Dawan Stanford & Fluid Hive

Design Thinking 101

About the show

Design Thinking 101 is part of how Fluid Hive helps people think and solve like a designer. You'll hear designers' stories, lessons, ideas, resources, and tips. Our guests share insights into delivering change and results with design thinking, service design, behavioral design, user experience design and more, in business, social innovation, education, design, government, healthcare and other fields.

Newest episodes

Leadership & Strategy + Fighter Pilots + Design Education with Jason "TOGA" Trew — DT101 E145

Sep 12, 2025 53 min

When I first connected with Jason Trew (callsign: TOGA), I knew this conversation would challenge some assumptions about where design thinking belongs. Jason is an Air Force fighter pilot and strategy leader turned professor. What emerged from our conversation wasn't just another story about design thinking adoption, but a deeper exploration of what he sees happening when we distinguish between capital-D Design Thinking and lowercase-d design thinking, and why that distinction matters for everyone trying to create meaningful change. Jason's journey from F-15 pilot to design educator reveals something crucial about how design thinking transforms not just what we do, but who we become as problem solvers. His work with thousands of Air Force officers, his deployment experiences in classified operations centers, and his current role (*at the time of recording) teaching at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) offer unique insights into how design thinking functions when the stakes are genuinely high. Listen to Learn About: What's the critical difference between capital-D Design Thinking and lowercase-d design thinking, and why does this distinction matter for practitioners? How can design thinking principles function effectively in highly structured, high-stakes environments where traditional approaches dominate? What role does psychological safety ("feeling safe, supported, and stretched in meaningful ways") play in enabling creative problem-solving? How do we balance the need for systematic approaches with the emergent, integrative nature of actual design work? When should leaders prioritize conditioning people into a "ready stance" versus teaching specific design methods? Our Guest Col Jason "TOGA" Trew (US Air Force, retired) represents a fascinating intersection of military leadership, academic rigor, and design practice. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy and flying F-15s, Jason spent his final military decade revolutionizing how the Air...

Operational Excellence in Design + Leadership + Design Ops with Jon Fukuda — DT101 E144

May 20, 2025 46 min

Jon said that when he first discovered the design operations community at the 2019 Design Ops Summit in Brooklyn, it felt like coming home. Here was this entire tribe of people who cared about the same things he'd been passionate about for years—creating systems that help designers do their best work. In this episode, I'm talking with Jon Fukuda, co-founder of Limina.co, about how design operations has evolved from an unnamed set of practices into a vital discipline that drives organizational excellence. As organizations continue to face economic pressures, the conversation around design operations has become more critical than ever. How do we demonstrate the strategic value of design teams? How can operational excellence serve not just designers but business outcomes? Jon shares insights from his 20+ year journey—from early days defining UX practice models to his current role as a design ops leader and community builder. This conversation reveals how the best design operations leaders think beyond tooling and process to focus on team health, cross-functional partnerships, and systems that elevate both human-centered practices and business innovation. Whether you're considering a move into design ops or looking to strengthen your design leadership approach, Jon's practical wisdom offers a roadmap for driving operational excellence in complex organizations. Questions you'll be able to answer after listening: How might we structure the first 30-60-90 days in a new design operations role for maximum impact? What key misconceptions about design operations could undermine your effectiveness as a leader? When should design ops be positioned under product teams versus operating as a horizontal function? Why do organizations often view design teams as expendable during economic downturns, and how can we change that perception? How can design operations leaders demonstrate their impact on both team health and business outcomes? About Jon Fukuda Jon Fukuda is co-founder of...

Building Sustainable Design Research Systems with Sam Zucker — DT101 E143

Feb 27, 2025 47 min

The tension between doing good research and delivering on tight timelines is something I've experienced throughout my career in design and innovation. This conversation with Sam Zucker unpacks powerful approaches to making research more sustainable and equitable while building systems that support continuous learning and engagement. What particularly struck me was Sam's practical framework for embedding research into organizational workflows. Her approach transforms research from a periodic, resource-intensive effort into an ongoing capability that shapes decision-making and product development. This represents a crucial evolution in how we think about evidence-based design. Questions This Episode Helps You Answer How can we build sustainable research systems that work within real-world constraints? What makes equity-based research different from traditional approaches? When should we adapt research methods for regulated environments? How might we use prototypes to get better research insights? Why do continuous research systems often succeed where one-off studies fail? I invited Sam to share her expertise because she brings a unique perspective on making research work in complex, regulated environments while maintaining a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. Her experience spans from reimagining college financial aid experiences to transforming employer benefits, always with a focus on serving people who are often overlooked in traditional research. Episode Highlights [01:40] Sam describes her journey from an interdisciplinary background at Carnegie Mellon studying conceptual art, communication design, and sociolinguistics to founding Reroute Research, illustrating how diverse educational foundations can lead to innovative research approaches. [03:00] Shares insights from working on College Abacus, a groundbreaking tool that helped students understand true college costs beyond sticker prices, demonstrating how design research can tackle complex...

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All episodes

Leadership & Strategy + Fighter Pilots + Design Education with Jason "TOGA" Trew — DT101 E145

Sep 12, 2025 53 min

Operational Excellence in Design + Leadership + Design Ops with Jon Fukuda — DT101 E144

May 20, 2025 46 min

Building Sustainable Design Research Systems with Sam Zucker — DT101 E143

Feb 27, 2025 47 min

Architecture + Decision Design + Learning Spaces + Strategy with Adam Griff — DT101 E142

Dec 10, 2024 45 min

In this episode, I explore how architectural thinking enhances strategic decision-making with Adam Griff. Our conversation reveals how his architectural background shapes his approach to helping higher education institutions navigate complex decisions and create flexible space solutions. We dig into the challenges of designing spaces that can adapt to unknown futures and discuss how universities can better integrate with their communities. I particularly love how Adam frames flexibility in building design as creating platforms for future adaptations rather than just multi-purpose spaces. We also explore the tension between academic and organizational decision-making and how to create and decide while delivering innovation in higher education. Questions This Episode Helps You Answer How does thinking like an architect help organizations make better strategic decisions? What makes flexibility essential in both physical spaces and organizational processes, and how can we intentionally design for it from the beginning? What elements create environments where good decisions emerge, and how can we support better decision-making outcomes? How do we determine whether physical space is the best solution for achieving our organizational goals, and what questions should we ask before investing in space? How can we think about buildings as adaptable platforms that support evolving human needs rather than fixed structures with predetermined uses? How might universities and colleges create meaningful connections between campus development and community growth that benefit both? What strategies help organizations balance the need for scholarly rigor with efficient administrative decision-making, and how can these different approaches work together effectively? Episode Highlights [00:00] Introduction and background on Adam Griff [01:38] How architectural thinking shapes strategic problem-solving [04:17] Managing diverse stakeholders in higher education contexts...

Joy, Transformation, and Design as Creative Liberation with Sahibzada Mayed — DT101 E141

Oct 29, 2024 49 min

Sahibzada Mayed is a creative alchemist who uses design and storytelling to cultivate joy and imagination as tools of liberation. Mayed serves as the Co-Lead for Strategy and Research at Pause and Effect, a liberation-focused imagination and design collective based on Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Beyond that, Mayed leads a small-scale startup, Naranji, that focuses on gender justice and decolonization in fashion. Today, we talk about decolonizing design and creative liberation. Listen to learn about: >> The impact of colonialism and power structures on design >> The need for critical social analysis in design >> Designing for Joy >> Decolonizing design >> The importance of locality and place in design >> Rethinking how we think about and experience systems Our Guest Sahibzada Mayed is a creative alchemist who uses design and storytelling to cultivate joy and imagination as tools of liberation. Mayed serves as the Co-Lead for Strategy and Research at Pause and Effect, a liberation-focused imagination and design collective based on Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Beyond that, Mayed leads a small-scale startup, Naranji, that focuses on gender justice and decolonization in fashion. Their work has been prominently featured during New York and Chicago Fashion Weeks and highlighted in several publications across the United States, Pakistan, Thailand, and Japan. Mayed's identity is shaped by their background as a Muslim immigrant of Persian, Afghan, Indian, and Pakistani heritage, as well as lived experiences of queerness, disability, and neurodivergence. Show Highlights [02:15] Mayed's unconventional journey into design, combining engineering and social sciences. [04:05] How this background has helped Mayed in their work. [06:01] Mayed's current work focus is on understanding the impact of colonialism in design. [07:36] The challenge of collaborating when existing p...

Healthcare Design: Evidence-based, Business Fluent, and Change Prepared with Matt Van Der Tuyn — DT101 E140

Sep 24, 2024 42 min

Matthew Van Der Tuyn is a designer and healthcare innovation strategist. Matt is the Senior Director of Design and Strategy at the Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation at Penn Medicine. The mission at the Center is to serve as a catalyst and accelerator for initiatives that dramatically improve health outcomes, patient and provider experiences, and decrease the cost of care. Matt has had the unique opportunity to help build the Center's design, discipline, and elevate design thinking as a key tool in Penn Medicine's organizational toolbox. Matt's design process balances divergent and creative thinking to push beyond incremental solutions with the rigor of an evidence-based approach. We talk about becoming and being a designer in healthcare and Matt's practice. Listen to learn about: >> The unique challenges of designing and innovating in the healthcare space >> Problem-centric vs solution-centric thinking and action >> The importance of change management in the design process Our Guest Matt is a designer and health care innovation strategist. Matt's design roots are in information, product, and service design. His design practice began with visual arts, information design, and product design for luxury goods before deciding to pivot into design for social impact. With this new focus on using design to solve societal issues, Matt's work expanded into the design of services and co-design as a tool for empowering disadvantaged communities. Matt's guiding principle is that design is a mindset that anyone can leverage, and that the role of the "Designer" is to help others tap into this mindset to imagine new possibilities. In 2012, Matt made a leap into health care when he joined the newly minted Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation at Penn Medicine (CHTI). The mission of this new center was to serve as a catalyst and accelerator for initiatives that dramatically improve health outcomes, patient and provider experiences, and decre...

