Those of you who know me know that I’ve been a bit of a conference junkie. Going to conferences is a great way to learn new things, meet new people, share interesting conversations and see interesting places. My policy: visit a museum on every conference trip. Recently I went to the two leading international conferences […]
Read MoreProblem solving in a VUCA world – what kind of problem are you solving?
By Lisa Solomon. Before launching any new innovation initiative, the most important question to ask is not how much budget is allotted, how many resources can be allocated, or even what the deadline is. Rather, in a world marked by adaptive challenges within an an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) context, leaders need […]
Read MoreListening to innovation.
By Edgar Papke. What are the traits of an organization’s or team’s culture that most influence the ability of its people to innovate? What separates leaders of innovation from their competition? All too often, we look to the physical environment for the answers, relying on providing unique workspaces, furnishings, engaging colors, fun play areas, and […]
Read MoreDesign is not styling, but a style of thinking
I’ve had the priveledge of working with the Hong Kong Design Center on many occasions, and every time I walk away with inspiration. The HKDC always seems to be so precisely focused what matters. After running several joint conferences with the HKDC, I’m not surprised with how insightful their definition of design is. There are […]
Read MoreInnovation cultures start with the right people and the right process.
Just about every CEO in America wants to increase their innovation capabilities, but most are still wondering how. Hiring great design and innovation leaders certainly helps, because the connection between design, innovation and corporate culture is powerful indeed. Connecting the right people with the right processes can be key in developing cultures of innovation, lets […]
Read More5 Trends Spotted At The Olympics Of Product Design
A shorter version of this post ran in Fast Company Design. What do 4,928 products from 56 countries have in common? They are all thought to be examples of good design by the companies that make them, and were shipped to Essen, Germany to compete in the Red Dot Product Design award competition “Red Dot […]
Read MoreEmbracing your inner creativity.
There are many ways to help an organization spark creative breakthroughs. Developing your inner creative resource is part of the very fabric of creativity. And it’s never too late to start, because creativity is a journey, not a destination. For most people, the idea of creativity may be associated with artists and fashion designers. Yet […]
Read MoreHow to critique user experience design portfolios
Here are seven tips to evaluate UX designers Critiquing user experience design portfolios accurately can be a challenge. It’s tough to know what is appropriate design for a given project, tough to isolate a persons exact role and contribution, and even more difficult if you are evaluating the work of design leaders. To help evaluate […]
Read MoreDesign Parity at Red Dot
This blog post was based on my post in FastCo, to read more about Design Talent and Competition on their site. I recently returned from a week in Germany, where I was a design judge for the Red Dot design competition in Essen. It was no small task – there were 4,428 product entries from […]
Read MoreCreative Intelligence.
By Bruce Nussbaum. In 2011, Dr. Dre was an unhappy hip hop music producer and businessman. He had built n empire on his kind of music, studio music played in clubs for serious dancing. He had designed a very specific music profile–heavy at the bottom but with clarity and good range. He was proud of […]
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