talk tomorrow morning on the impact of working environment "culture" on creativity and capability to design great solutions. This is an update on the one that I gave a little over a year ago at the Design Research conference in Spoka... [ Read the full story ... ]
Apparently, Nothing Trumps the Power of a Personal Experience
March 12, 2010, 12:11 am – A small group of executives was given a vast amount of data about a problem they were tackling about employee engagement. They looked it over and set it aside. Then, they had frank conversations with a couple of individual employees. They came aw... [ Read the full story ... ]
Apparently, Nothing Trumps the Power of a Personal Experience
March 12, 2010, 12:06 am – A small group of executives was given a vast amount of data about a problem they were tackling about employee engagement. They looked it over and set it aside. Then, they had frank conversations with a couple of individual employees. They came aw... [ Read the full story ... ]
Soaking rain of ideas in a brainstorm
February 23, 2010, 5:24 pm – I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on brainstorming. Sometimes brainstorms are wildly successful, and we come up with really new ways of approaching a problem/solution. Other times, it seems like brainstorms don't really generate much of any... [ Read the full story ... ]
Soaking rain of ideas in a brainstorm
February 23, 2010, 5:21 pm – I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on brainstorming. Sometimes brainstorms are wildly successful, and we come up with really new ways of approaching a problem/solution. Other times, it seems like brainstorms don't really generate much of any... [ Read the full story ... ]
Following Objects
February 12, 2010, 6:21 pm – When studying a new area, we often talk with and watch people doing whatever it is we're interested in. For example, if we were interested in Shopping, we might talk with people about their shopping habits, watch them shopping (maybe going with t... [ Read the full story ... ]
Following Objects
February 12, 2010, 5:49 pm – When studying a new area, we often talk with and watch people doing whatever it is we're interested in. For example, if we were interested in Shopping, we might talk with people about their shopping habits, watch them shopping (maybe going with t... [ Read the full story ... ]
Cool New Trend in Resumes
January 9, 2010, 9:04 pm – Looking for work? Got a resume? This is for you:Why be boring and staid like everyone else in the pile of resumes? Why not show your uniqueness, creativity and visual thinking design skills in creating a visual resume?One of my favorite blogs is ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Cool New Trend in Resumes
January 9, 2010, 8:57 pm – Looking for work? Got a resume? This is for you:Why be boring and staid like everyone else in the pile of resumes? Why not show your uniqueness, creativity and visual thinking design skills in creating a visual resume?One of my favorite blogs is ... [ Read the full story ... ]
Do I listen to what I say I do?
December 21, 2009, 8:57 pm – Anyone who studies behavior knows that what people say is not what they do. More evidence reported in the NY Times shows that what people report listening to isn't what they actually listen to. [ Read the full story ... ]
Do I listen to what I say I do?
December 21, 2009, 8:55 pm – Anyone who studies behavior knows that what people say is not what they do. More evidence reported in the NY Times shows that what people report listening to isn't what they actually listen to. [ Read the full story ... ]
Visualizing You.... leveraging the internet to break down your name
October 2, 2009, 4:15 pm – This shows 3 iterations of "Wendy Castleman". It is a pretty cool visualization from MIT:It combines all of the data on the internet related to your name and creates a "digital DNA map". It seems to change every time I do it... and it combines me... [ Read the full story ... ]
Visualizing You.... leveraging the internet to break down your name
October 2, 2009, 4:02 pm – This shows 3 iterations of "Wendy Castleman". It is a pretty cool visualization from MIT:It combines all of the data on the internet related to your name and creates a "digital DNA map". It seems to change every time I do it... and it combines me... [ Read the full story ... ]
Author: Jan Schmiedgen | Last modified: September 29, 2015