Behavioral Science in Human-centered Design with Christina Hanschke — DT101 E139

Sep 3, 2024 1 hr 1 min

Christina Hanschke's career journey has spanned many diverse roles. She's been a music therapist, nanny, and UX researcher, and she's currently a Design Lead at Final Mile, where she applies a multidisciplinary approach to address pressing societal changes, drawing from behavioral science, human-centered design, and systems thinking. As an adjunct faculty at DePaul University, Christina extends her passion for leveraging behavioral science in human-centered design to the next generation of innovators fostering a diverse culture of curiosity and continual learning. Christina and I talk about behavioral science, design for global health, and the importance of learning design. Listen to learn about: >> Behavioral science in healthcare >> Final Mile's work in the global health space >> Collaboration and co-creation with clients >> Team facilitation Our Guest Christina's career journey, spanning diverse roles as a music therapist, nanny, and UX researcher, lays the groundwork for her current position as a Design Lead at Final Mile. Here, she applies a multidisciplinary approach to address pressing societal challenges, drawing from behavioral science, human-centered design, and systems thinking. She has had the privilege of collaborating with and supporting the efforts of community champions, local partners and ministries to address complex challenges such as HIV and vaccine hesitancy (COVID-19 and HPV). Additionally, as an adjunct faculty at DePaul University, Christina extends her passion for leveraging behavioral science in human-centered design to the next generation of innovators, fostering a culture of curiosity and continual learning. When she isn't reading on the couch with her dogs, Christina finds joy in making music with friends. Show Highlights [02:38] Christina's career started in music therapy, working with children, before becoming a nanny while going to graduate school at DePaul. [03:44] Moving into UX research in business. [04:01] Christi...

Organizational Design + Strategy + Change with Stephanie Gioia — DT101 E138

Jun 25, 2024 39 min

Stephanie Gioia is a founder at Future Work Design with a focus on strategic planning and organizational innovation. She also serves as the director of the Either/Org project and teaches human-centered design for organizational innovation at the University of Oregon's Executive MBA program. She's taught at Stanford's d.school, University of Michigan, and Pacific Northwest College of Art. She is the founder of deckaholic.com, the world's largest library of card decks for problem solving and creativity. We talk about organizational design and strategy, and helping organizations navigate change. Listen to learn about: >> Organizational design >> Either/Org's Inspiration Library for organizations >> Prototyping organizational changes >> Navigating and de-risking change Our Guest Stephanie Gioia (she/her) is a founding partner at Future Work Design with a focus on strategic planning and organizational innovation. Stephanie was one of the earliest strategists to use the power of Human Centered Design to solve organizational design challenges. Stephanie also serves as director of The Either/Org Project, an organizational design inspiration lab. This project vibrates all her interests: organization design, practical tool-making, learning and inspiration, and a firm belief that we can change the whole world by changing the world of work. Stephanie teaches Human Centered Design for Organizational Innovation at University of Oregon's Executive MBA program. In the past she has taught programs at Stanford's d.school, University of Michigan, and Pacific Northwest College of Art. She is the founder of www.deckaholic.com, the world's largest library of card decks for problem solving and creativity. Stephanie holds an MBA from the University of Michigan in Strategy and Organizational Sensemaking and earned her B.A. in History and Government from Georgetown University. She lives in beautiful Klickitat country (White Salmon, WA) with her partner Dave and is a mom to two fanta...

Designing Your Career + UX for Small Business with Sarah Doody — DT101 E137

Jun 11, 2024 46 min

Sarah Doody is a user research experience designer and researcher. She's also the founder of Career Strategy Lab, a UX career coaching program. In 2011, she co-created the curriculum and taught for General Assembly's first 11-week UX intensive program in New York City. She has extensive experience doing experience design, product strategy, and user research for companies including Fatherly, Sling, Citi Bike, We Work, Domino Magazine, Tictail, the Muse, Dow Jones and more. She speaks at conferences and teaches workshops worldwide. Today, we talk about designing your career and user experience for small businesses. Listen to learn about: >> Creating a career roadmap >> Career marketing materials and messaging >> The importance of stories and storytelling when interviewing Our Guest Sarah Doody is the founder of Career Strategy Lab™, a program that helps UX and product professionals at all career stages navigate their job search and articulate their skills and experience through individualized and group coaching. She is also the host of the Career Strategy Lab podcast. Since 2021, professionals who have worked with Sarah have increased their salaries by 40% on average and have been hired at prestigious brands such as Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Nordstrom, Spotify, Blue Origin on average in 3.5 months. She has been featured as an expert in Forbes, Fast Company, Insider, Fox Business, and more. Show Highlights [01:43] Sarah originally planned to have a career in neuroscience. [02:19] During a gap year, she ended up in graphic and web design instead, which led to a focus on information architecture. [2:50] From there, Sarah turned to product and user experience design and user research. [3:43] Launching her own consulting company. [04:40] How creating and teaching a workshop about building a design portfolio launched Sarah's new career coaching business. [06:07] One mistake many make when it comes to their careers. [07:57] Sarah's company helps people...

Design Ethics with George Aye — DT101 E136

May 28, 2024 56 min

This is the inaugural DT101 Live!, with guest George Aye. George co-founded Greater Good Studio with the belief that design can help advance equity. Previously, he spent seven years at global innovation firm IDEO before being hired as the first human-centered designer at the Chicago Transit Authority. He speaks frequently across the US and internationally. George holds the position of Adjunct Full Professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Today, we are talking live about ethics in design in the design industry. Listen to learn about: >> What is ethical design? >> The current state of ethics in the design industry >> Project "gut checks" and saying no to projects >> How power can warp ethics Show Highlights [01:33] Audience welcome + breakfast fun + mochi doughnuts! [05:20] Dawan shares the event agenda. [07:42] Dawan introduces George. [09:06] George starts off by talking about human-centered design. [09:41] The story of the invention of e-cigarettes on the Stanford campus and how it relates to human-centered design. [11:13] What George found most shocking about the story. [11:24] It's not just about can we do something, it's about should we do it? [12:38] Looking at the roots of the design industry. [13:13] The weakness of Dieter Rams' ten principles of good design. [14:20] What we need is an ethical framework for good design. [15:12] How Greater Good Studio approaches ethics in design. [15:58] Lived experience is expertise. [16:21] Design is transformative. [17:04] The design industry and education has trained designers to always say yes to projects, but not to know when to say no. [18:01] George's Ten Provocative Questions. [19:10] Losing one's inner conscience and voice. [20:47] A succinct definition of power. [21:24] Power asymmetry. [23:59] The risk of working on projects that potentially cause harm. [26:00] Greater Good Studio's weekly gut checks and breakup emails. [27:38] Some patterns and a framework when writin...

Leading Design + Collaboration + Why Design Thinking with Kareem Collie — DT101 E135

May 14, 2024 56 min

Kareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. His thought leadership includes co-editing "The Black Experience in Design" and serving on the AIGA's national educators steering committee. Today, we talk about how curiosity fuels design thinking, communication, and leadership. Listen to learn about: >> A deep dive into the why's of design thinking >> Embracing curiosity and seeing where it leads you >> What it means to truly communicate >> Kareem's wonderful, meandering path through design and design thinking Our Guest Kareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. Before IBM, Kareem was the Director of Design at The Hive, where he merged design thinking with liberal arts and encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration. He has also lectured at prestigious institutions like Stanford University and Pratt Institute. His thought...

Instructional Design + Adult Learning Experiences with Holly Owens — DT101 E134

Apr 30, 2024 38 min

Holly Owens is an Adjunct Professor at the Touro College Graduate School of Technology, where she teaches in the Instructional Technology program, and works full time as an Instructional Designer with PillPack by Amazon Pharmacy. She has over 15 years of experience in education in various roles, including high school educator, instructional technologist, and podcast host. Today, we talk about instructional design and designing learning experiences for adults. Listen to learn about: >> What is instructional design? >> Adaptive, individualized learning >> Andragogy and designing learning experiences for adults >> Incorporating strategic plans and goals into the learning experience Our Guest As a Corporate Instructional Designer at Amazon Pharmacy, Holly brings over 17 years of diverse experience in education, specializing in instructional technology, design, and teaching. Since 2012, she has been actively involved in online education, currently serving as an educator at Touro University's Graduate School of Technology in their Instructional Design/Technology program. With two master's degrees from the University of Maryland, Global Campus—one in Instructional Technology and another in Distance Education—Holly also holds a certificate in Distance Education Leadership and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Holly's dedication lies in promoting online learning and its vast potential to empower students worldwide. As the host of the EdUp EdTech podcast, she offers a leading resource to stay updated on the latest and most impactful Ed Tech tools revolutionizing education. The podcast features guests from the EdTech industry, sharing personal and professional growth stories while exploring how technology is reshaping the education landscape. Show Highlights [01:49] Holly discovered a love of EdTech while teaching high school, her first career. [02:12] Moving into higher education and instructional design. [03:44] Getting a job wi...

5.5 Things Everyone Should Know about the Future of Higher Education with David Staley — DT101 E133

Apr 9, 2024 1 hr 4 min

David Staley is an associate professor in the Department of History at Ohio State University. He teaches courses in digital history and historical methods. He also holds courtesy appointments in two departments, the Department of Design, where he has taught courses in digital history and design futures, and the Department of Educational Studies, where he has led the forum on the university. We talk about the future of higher education and learning, remote learning, and explore some of the ideas in David's latest book, Knowledge Towns. Listen to learn about: >> AI and its potential impact on education >> How will we define a "university" in the future? >> Remote learning >> David's book, Knowledge Towns Our Guest David Staley is an academic, writer, designer, futurist and journalist. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and (by courtesy) the Departments of Design and Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. He is the author of "Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education", the co-author of "Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets" and author of "Visionary Histories", a collection of futures essays. He is an Honorary Faculty Fellow at the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University, and a fellow at the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. In 2022 he was awarded "Best Freelance Writer" by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for his "Next" futures column with Columbus Underground. Show Highlights [04:32] David starts off the conversation by talking about how AI will impact and change the future of higher education. [05:12] The Interface. [06:10] One of the top design problems for the remainder of the 21st century. [09:11] What our relationship with AI might look like. [09:40] David gives a few hints on a book idea he's working on. [10:19] The importance of knowing the level...

5 Ways Nobody Cares About You and How They Make You a Better Designer // ALD 014 — DT101 E132

Mar 26, 2024 4 min

This is a Design Thinking 101 episode in the Ask Like a Designer series. Ask Like a Designer helps people explore creating services and solutions by thinking and solving like a designer. You'll learn about design thinking, service design, learning design, leading and building high-performing teams, and ways to achieve better outcomes. This episode is based on this article: ALD014 // 5 Ways Nobody Cares About You and How They Make You a Better Designer. Read the article and others like it on Fluid Hive's Ask Like a Designer. What did you think of this episode? Please send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan Design Thinking 101 Podcast Host President, Fluid Hive Show Highlights [00:51] Your tiny narcissist. [00:55] The five ways nobody cares about you. [01:52] Nobody cares what you create. [02:13] Nobody cares about the problems you solve. [02:35] Nobody cares what you know. [02:56] Nobody cares about your experience. [03:19] Nobody cares if you win. [03:51] Fluid Hive's free thinking tool has all of the questions you need to answer to keep your inner narcissist in check. The Design Thinking 101 Podcast's Ask Like a Designer series Ask Like a Designer — DT101 E61 Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63 There Are No Problems Worth Solving — Only Questions Worth Asking // ALD 003 — DT101 E65 Your Good-Life OS: Designing a System for Living Well and Peak Performance // ALD 004 — DT101 E67 The Swiss-Army Lives of How-Might-We Questions // ALD 005 — DT 101 E69 Designing Facilitation: A System for Creating and Leading Exceptional Events // ALD 006 — DT101 E73 The Innovation Saboteur's Handbook // ALD 007 – DT101 E77 Three Little Words for Better (Business) Relationships // ALD 008 — DT101 E79 The 30-Minute Solution Matrix: How to Think and Solve Under Pressure // ALD 009 — DT101 E87 Protect Your Solutions with Transformation Stories: Part 1 — Crafting...

Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change with Julie Dirksen — DT101 E131

Mar 14, 2024 1 hr 5 min

Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design for How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. Julie was my guest for episode 42 of the show. In this episode, we talk about her latest book, ways to motivate learners and workshop participants, designing learning experiences for skill development, and more. Listen to learn about: >> Julie's latest book, Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change >> Behavior change challenges >> The biggest challenge when creating virtual learning experiences >> Motivating and engaging learners >> AI in education Our Guest Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. Her MS degree is in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. She's been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is a Learning Guild Guildmaster. She is happiest when she gets to learn something new, and you can find her at usablelearning.com. Show Highlights [02:02] Julie gives a quick summary of her first book and how Talk to the Elephant is its natural sequel. [02:42] The new book tackles the challenges in actually changing behavior. [04:26] On learning experiences. [05:21] Julie is starting to organize a third book, which will be on skill acquisition. [05:34] The evolution of behavioral design. [06:21] The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest behavior change experiment in the history of the world. [07:06] The book's audience are those in the learning and development field — people who design learning experiences. [08:00] The Change Ladder. [08:54] Julie offers one case study she uses in the book to demonstrate the challenges around behavi...

Learning Design Thinking + Shifting Mindsets + Facilitation with David Lemus — DT101 E130

Feb 27, 2024 40 min

David Lemus is an independent design strategist with engineering roots working with organizations to empower teams to be customer obsessed and have a culture of iterative learning. He has designed and facilitated dozens of design thinking workshops across Fortune 500 companies, non-profit and government organizations. David is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of Portland's Pamplin School of Business and leads the Portland Design Thinking Meetup community. Listen to learn about: >> Team facilitation >> Human centered-design: mindsets over methods >> [Re]Building human connection Our Guest David Lemus is an independent design strategist with engineering roots working with organizations to empower teams to be customer obsessed and have a culture of iterative learning. He has designed and facilitated dozens of design thinking workshops across Fortune 500 companies, non-profit and government organizations. David was in-house at Capital One on the Design Thinking and Strategy team. That team focused on changing the way the enterprise worked by empowering all employees with the mindsets and tools of design thinking. His team scaled practitioner and senior leadership programs throughout the risk-averse organization. Prior to Capital One, David was a senior consultant at Peer Insight, a service design and innovation firm where he led service design projects with Fortune 500 and non-profit clients. David is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of Portland's Pamplin School of Business and leads the Portland Design Thinking Meetup community. David has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland. Show Highlights [02:10] How David went from engineer to design strategist. [02:59] The two experiences as an engineer that led David into design thinking. [04:46] Experimenting to find the right career path. [06:54] The challenges of experimentation and risk-taking in the workplace. [09:07] Teaching human-centere...

Teaching and Applying Design Thinking in Higher Ed + The Experimentation Fieldbook with Liz Chen — E129

Feb 13, 2024 51 min

Liz Chen is Design Thinking Lead at Innovate Carolina, the unit dedicated to innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Liz is also a co-author of The Experimentation Field Book, a practical how-to guide on rigorously testing assumptions and concepts. We talk about teaching and applying design thinking in higher education, and learn more about The Experimentation Field Book. Listen to learn about: >> Innovate Carolina >> The Experimentation Field Book >> Design thinking and public health >> Design thinking in strategic planning Our Guest Liz is Design Thinking Lead at Innovate Carolina, the unit dedicated to innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She leads the interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good and launched her team's recharge center that allows grad student Design Thinking and Innovation Fellows to work on staff as part-time employees to support design and innovation projects with clients inside and outside of the university. Liz is also a co-author of The Experimentation Field Book, a practical how-to guide on rigorously testing assumptions and concepts. Liz is a former high school science teacher, tech nonprofit co-founder, and public health researcher. Show Highlights [02:50] Getting accepted into Innovation Next as a grad student, a national innovation acceleration program. [03:30] Completing her Ph.D. and becoming the Design Thinking Lead at Innovate Carolina. [04:16] The changes Liz has seen in how design thinking is being used in research. [04:54] Liz talks about a project funded by the EPA that she and her student team are working on, to reduce food waste. [06:34] UNC's graduate certificate program in Innovation for the Public Good. [07:24] Divergent vs. convergent thinking. [08:41] The challenges in using design thinking when many funding organizations ask you to pitch a "si...

Design Social Change with Lesley-Ann Noel — DT101 E128

Jan 30, 2024 37 min

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. Lesley promotes greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio. We talk about questioning design practice, dreaming and prototyping, and her book, Designing Social Change. Listen to learn about: >> Design studies >> Designing with non-designers and "design out in the wild" >> Lesley's new book, Design Social Change >> Designing dreams together across our differences Our Guest Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. She practices design through emancipatory, critical and anti-hegemonic lenses, focusing on equity, social justice and the experiences of people who are often excluded from design research. Lesley also attempts to promote greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio, for example, through The Designer's Critical Alphabet. Her research also highlights the work of designers outside of Europe and North America as an act of decolonizing design. Her identity is shaped by her ethnic background as an Afro-Trinidadian; her experience as a daughter, sister and mother; and her lived experiences in Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda and the USA. Show Highlights [02:50] Catching up with Lesley and what she's working on now. [03:56] Lesley's latest book comes out November 28, 2023 [04:50] What is design studies? [05:13] Design studies has two foci: inward on the practitioner, and outwards towards society.[06:01] A lot of Lesley's work focuses on who designs, and who gets to define design. [06:12] Lesley is excited by what design looks like when it's outside of the design sphere. [11:10] Worki...

Radical Participatory Design + Relationships in Complex Systems Inclusive Design with Victor Udoewa — DT101 E127

Jan 16, 2024 59 min

Victor Udoewa works in the Office of Public Health Data Surveillance and Technology at the CDC. Previously, he worked at the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs at NASA, as well as at 18F and Google. We talk about his journey into design and leadership, the role of design in the civic space, radical participatory design, and orchestrating relationships in complex systems. Listen to learn about: >> Civic design and social impact design >> Radical participatory design and working with the people and communities you're serving >> The effect of relationships on systems >> The fallacy of problem solving Our Guest Victor Udoewa works in the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology (OPHDST) at the CDC. He previously served as CTO, CXO, and Service Design Lead of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs at NASA. He was the Director of Strategy at 18F, a civic consultancy for the federal government inside the federal government. He led the digital strategy practice and served as a designer and strategist on projects. Previously, as a Global Education Instructional Designer and Training Development Specialist at Google, he designed learning products and services for people in low-to-middle-income countries around the world. Show Highlights [01:07] Victor started out in aerospace engineering, building computer models. [03:44] How one summer in El Salvador working on composting latrines changed everything. [06:05] Wanting his work to make a positive difference. [06:22] Becoming a science and technology policy advisor for the government. [06:38] Moving to the UK and designing educational products and services focused around literacy. [06:57] Coming back to government work as a civic designer and innovator. [08:39] Civic design and designing for social impact. [09:19] Much of the work of the U.S. government is done by contractors. [10:11] C...

Making Collaboration Mean Something + Inclusive Design with Pinar Guvenc — DT101 E126

Dec 12, 2023 34 min

Pinar Guvenc is a partner at the award-winning global design studio SOUR, where she leads design innovation strategy. Pinar is also a member of the faculty at Parsons School of Design, and she serves on the Board of Directors at Open Style Lab, a National Design Award-winning nonprofit organization initiated at MIT, with the purpose of making style accessible to people with disabilities. Today on the show, we talk about inclusive design, and making collaboration and co-creation meaningful. Listen to learn about: >> What it really means to collaborate >> Inclusive design and designing for inclusivity >> Teaching the next generation of designers Our Guest Pinar Guvenc is a Partner at SOUR — an award-winning global design studio with the mission to address social and urban problems — where she leads design innovation strategy. Prior to SOUR, Pinar co-founded various ventures where she helped set up and grow them through incubation, achieving international recognition and funding from innovation centers and accelerators such as Plug and Play and Climate KIC. Pinar is a member of the faculty at Parsons School of Design, MS in Strategic Design and Management program, author and instructor of the "Inclusive Design" course at School of Visual Arts, and the author and facilitator of the workshop series "Strategic Collaborations" at Pratt Center for Community Development. She serves on the Board of Directors at Open Style Lab, a National Design Award-winning nonprofit organization initiated at MIT, with the purpose of making style accessible to people with disabilities. Pinar is a frequent public speaker and host of the podcast "What's Wrong With": a series of discussions with progress makers and experts to diagnose problems in industries, ideate solutions, and raise awareness among the general public. Show Highlights [02:25] Pinar's design career began in industrial engineering and finance. [02:57] Becoming an "accidental entrepreneur" and discovering design...

Fulfilling Design Careers + Crafting Teams with Justin Dauer — DT101 E125

Nov 28, 2023 49 min

Justin is an internationally-renowned design leader, author and speaker from Chicago. You'll often find him at AIGA's speaking events, he's been interviewed in Forbes magazine and Medium's "Forge" publication, and he writes articles for Aquent, CEO World Magazine, and A List Apart. He speaks internationally on culture and design, and today on the show, we talk about values, aligned design, nurturing teams, and design leadership. Listen to learn about: >> Discovering and leveraging our core values >> Why humility is the most important trait for a designer >> Building and nurturing teams >> Justin's latest book, In Fulfillment: The Designer's Journey Our Guest Justin is an internationally renowned design leader, author, and speaker from Chicago. You'll find him often engaging with the AIGA's speaking events, interviewed in Forbes magazine and Medium's "Forge" publication, and penning articles for Aquent, CEO World Magazine, and A List Apart. He speaks internationally on culture and design, including keynotes at the UXPA International conference, Midwest UX, and St. Louis Design Week. Justin is also the writer of the celebrated book "Creative Culture," a former VP of Design at bswift (a CVS Health company), and the founder of design leadership consultancy Anomali. Show Highlights [02:11] Justin's design "Eureka!" moment in high school. [03:12] The Art Institute of Chicago and teaching himself how to code. [05:24] The most important part of being a designer. [05:50] From Me to We. [07:10] Justin talks about the writing of his latest book, In Fulfillment. [08:02] Transitioning from hands-on fulfillment toward mentorship and leadership. [09:46] Identifying the core set of values that lead us to feeling fulfilled. [10:29] Humility and design. [11:39] How Justin helps people find their core set of values. [12:03] Using the Make Meaningful Work platform. [12:55] What drives us to do what we want to be doing? [14:04] Knowing our core values helps create a hea...

Relentless Curiosity, a Necessary Delight with Scott Shigeoka — DT101 E124

Nov 14, 2023 56 min

Scott Shigeoka is an internationally-recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and the author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. He is known for translating research into strategies that promote wellbeing and connected relationships around the globe, including at the University of California Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and through his groundbreaking courses at the University of Texas at Austin. Today on the show, we'll talk about Scott's book and the power of curiosity. Listen to learn about >> Why curiosity matters >> Shallow vs. deep curiosity >> Scott's book, SEEK >> Ways to cultivate and practice using your curiosity >> The power of "I don't know" and "Tell me more" Our Guest Scott Shigeoka is an internationally-recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and the author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. He is known for translating research into strategies that promote positive well-being and connected relationships around the globe, including at the UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and through his groundbreaking courses at the University of Texas at Austin. Scott implements his curiosity practices in the public sector, Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood, media organizations, education institutions, and small businesses. Show Highlights [01:59] How Scott's love of stories and storytelling brought him to where he is today. [02:50] Majoring in journalism and psychology, and working in Iceland. [04:20] Designing and storytelling at IDEO and in Hollywood. [05:00] Scott's response to the 2016 election and the polarization of America was a 13-month road trip around the country. [07:29] What is curiosity? [08:20] Shallow vs. deep curiosity. [11:22] How Scott approached talking with people at Trump political rallies. [13:44] The big lesson Scott learned during the road trip. [15:42] Curiosity is listening. [18:01] People want to feel that their stories, their lives,...

The Experimentation Field Book with Natalie Foley — DT101 E123

Oct 24, 2023 48 min

Natalie Foley has over 20 years of experience leading teams in designing and launching new products, programs, and strategies across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Recently, she joined Opportunity at Work, where she builds, tests, and launches new services to help rewire the labor market for the 71 million workers in America whose skills were acquired through alternative routes instead of a four-year degree. Today on the show, we catch up with Natalie, who was one of our first guests on the podcast, and talk about The Experimentation Field Book, which she co-authored with Jeanne Liedtka, Elizabeth Chen, and David Kester. Listen to Learn About >> Experimentation and iterative learning >> The Experimentation Field Book >> Why experiment? The benefits of experimentation >> Opportunity@Work's mission Our Guest Natalie has 20+ years of experience leading teams in designing & launching new products, programs and strategies across the private, public & not-for-profit sectors. Recently, she has joined Opportunity@Work, where she builds, tests & launches new services for employers and employer networks to help rewire the labor market for the 71M workers in America who are STARs* (Skilled Through Alternative Routes, instead of a four-year degree). At Peer Insight, she served as CEO & led partnerships that contributed to dozens of new business ventures with clients like Nike, Kimberly-Clark, AARP, Canon, the Good Samaritan Society and ArcBest, several of which have become multi-million dollar revenue streams. Natalie began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM, where she supported clients such as Allstate, the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Afghanistan program in technology & strategy initiatives. She is the co-author of a forthcoming book (available soon for pre-order), The Experimentation Field Book: A Step-by-Step Project Guide. Show Highlights [03:02] Natalie offers gratitude for the DT101 podcast an...

Healthcare + Systems + Risk + Design with Rob Lister — DT101 E122

Oct 10, 2023 44 min

Rob Lister is a designer in healthcare, creating meaningful experiences in many arenas, including medical device design, care delivery, service design, and population health strategy. His experience as a design leader at IDEO and AT&T, and his background as a mechanical engineer, inform a strategic and operationally focused approach to innovation in healthcare. We talk about service design in healthcare and using design thinking to innovate in the healthcare industry. Listen to learn about: >> The power of design thinking to rethink and reshape healthcare >> Designing in complex systems >> The unique challenges of designing within healthcare systems >> Future Medical Systems' work Our Guest Rob Lister is a designer in health care, creating meaningful experiences in many arenas, including medical device design, care delivery service design, and population health strategy. His experience as a design leader at IDEO and AT&T — and his background as a mechanical engineer — inform a strategic and operationally-focused approach to innovation in health care. He has collaborated with organizations ranging from pharma/tech giants (Eli Lilly and 3M Health Care), care providers (Stanford Health Care and SCAN Health) to early-stage medtech startups (Tusker Medical and Arrinex). Show Highlights [02:17] Rob offers appreciation for the DT 101 podcast. [02:44] Rob's design Genesis story. [03:42] Starting as a mechanical engineer. [04:08] Getting to work at IDEO. [04:56] Rob's passion for the healthcare industry. [05:32] Leading IDEO's medical products team. [06:51] Rob's brief interlude as the Director of Design at AT&T. [07:01] Co-founding Future Medical Systems. [07:44] Using design thinking in the healthcare industry. [09:04] Working with the nurses on medication safety practices at Lucile Packard Hospitals. [10:36] Medication injury is a massive, systemic issue in healthcare. [13:40] The role of communication in systems' breakdowns. [17:08] The designer's bl...

Facilitation + Remote Teams + Miro with Shipra Kayan — DT101 E121

Sep 26, 2023 45 min

Shipra Kayan is a product evangelist at Miro, a designer, and a facilitator. She has built inclusive, engaged, and effective distributed teams at companies like Upwork and Miro. Armed with two decades of experience teaching design teams to collaborate across time zones, cultures, and knowledge silos, Shipra is a leading advocate for adopting visual collaboration within distributed teams. We talk about facilitation, Miro, and remote teams. Listen to learn about: >> How to help remote teams be successful >> The importance of facilitation >> The many ways Miro can help teams, remote or in-person, to collaborate and achieve better outcomes Our Guest Shipra Kayan is an entrepreneur and designer dedicated to transforming the way we work together as a global community. Based on her core belief that every human is inherently valuable and capable, Shipra's vision is to create a world where two people of any cultural or geographic origin can come together to collaborate and build. Show Highlights [02:04] Starting out as a designer in Silicon Valley and discovering Miro. [05:27] Being one of Miro's first customers. [05:40] Proving the belief that design can only be done in person wrong. [06:26] Miro is a collaborative canvas. [06:49] Figuring out what remote teams needed to succeed. [08:33] How Shipra plans meetings and workshops using Miro. [09:24] Tips from Shipra to help participants stay focused on the work. [13:14] Asking participants: how might we fail? [15:00] Getting teams to be playful and take risks. [16:25] One game Shipra likes to use to get a team's creative juices flowing. [18:26] The challenge of virtual environments compared to physical ones. [19:50] Ways Shipra is bringing more physicality to the virtual environment. [23:25] Dawan and Shipra discuss how they are always finding new ways to use Miro. [28:34] A Miro Moment. [30:09] Shipra has seen a movement within the design community of designers wanting to improve their facilitation skills. [32:36] Daw...

Nudging Systems + Equity-centered Design + Systems Thinking with Sheryl Cababa — DT101 E120

Sep 12, 2023 51 min

Sheryl Cababa drives a human-centered design practice focusing on systems thinking and evidence-based design, working on everything from robotic surgery experience design to reimagining K-12 education through service design. In her work with consultancies such as Substantial, Frog, and Adaptive Path, she has worked with a diverse base of clients including the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, IHME, and IKEA. Sheryl is an international speaker and workshop facilitator. When not in the office, she can be found at the University of Washington, helping educate the next generation of human centered design and engineering students. Listen to learn about: >> Equity-centered design >> Systems thinking and designing in complex systems >> Co-creation and working with lived experts >> Sheryl's book, Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers Our Guest Sheryl Cababa is the Chief Design Officer at the Insights Design + Development Studio, Substantial, and a multi-disciplinary design strategist with more than two decades of experience. She is focused on reinventing the approaches of learning and collaboration in today's educational environment to help equity-centered research affirm and advance relationships between institutions, educators, and students. Sheryl has worked extensively in human-centered design within the social impact space. She specializes in developing tools and methods for designers to expand their mindsets beyond user-centered design, anticipate unintended consequences, and engage in systems thinking. Her recent work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation includes leading student voice research to inform the K-12 Balance The Equation Grand Challenge. Sheryl works with their teams to provide equity-centered technical assistance to their grantees, designing the Use Case Guide for demand-side thinking programs, and conducting extensive design research with both U.S. Programs and Global Health teams. Her book, Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Desi...

Design and Complex Systems in Healthcare + Design and Management with Kipum Lee — DT101 E119

Aug 29, 2023 1 hr 8 min

Kip Lee is a designer and healthcare executive at University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland, OH. As Vice President of UH Ventures, he manages an innovation portfolio that supports University Hospitals' strategic initiatives and partnerships through product innovation and human-centered design. Outside of work, Kip serves on the editorial board of Design Issues, a design and innovation journal published by MIT Press. He also serves on several nonprofit boards. We talk about systems and design in healthcare. Listen to learn about: >> Complex systems >> Design in healthcare >> What is the role of management? >> The COVID-19 pandemic's effect on healthcare innovation >> The interplay between design and management Our Guest Kipum (Kip) Lee, PhD is a designer and healthcare executive at University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland, OH. As Vice President of UH Ventures, he manages an innovation portfolio that supports University Hospitals' strategic initiatives and partnerships through product innovation and human-centered design. Outside of work, he serves as an editor of Design Issues, the premier journal on design history, theory, criticism, and practice published by MIT Press, and on several non-profit boards. In addition to playing with his two kids, Kip loves used hardcover books, freshly ground coffee, low-humidity weather, and a good conversation. Show Highlights [01:26] Kip's journey into design began with a love of drawing and visualization at a very early age. [02:36] Experiencing the New Jersey Governor's School of the Arts during high school. [04:11] Kip talks about cultural expectations and how that affected his choices as he entered university. [05:09] Why Kip chose bioengineering as an undergrad. [06:20] A brief time in architecture as a graduate student. [07:47] Carnegie Mellon's interaction design program. [08:27] Kip's revelation while attending the U.S.'s first ever service design conference. [09:40] The course that made Kip fa...

Designing Feedback + Design Research and Workshops with Nahal Tavangar — DT101 E118

Aug 15, 2023 49 min

Nahal Tavangar is a self-professed generalist who has worked in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors across two continents. These roles and experiences have given her valuable insights into design thinking in various industries, work environments, business models, and workplace cultures. Today, we talk about research workshops, metaphors, and designing feedback. Listen to learn about: >> Designing feedback systems >> The three categories of feedback methods >> How Nahal uses LEGO Serious Play in her work >> Ways of working with visualizations and metaphor in design work Our Guest Nahal is passionate about creating ways to improve existing systems and processes to fit human needs, for the people they serve or may serve. Even before she learned about human-centered design, she was expressing and cultivating this passion in her work. After diving head-first into the Design Thinking community in Washington, D.C. and meeting her German boyfriend-now-husband, she decided to uproot her life in the U.S. in 2014 and move to Germany to pursue her M.A. in Integrated Design, with a focus on Service Design. Her thesis was on the topic of how we might capture more 'holistic feedback' in the design process. Nahal is a self-professed 'generalist' and has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors across two continents. These roles seem unrelated at a glance, but the experiences have given her valuable insights into design thinking in various industries, work environments, business models, and workplace cultures. Show Highlights [03:02] Nahal's journey into design thinking is thanks to a friend's suggestion. [04:30] Getting involved with the Design Thinking DC community, and starting to apply design thinking to her work in PR. [05:00] Using a "question of the day" to get people in her office to think creatively. [06:23] Moving to Germany to get her master's degree in service design. [09:00] Nahal's struggle to call herself a designer. [10:23] Adapting...

UX + Design Teams with Nick Finck — DT101 E117

Jul 25, 2023 54 min

Nick Fink is a design and research leader with over two decades of experience in the industry. Nick currently consults and advises businesses on design and research in Seattle through his company, Craft & Rigor. Listen to learn about: >> Core disciplines of UX design >> What is interaction design? >> What does it mean to be a UX designer today? >> The challenges UX and design face in today's business environment Our Guest Nick Finck is a design and research leader with over two decades of experience in the industry. He strives to improve people's lives through crafting well-designed experiences that matter. Nick currently consults and advises businesses on design and research through Craft & Rigor in Seattle. Before this, he was in design and research leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Ubermind, Deloitte Digital, projekt202, and his own agency Blue Flavor. Nick's contributions to the UX community go far and wide. He is an experienced public speaker and has given over 102 talks in 10 countries. He has helped countless industry professionals and career transitioners as a design coach and mentor. Earlier in his career, he was the publisher of Digital Web Magazine, an online magazine for web professionals Show Highlights [02:44] Nick takes us in the wayback machine, back to dialup days and his start in web development. [03:53] Moving from web development into web design, and following that thread into interaction design and UX. [05:53] Nick talks about creating his model highlighting the core disciplines of UX. [07:27] Starting off with user research and understanding your users. [07:53] Communicating through content. [08:12] Adding structure and organization. [08:41] Designing user interactions based on user behavior. [09:38] Evaluating the work. [11:29] Changes Nick would make to his model today. [13:41] What's happening in UX design today. [15:39] What does it mean to be a UX designer today? [16:02] People are often confused as to...

Operations + Human Centered Design + Art with Alvin Schexnider — DT101 E116

Jul 11, 2023 49 min

Alvin Schexnider is an emancipatory designer and a business operations strategist who helps institutions become more effective, just, citizen-centered, and innovative. He has 15 years of experience in leadership across design, strategy, equity, and business operations in the government, nonprofit and for-profit spaces. Currently he is a part of Capital One's Equity and Design team as a senior equity design strategist. Outside his day-to-day work, he runs GraffitiVersal, an organization that makes resources to inspire, elevate, and catalyze change. GraffitiVersal's latest release is called A Continuum of Freeing Design and Vigorous Futures, a card deck detailing an approach for designing for both equitable and just outcomes in the present, and for thriving worlds in the future. We talk about bringing human-centered design to operations and human resources. Listen to learn about: >> Alvin's roundabout road into design >> Alvin's experiences at the Greater Good Studio >> Using design at the Illinois Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic >> Alvin's role as Senior Equity Design Strategist at Capital One Our Guest Alvin (he/him) is a designer, futurist, strategist, and illustrator. He's a right brain / left brained DesignOps leader, with 10 + years of tri-sector people management, who uses foresight and equity to build and vitalize impactful organizations. He leverages his 15 years of experience and leadership across strategy & business operations, multidisciplinary design (service design, human-centered design, equity design), and org change to drive concepting, adoption, and implementation of major initiatives. At present, he is a Manager, Design Practice & Equity Design on Capital One's Experience Strategy & Operations Team; previously, he was Sr. Equity Design Strategist in its Equity by Design Program. Before this role, he was Chief People Officer of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS - agency budget of $9 Billion), focused on improvi...

Design Thinking in Practice: a conversation between Allen Higgins & Dawan Stanford — DT101 E115

Jun 20, 2023 1 hr 6 min

Allen Higgins joins me as we share host and guest roles to talk about design practice systems and creating for and with the people we serve. Alan is a research associate and lecturer in the Center for Innovation Technology and Organization in the School of Business at University College Dublin. Listen to learn about: Design and design thinking process Design thinking mindset How to introduce design thinking to teams and organizations What is innovation? Design Justice and ethical design Our Guest Allen Higgins is a researcher/lecturer in the Management Information Systems subject area in the UCD College of Business—University College Dublin, Ireland. He is a member of the UCD Centre for Innovation, Technology and Organization (CITO) and the UCD Centre for Business and Society. Show Highlights [00:39] Script is flipped! Dawan talks about how he got into design thinking. [02:14] Launching Fluid Hive in 2008. [02:38] Allen's interest came while developing a course for university. [04:48] Allen and Dawan compare how they approach design thinking. [06:46] The big question: What problem are we trying to solve? [08:30] Finding the problem is the real problem. [09:30] IDEO as people's first introduction to design thinking. [10:05] There is no single recipe for innovation. [10:40] Experienced designers are comfortable with ambiguity. [11:32] It's hard to change our view of the world. [12:09] Designers can see the world in multiple ways. [14:08] The difference between reaction and response. [15:55] The answer to the question should take you from the world you have to the world you want. [17:57] Failure is part of the process. Failure is actually learning. [20:56] A design thinking culture values continual learning. [22:06] Part of bringing design thinking to organizations is speaking the language of that organization. [23:53] Dawan and Allen talk about making design thinking part of organizational culture. [25:27] Inviting people into learning and...

Ethics + Education + Power + Design with Mike Monteiro — DT101 E114

Jun 6, 2023 49 min

Mike Monteiro is a designer and the author of Ruined By Design, You're My Favorite Client, The Collected Angers, and the newly-revised Design is a Job. Listen to learn about: >> Mike's book, Design is a Job >> Ethics in design >> Designing society so that ethical behavior becomes the norm Our Guest Mike Monteiro is the co-founder and design director of Mule Design. He mostly writes these days. His latest book is the second edition of Design Is a Job. Show Highlights [00:39] How Mike got into design during graduate school. [03:54] His first job in desktop publishing and printing taught him to measure work in 30-minute increments. [06:04] Moving into writing books. [07:32] Mike's book, Design is a Job, was written to help designers with the ins and outs of being a professional designer. [10:57] Why Mike felt it was time to revise the book. [13:23] The "revised" edition changed so much, it's basically a different book. [14:33] Mike talks about some of the new ideas in the revised edition. [15:12] Designers moving from contractors to employees. [18:02] The importance of ethical behavior and ethical decisions. [18:15] Mike's butcher metaphor. [24:35] What companies and society can do to create an environment that encourages ethical behavior. [26:52] The first steps on the path to a more ethical world. [30:58] Finding his place in the semi post-pandemic world. [34:13] Knowing when it's time to get off the stage. [35:48] Speaking only if you can improve the silence. [37:05] Getting older and realizing the value of listening. [38:34] How do we redesign power so that it can inoculate itself against power's darker aspects [42:14] The messiness of the world today, and how should designers work within that world to make it a better place? [45:07] There is always a cost to the ethical choice. Links Mike on Twitter Mike on Medium Mule Design Mule Design on Twitter Ruined By Design Creative Mornings Podcast, F*ck You, Pay Me with Mike Monteiro Cre...

Thinking, Solving & Transformative Communication: Design + Visualization with Hazel White — DT101 E113

May 23, 2023 39 min

Hazel White is a designer and a visualizer. She creates simple visuals to help communicate complex ideas. We talk about how design and visualization combine to facilitate thinking, fuel solving, and create transformative change. Listen to learn about: >> How visualizations can help us communicate ideas >> Examples of what you can use visualizations for >> Hazel's visualization projects and their impact >> Advice for those wanting to try creating their own visualizations >> Some tools and resources for those who want to create visualizations Our Guest Hazel White is a designer and educator who specializes in creating visuals that simplify complex information. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she collaborated with healthcare experts to rapidly distill complex information into simple and memorable visuals for frontline staff in hospitals and care homes. Currently, she is working on visuals of palliative care guidelines for health and care staff, visually recording a sports governing body's transformation program, and developing internal documentation for a prominent cultural organization. Previously, Hazel was Founding Director of Open Change - a company which supported organizations to navigate change using Design Thinking. Clients included government, healthcare and national cultural organizations in the UK and Europe. Hazel spent two decades teaching design in Universities in the UK and South Korea.She is an Associate of the UK Design Council. Show Highlights [00:53] Dawan thanks Hazel for the incredible visualization she created for podcast conversation (download it here). [01:46] Hazel's path from design thinking to visualization. [02:13] Discovering that drawing helped her remember things, such as lectures, better. [03:33] Visualizations are helpful for everyone's memory recall. [04:49] Hazel gives one example from the healthcare industry of the powerful impact using visualizations has had on those she's worked with. [08:15] How the pandemic incre...

Cognitive Bias + Ethics + Dreaming the Future of Design with David Dylan Thomas — DT101 E112

May 2, 2023 44 min

David Dylan Thomas is the author of Design for Cognitive Bias and the creator and host of the Cognitive Bias podcast. Dave has consulted with major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC, he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. We talk about cognitive bias, ethics, and dreaming the future of design. Listen to learn about: >> How cognitive biases affect the way we think and design >> Inclusive design >> David's Assumption Audit >> How participatory design shifts power >> Why businesses can struggle with ethics >> Where should we go in the future of design? Our Guest David Dylan Thomas, author of Design for Cognitive Bias, creator and host of The Cognitive Bias Podcast, and a twenty-year practitioner of content strategy and UX, has consulted major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. He has presented at TEDNYC, SXSW Interactive, Confab, Button, An Event Apart, UX Copenhagen, UX Days Tokyo, and more on topics at the intersection of bias, design, and social justice. Show Highlights [01:51] How Iris Bohnet's talk, What Works: Gender Equality By Design helped David connect his work in UX/content strategy with cognitive bias. [02:28] The role of pattern recognition in racial and gender discrimination. [03:20] How David started learning about cognitive biases and starting the Cognitive Bias podcast. [03:59] Writing a book, and shifting his consulting into inclusive design and designing for cognitive bias. [05:37] Why it's important for designers to slow down and take time to think about how cognitive biases may be affecting the design decisions they are making. [07:29] David's advice for those wanting to start to learn about cognitive bia...

5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Appreciative Inquiry with Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell — DT101 E111

Apr 11, 2023 49 min

This episode of the Design Thinking 101 podcast is 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: Appreciative Inquiry. Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell are co-presidents of Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting. Listen to learn about: >> Appreciative inquiry's ability to generate hope and help people be creative >> Using generative questions to unlock people's imaginations and focus on the positive >> How appreciative inquiry can help teams in trouble work through conflict >> Ways we can all start to use appreciative inquiry Our Guests Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell are Co-Presidents of Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting. They profoundly believe that education is the most powerful force for social and economic good in the world. Together they have more than 50 years of experience in higher education and have taken that experience to build a consulting practice. They specialize in collaboratively designing strategies to surface the wisdom of individuals, groups and organizations in order for them to build positive futures and to respond effectively to change. They have co-authored many articles on resilience, leadership, appreciative inquiry and published two books, Appreciative Inquiry in Higher Education: A Transformative Force and Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and Forgiveness. Show Highlights [02:42] An introduction to appreciative inquiry. [04:30] The power of appreciative inquiry. [05:36] Building bridges from the strengths we have to the better futures we want. [06:08] The emotional strength appreciative inquiry can help us nurture. [06:51] Asking good questions and focusing on strengths. [08:22] How appreciative inquiry helps us better examine our complex world. [09:48] The origin of appreciative inquiry. [10:43] You get more of what you focus on. [13:18] Problems are yearnings. [14:10] Design is a critical component of appreciative inquiry. [14:29] The simultaneity effect...

5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Positive Childhood Experiences with Robert Sege — DT101 E110

Mar 28, 2023 38 min

This episode of the Design Thinking 101 podcast is 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: Positive Childhood Experiences. Dr. Robert Sege, MD PhD is a pediatrician at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, and a professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Community Engaged Medicine. Dr. Sege is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that directly address the social determinants of health. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, and serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Children's Trust and Prevent Child Abuse America. He has served on the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, and on its committee on injury violence and poisoning prevention. Listen to learn about: >> Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) >> Designing for children >> Helping kids navigate childhood in a positive way >> The importance of creating safe environments for children >> Ways we can give kids positive experiences that allow them to thrive Our Guest Robert Sege, MD, PhD is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is a core faculty member of the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He has served on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), been lead author on several important AAP policies, and has received national awards for his work, including the prestigious 2019 Ray E. Helfer award from the Alliance of Children's Trusts and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has led teams that developed new models for pediatric primary care and a new framework for working with children and families (HOPE). His extensive speaking and publication list include contributions to the prevention and treatment of child maltreatment and yout...

Healthcare Innovation + Nursing + Oppportunities for Designers — DT101 E109

Mar 14, 2023 55 min

Michael Ackerman is currently the director of the Master in Healthcare Innovation Program and Professor of Clinical Nursing and the director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership at the Ohio State University College of Nursing. He also maintains a clinical practice as an acute care nurse practitioner at St. Joseph's Neighborhood Hospital in Rochester, New York. Today, we talk about nursing, healthcare innovation, and opportunities for designers in the healthcare industry. Listen to learn about: >> The role of nurses in nursing/healthcare innovation >> The unique challenges of innovation in healthcare >> Improving the healthcare innovation cycle >> OSU's Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership Our Guest Michael Ackerman is currently the Director of the Master in Healthcare Innovation Program and Professor of Clinical Nursing, and the Director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership at the Ohio State University College of Nursing. He also maintains a clinical practice as an acute care nurse practitioner at St Joseph's Neighborhood in Rochester, NY. He is also the Owner of Ackerman Consultants. Dr. Ackerman has held just about every position a nurse could hold in academia and clinical practice from candy striper to senior director. His entire career has been dedicated to critical care with numerous publications as well as invitations to speak nationally and internationally. His research and writing has focused on a variety of clinical topics including sepsis, airway management, hemodynamics, innovation and leadership. His innovation work has led to many disruptions in clinical practice and health system change. He has been recognized for his various contributions with various fellowships including; Fellow in Critical Care Medicine, Fellow in the National Academy of Practice, and Fellow in American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Ackerman completed his BSN from Niagara University, his MSN and DNS from The State Unive...

Designing a Learning System for the Good Life // ALD 013 — DT101 E108

Feb 28, 2023 8 min

This is a Design Thinking 101 episode in the Ask Like a Designer series. Ask Like a Designer helps people explore thinking and solving like a designer. You'll learn about design thinking, service design, learning design, leading and building high-performing teams, and ways to achieve better outcomes. This episode is based on this article: ALD013 // Designing a Learning System for the Good Life. Read the article and others like it on Fluid Hive's Ask Like a Designer. What did you think of this episode? Please send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan Design Thinking 101 Podcast Host President, Fluid Hive Show Highlights [00:47] What is learning? [00:55] The hope-mode learning system. [01:40] Good life learning. [01:40] Fluid Hive's Good Life Learning System. [02:47] What problems are you able to solve? [03:05] What new problems do you want to be able to solve? [03:24] What will learning to solve these problems do for your life? [03:45] What will solving these problems do for your life? [04:12] What must you experience to learn to solve these problems? [04:38] What challenges can you expect along the way? [05:07] How will you judge how the learning journey is contributing to your life? [05:36] How will you evaluate your learning? [06:13] How will you practice what you've learned? [06:34] How will you judge how solving problems based on your learning is contributing to your life? [07:14] The benefits of having a learning system for life. [07:34] Fluid Hive's free thinking tool will help you design your own learning system to create your best life. The Design Thinking 101 Podcast's Ask Like a Designer series Ask Like a Designer — DT101 E61 Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63 There Are No Problems Worth Solving — Only Questions Worth Asking // ALD 003 — DT101 E65 Your Good-Life OS: Designing a System for Living Well and Peak Performance // ALD 004 — DT101 E67 T...

Humans + AI + Design with Ruth Kikin-Gil — DT101 E107

Feb 14, 2023 40 min

Ruth Kikin-Gil is a design strategist, a digital product designer, and a practical dreamer who focuses on product innovation across devices, input methods, and platforms. At Microsoft, she leads the Responsible AI Practices for Microsoft's security organization. She helps drive responsible AI and Microsoft through serving on multiple AI and ethics in engineering and research workgroups. Ruth is a co-creator of the Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction, and is on the programming committee of Microsoft's Machine Learning and Data Sciences internal office. We talk about humans, artificial intelligence, and ethics. Listen to learn about: >> How designing for human-AI interaction differs from typical UI/UX design >> Microsoft's guidelines for human-AI interaction >> Ethical implications of AI >> The process of curating content for conferences >> Synthetic creativity >> The future of design and designers Our Guest Ruth is a design strategist, a digital product designer, and a practical dreamer that focuses on product innovation across devices, input methods and platforms. In Microsoft she leads the Responsible AI practices for Microsoft's Security org. She helps drive Responsible AI in Microsoft through serving on multiple Aether (AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research) work groups, is a co-creator of the Guidelines for Human-AI interaction and is on the programming committee of Microsoft's Machine learning and Data sciences (MLADS) internal conference. In her Microsoft career, she designed future experiences for Office, for an innovation lab, and for a strategy team. In addition, she lectures at the Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) department in the University of Washington, Seattle. Before Microsoft she co-founded a digital product design agency in Tel-Aviv, was the corporate art director of a startup, worked for Nokia in Helsinki, freelanced in London, and earned her Interaction Design Master degree from IDII in Italy. She's interested in the interp...

5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Hacking Bureaucracy with Marina Nitze — DT101 E106

Jan 24, 2023 41 min

Marina Nitze is co-author of the book Hack Your Bureaucracy and works at Layer Aleph, a crisis response firm that specializes in restoring complex software systems to service. Marina was the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under President Obama after serving as a Senior Advisor on technology in the Obama White House and as the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the U.S. Department of Education. Marina is also a fellow at New America's New Practice Lab, where she works on improving America's foster care system. Today, we discuss five and a half things every designer should know about hacking bureaucracy. Listen to learn about: >> How bureaucracies work >> Journey mapping >> Stakeholder mapping >> Interpersonal relationships and bureaucracies >> Bureaucracy hacking Our Guest Marina Nitze, co-author of the new book Hack Your Bureaucracy, is currently a partner at Layer Aleph, a crisis response firm that specializes in restoring complex software systems to service. Marina is also a fellow at New America's New Practice Lab, where she works on improving America's foster care system through the Resource Family Working Group and Child Welfare Playbook. Marina was most recently the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under President Obama, after serving as a Senior Advisor on technology in the Obama White House and as the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the U.S. Department of Education. She serves on the advisory boards of Foster America, Smartsheet, and Think of Us; created TaskTackler, the personal productivity app for Type-A personalities; and previously authored the book Business Efficiency for Dummies. She lives in Seattle, WA. Show Highlights [01:49] Marina gives a brief outline of her five and a half things about bureaucracy. [02:35] Bureaucracy is everywhere. [03:47] Starting to work within bureaucracies. [04:18] The Five Whys concept. [04:45] Marina uses the Paperwork Reduction Act as an...

Learning to See and Respond to Racialized Design with Lisa Elzey Mercer — DT101 E105

Jan 10, 2023 48 min

Lisa Elzey Mercer is a designer, educator, and researcher. Her interests are in developing and executing design interventions focused on the topics of human trafficking, incarceration, race, and racism. She's an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We talk about learning to see, and responding to, racialized design. Listen to learn about: >> Ethics in design >> Impact over intent >> Racism Untaught >> The elements of racism >> Racialized design Our Guest Lisa Elzey Mercer (she/her/hers) is a designer, educator, and researcher. Her interests are in developing and executing design interventions that fuel and sustain responsible design for social impact. The developed frameworks and tools are intended to create a space for conversation and knowledge exchange where participants can collaborate in creating new ideas and solutions. This type of methodology is evidenced in her current projects focused on the topics of human trafficking, incarceration, race, and racism. She is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation in the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Show Highlights [01:25] How Lisa's aptitude for designing presentations led her from biomedical engineering into design. [03:38] Some surprises Lisa has encountered during her design journey. [04:03] Finding ways to navigate the often male-dominated design spaces. [04:40] Enjoying the freedom to explore new methods and pathways in graduate school. [05:48] Lisa answers the question, "What is it you do?" [06:03] Two exercises Lisa uses to get students thinking about ethics in design. [08:54] Helping corporations integrate ethics and collaboration with their customers into their thinking. [10:54] The evolution of the Racism Untaught framework and tools. [13:24] The activity every Racism Untaught workshop starts with. [14:49] Starting with context instead...

Learning + Teaching + Design Thinking Impact in K-12 with Rich Wiener — DT101 E104

Dec 6, 2022 48 min

Rich Wiener is an educator and consultant who works to engage K-12 learners at a high level, and has zeroed in on design thinking as a key component. Rich's career has included being a school principal, Director of Curriculum for Ramsey Public School District in New Jersey, and an adjunct professor of education at Columbia University. We talk about the impact of design thinking in K-12 education. Listen to learn about: >> The design thinking classroom program in the Ramsey public school district >> How design thinking impacts Ramsey's high school students and teachers >> Advice to school districts wanting to start their own design thinking program >> Some of the partner projects students worked on during the program Our Guest Rich Wiener has served the educational community as a teacher, principal, curriculum director, and adjunct professor of education. He received his Masters Degree from the University of Oregon and his Doctoral Degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. He taught the supervision course in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia and courses on change leadership and methods of teaching at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Rich is currently the CEO of the educational consulting firm, GEN Z Innovate. Throughout his career, Rich has worked to develop educational programs and experiences that inspire student engagement, foster creativity and complex problem-solving, and promote deep understanding and insight. As a part of that journey, Rich and his colleagues in Ramsey, New Jersey established a high school level design thinking course, modeled after the Stanford University d. school. The Ramsey High School Design Lab established partnerships with American Express, Liberty Science Center, Boxed Wholesale, All Things Media, The Center for Social Innovation in New York City, Crisis Text Line, and the New Jersey Legislature, among others. The design thinking model has proven to be a successful approach to engaging...

UX + Into, Through, and (Almost) Out of Design with Kara DeFrias — DT101 E103

Nov 22, 2022 48 min

Kara DeFrias is the current Chief of Staff for the Intuit QuickBooks Platform, with a background rich in both private and public sector experience. Previous work includes serving as senior advisor to the leadership team of the technology and design consultancy 18F in the Obama Administration, founding TEDxIntuit, and being part of the Emmy Award-winning production staff on the Oscars. A do-gooder at heart, Kara has done pro bono digital strategy. Today on the show we talk about UX and moving into, through, and almost out of design. Listen to learn about: >> Advice for newcomers wanting to get into design >> Seeing the world through design >> The importance of choosing work that aligns with your values >> The need for new voices in the design industry >> Designing in-person UX Our Guest Kara DeFrias' passion for designing engaging experiences has brought her to many exciting places, including the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and two White Houses. Kara's background is a unique mix of private and public sector experience, including 9 years with Intuit and an appointment to the first class of Presidential Innovation Fellows. In the latter she served as entrepreneur in residence, reimagining the relationship between the government and the people from a technology perspective. Kara was Director of UX for then-Vice President Biden at the Obama White House, where she led the Cancer Moonshot work around cancer clinical trials. She then served as Senior Advisor in the Office of Technology in the Biden-Harris White House. She's currently Chief of Staff for the Intuit QuickBooks Platform team. Previous work includes Senior Advisor to 18F's Executive Director and senior leadership team, founder of TEDxIntuit, and part of the Emmy award-winning production staff on the Oscars. She also worked on the Women's World Cup press operations team and the Super Bowl. A do-gooder at heart, Kara has done pro-bono digital strategy and communications for the likes of Team Rubicon and spent 1...

5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: The Opioid Overdose Epidemic (Part 1) with Stacy Stanford — DT101 E102

Nov 8, 2022 20 min

This episode of the Design Thinking 101 podcast is 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: the Opioid Overdose Epidemic. Our guest today is Stacy Stanford, the Senior Director of Overdose Injury and Violence Prevention at the National Association of County and City Health Officials in Washington DC (NACCHO). At NACCHO, she leads the overdose injury and violence prevention team to deliver funding and technical assistance to more than 60 communities across the United States. Listen to learn about: >> The current state of the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic >> The ways COVID-19 has affected the healthcare system's ability to work with and treat those who use drugs >> The core principles of harm reduction >> The role misperceptions and stigma about drug use play in making it difficult for those who use drugs to get treatment Our Guest Stacy Stanford joined NACCHO in 2012 and is currently serving as a Senior Director of Overdose, Injury and Violence Prevention. She provides leadership, planning and guidance to the team's management and staff in the areas of drug overdose, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), falls prevention, and the intersection of COVID, ACEs, and Suicide Prevention. Prior to this position she was the Director of Public Health Transformation and led Project SHINE, a fellowship to strengthen health systems through interprofessional education. Ms. Stanford received her Masters of Science in Public Health Microbiology from The George Washington University School of Public Health. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Denver. Prior to joining NACCHO, she worked on Influenza surveillance and in the development of HAvBED, the Hospital Bed Availability Reporting System during H1N1 at the Department of Health and Human Service. Show Highlights [01:47] Stacy talks about her work at NACCHO, the membership organization of local health departments for the U.S. [03:15] The current state of the opioid overdose epidemic. [03:...

Human-Centered Design + Designing Exceptional Customer Experiences with Lis Hubert and Diana Sonis — DT101 E101

Oct 25, 2022 47 min

Diana Sonis is a passionate believer in holistic 360 strategy and design, with extensive expertise in UX and CX design, service design, and design thinking. Lis Hubert is an acclaimed design and strategy thought leader, writer, and speaker with extensive experience in digital strategy, customer experience, information architecture, and design. Together, they founded CX by Design, a human-centered design company that helps businesses design people-centric products, services, and organizational systems in order to create exceptional customer experiences. Listen to learn about: >> Customer experience design >> Near- versus long-term strategy >> Helping organizations make design thinking part of their internal processes >> What exactly is innovation? >> Systemic innovation >> Designing for customer intent Our Guests: Diana Sonis Diana is a passionate believer in holistic, 360 strategy and design, with extensive expertise in UX Design, CX Design, Service Design, and the Design Thinking methodology. As founding partner of CX by Design, Diana's mission is to identify nuggets of opportunity within an organization, reorient its existing systems and structures to improve the human experience, help others extend their thinking, and drive material business advantage. Having designed, built, and successfully sold several companies, Diana works to help businesses shape abstract concepts into concrete online and offline experiences that respond to the needs and motivations of real people. When she's not solving strategic challenges, Diana can be found in pursuit of good coffee everywhere. Lis Hubert Lis is an acclaimed design and strategy thought leader, writer, and speaker with extensive expertise in Digital Strategy, Customer Experience, Information Architecture, and Design Thinking. As founding partner of CX by Design, she has made it her mission to help companies meet their strategic goals. She does so by making the invisible visible through research, making t...

Design for Good + Ethics + Social Impact with Sara Cantor — DT101 E100

Oct 11, 2022 39 min

Sara Cantor is a co-founder and the executive director of Greater Good Studio, where she and her team think of themselves as pissed-off optimists. We talk about design for good, ethics in design practice, and creating social impact. Listen to learn about: >> Human-centered design >> Greater Good Studio's project "gut check" >> The power designers wield >> Better ways of co-designing with clients >> Community-based design work Our Guest Sara Cantor is a creative leader and human-centered designer focused on equity, inclusion and social innovation. After seven years using human-centered design to create new markets for corporate clients, she co-founded Greater Good Studio in 2011 to apply the process and principles of design to the more pressing challenges of the social sector. Her team of "pissed-off optimists" has helped nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies to build internal capacity for social innovation, create and prototype new programs and services, and sustain and scale their impact. Show Highlights [01:06] Sara's journey into design, and the influence of Tom Hanks' movie, Big. [01:45] Studying engineering at college. [02:34] Finding her true passion during an engineering design course. [03:52] Attending the Institute of Design. [04:39] Discovering her love of design research. [05:34] The first project where Sara was able to use her design skills. [09:22] Sara talks about her early design career. [10:31] Her rising disillusionment with the for-profit, corporate world. [15:57] Co-founding Greater Good Studio. [18:27] Designing for behavior change has no "marketplace." [20:53] Greater Good Studio's approach to business and its work. [21:01] Codifying the "is this the right project for us?" gut check. [23:49] Some of the gut check questions to ponder. [27:28] The power that a designer wields. [29:13] Being accountable not just to the client, but to the end user. [30:16] Helping clients share their power with their end users. [31:18] "Sharing the...

Want Better Outcomes? Find Better Problems. // ALD 012 — DT101 E99

Sep 27, 2022 9 min

This is a Design Thinking 101 episode in the Ask Like a Designer series. Ask Like a Designer helps people explore thinking and solving like a designer. You'll learn about design thinking, service design, learning design, leading and building high-performing teams, and ways to achieve better outcomes. This episode is based on this article: ALD012 // Want Better Outcomes? Find Better Problems. Read the article and others like it on Fluid Hive's Ask Like a Designer. What did you think of this episode? Please send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan Design Thinking 101 Podcast Host President, Fluid Hive Show Highlights [00:53] The human desire to create. [01:15] Rushing solutions leads to poor outcomes. [01:37] Problem spaces and finding the right question to answer. [02:15] The people inside the problem space. [02:38] The context in which the people experience the problem. [03:02] The history of the people and the context reveal changes over time. [03:15] Problem finding. [04:11] Finding and refining problems is not our natural inclination. [04:52] Problem framing. [05:17] How Might We questions. [06:01] Getting comfortable with ambiguity as a designer. [06:47] The eight things you can do with a How Might We question. [08:08] The best solutions come from diverse teams. [08:29] Fluid Hive's free thinking tool will help you focus your solution energy. The Design Thinking 101 Podcast's Ask Like a Designer series Protect Your Solutions with Transformation Stories: Part 2 — Telling Well // ALD 011 — DT101 E92 Protect Your Solutions with Transformation Stories: Part 1 — Crafting Well // ALD 010 — DT101 E89 The 30-Minute Solution Matrix: How to Think and Solve Under Pressure // ALD 009 — DT101 E87 Three Little Words for Better (Business) Relationships // ALD 008 — DT101 E79 The Innovation Saboteur's Handbook // ALD 007 – DT101 E77 Designing Facilitation: A System for Creating and Leading Exceptional Event...

Designing with Government Partners + Hidden Design Phases with Chelsea Mauldin — DT101 E98

Sep 13, 2022 45 min

Chelsea Mauldin is the Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab and an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Listen to learn about: >> The work of the Public Policy Lab >> How design and design thinking can help governments make better public policy >> Human-centered design in public policy >> The preparatory work that often goes underrecognized in the design cycle Our Guest Chelsea Mauldin is a social scientist and designer with a focus on government innovation. She directs the Public Policy Lab, a nonprofit organization that designs better public policy with low-income and marginalized Americans. The Public Policy Lab partners with government agencies and NGOs to develop more satisfying and effective policies and service delivery through ethnographic research, human-centered design, rapid prototyping, and formative evaluation. Find out more on PPL's website, or on Twitter. Chelsea is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at global conferences, and she serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Previously, she consulted to municipal and federal agencies, directed a community-development organization, led government partnerships at a public-space advocacy nonprofit, and served as an editor for publishing, arts, and digital media organizations. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the London School of Economics. Show Highlights [01:02] Chelsea's journey from book editor to information architect to designer. [01:44] Getting a graduate degree in design and social policy. [02:03] Founding the Public Policy Lab in 2010. [03:34] What happens when you start using design in the context of creating public policy and services. [04:38] The disconnect between those who set policy and those who use the results of the policy. [05:31] Chelsea talks about some of the ways design is currently being used by U.S. government agencies. [...

5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: The Future of Higher Education with Bryan Alexander — DT101 E97

Aug 23, 2022 51 min

This episode of the Design Thinking 101 podcast is 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: the Future of Higher Education. Our guest today is Bryan Alexander. Bryan is a senior scholar at Georgetown University and runs a consultancy focused on the future of higher education. Listen to learn about: >> The current state of higher education >> Student loan debt and the financial structure of universities and colleges >> The role of tech and digital platforms in higher ed >> The effects of the lack of population growth and increased longevity on higher education and society >> The connection between higher education and the climate crisis >> How science fiction can help us think about the future Our Guest Bryan Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of higher education's future. He completed his English language and literature PhD at the University of Michigan in 1997, with a dissertation on doppelgangers in Romantic-era fiction and poetry. Then Bryan taught literature, writing, multimedia, and information technology studies at Centenary College of Louisiana. There he also pioneered multi-campus interdisciplinary classes, while organizing an information literacy initiative. From 2002 to 2014, Bryan worked with the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE), a non-profit working to help small colleges and universities best integrate digital technologies. With NITLE he held several roles, including co-director of a regional education and technology center, director of emerging technologies, and senior fellow. Over those years Bryan helped develop and support the nonprofit, grew peer networks, consulted, and conducted a sustained research agenda. In 2013, Bryan launched a business, Bryan Alexander Consulting, LLC. Through BAC he consults throughout higher education in the United States and abroad. Bryan speaks widely and publishes frequently,...

Language + Design Research + Researcher Self-Care with Abby Bajuniemi — DT101 E96

Aug 9, 2022 46 min

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi holds a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Minnesota and is currently a user researcher in industry. We talk about language, design research and researcher self-care. Listen to learn about: >> How language and linguistics affect design >> The interaction of society and language >> Trauma-informed user research >> Researcher self-care >> The importance of asking for help >> Language and technology >> Being mindful about the language used in design Our Guest Abby is the manager of UX Research and Content at Calendly. She holds a PhD in Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics with specialization in Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics. She loves to nerd out with people about language and research methods, either together or separately. She loves the Oxford comma, but will never correct your grammar Show Highlights [00:57] How and why Abby moved from linguistics to user research. [02:06] The importance of taking the time to think about language as a designer. [03:30] Audience design. [04:15] Aspects of linguistics that are helpful for designers and researchers. [04:45] Being mindful of the language choices you're making. [05:07] Abby talks about the tone of language/voice. [06:14] Abby's "superpower." [07:00] How people understand and use language. [10:03] Abby talks about what happens when stakeholders don't follow the user research recommendations. [11:22] You have to be a good storyteller for your stakeholders. [12:16] Ways Abby has seen her work come to fruition. [15:14] User research can be revelatory for organizations that have never used it before. [17:06] Trauma-informed research and researcher self-care. [18:03] User research can be intense and emotional. [20:05] Dawan and Abby talk about the importance of asking for help. [22:35] Asking for help is part of what collaboration is. [24:15] Asking for help is working smarter. [25:27] Abby talks about the book she's writing. [25:56] Cognitiv...

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Leadership & Strategy + Fighter Pilots + Design Education with Jason "TOGA" Trew — DT101 E145

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Podcast details

Created by: Dawan Stanford & Fluid Hive
Status: Inactive
Latest episode: Sep 12, 2025
Episodes: 145
Release period: Monthly
Avg. episode length: 46 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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