Jul. 6, 2010 at 9:17am
Better Ideas Faster | Blog | design mind

Just sharing another great piece of thought leadership from my idols at Frog. A large portion of my job is dedicated to leading and participating in brainstorming sessions, and the subsequent idea synthesis, so I’m always looking for different (or tried and true) ways to frame the activities and the output. Here’s a tip: sketch more. ‘Nuff said.

Jun. 30, 2010 at 11:25am
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What we need from research is more than description, and especially, more than a list of “needs,” explicit or implicit, met or unmet. We need a way to explicitly articulate the values that inform those decisions, and a basis on which to do so.
—

Rick Robinson at IIT Design Research Conference 2010 on Vimeo

I’m just now catching up on this years’ recent DRC, which I sadly missed for no really good reason. Always a sucker for the antics of an agent provocateur, I was immediately drawn to Robinson’s presentation based on a photo of the tee shirt he was wearing that read: “Against user needs since 1989.”

I had to take a deeper dive into his perspective to see if it hit on any of my own questions about the current (or at least, prevalent) approaches to design research, particularly the orientation toward discovering “unmet needs.”

In my own project experience, I’ve often felt a sort of split personality as both a design researcher and as a sociologist, and the dichotomy is most pronounced in the on-again, off-again relationship between needs/behaviors and goals/motivations.

So then I have to ask myself: is the general goal of any real research pursuit to propose solutions or is it to propose new ways of thinking, seeing and doing? If it’s the former, then I suppose focusing design research on existing and unmet user needs is really just business as usual. If, however, it’s the latter, as Robinson and maybe little ol’ me (and a growing number of other influential experience design thinkers and doers) believe, then we’re going to have to rally for commitment and investment in deeply immersive and participatory design research if we want to drive real innovation, not just the loosely-stated, bandied-about idea of “innovation”.

And here’s the thing- what will ultimately reconcile the sociologist’s understanding of values and motivations with the designer’s focus on goals and needs will be a renewed and shared ambition to affect behavior change, rather than simply modification or adaptation.

Jun. 1, 2010 at 3:53pm
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2. “You should never just read for ‘enjoyment.’ Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. More apt to understand your friends’ insane behavior; or better yet, your own. Pick ‘hard books.’ Ones you have to concentrate on while reading. And for God’s sake, don’t let me ever hear you say, ‘I can’t read fiction. I only have time for the truth.’ Fiction is the truth, fool! Ever hear of ‘literature’? That means fiction, too, stupid.
— Flavorwire » John Waters’ 10 Best Pieces of Advice for Functional Freaks
May. 25, 2010 at 11:14am
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We believe every purchase is an act of citizenship. It amplifies something in the world, good, bad or indifferent.
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I love this idea. I mean, really love it. I’ve been thinking an awful lot about our stuff-driven lives: where stuff comes from, where it goes and what it means (and I think it should *mean* something) when it’s in our possession. From shopping local, to exploring the crafty world of Etsy, to choosing to make your own salsa instead of buying one of a million available grocery varieties…how are you voting with your dollars?

Citizen Commerce | Voting with Dollars | Unique gift ideas, creative gift ideas, Daily Grommet - Daily Grommet

May. 24, 2010 at 1:38pm
Mental Health Apps: Like A 'Therapist In Your Pocket' : NPR

Very interesting application of the Experience Sampling Method. I’ve been steadfastly collecting materials on mobile experience sampling…stay tuned for some cohesive thoughts and maybe just maybe some experimental app design.

May. 21, 2010 at 10:45am
It’s summertime, which means I switch to iced coffee. This morning, I stopped at a local Starbucks and noticed that they now offered these nifty BPA-free reusable versions of their iconic “cold-cup”, in the Venti size (because I like a lot of iced coffee…) I didn’t buy one (yet), but still, what a cool idea. This past holiday season, I purchased these lovely and durable porcelain “to-go” cups for myself and my friends, and I love ‘em! But since I’ve gone from hot to cold, the recent accumulation of plastic cups has been making me feel rather yuck. Come to find out that this little product innovation came from the “MyStarbucks” crowd-sourced innovation forum. How do you like that! Starbucks Venti To-Go Cold Cup Tumbler at StarbucksStore.com

It’s summertime, which means I switch to iced coffee. This morning, I stopped at a local Starbucks and noticed that they now offered these nifty BPA-free reusable versions of their iconic “cold-cup”, in the Venti size (because I like a lot of iced coffee…)

I didn’t buy one (yet), but still, what a cool idea. This past holiday season, I purchased these lovely and durable porcelain “to-go” cups for myself and my friends, and I love ‘em! But since I’ve gone from hot to cold, the recent accumulation of plastic cups has been making me feel rather yuck.

Come to find out that this little product innovation came from the “MyStarbucks” crowd-sourced innovation forum. How do you like that!

Starbucks Venti To-Go Cold Cup Tumbler at StarbucksStore.com

9:45am
Listen to this. It’s kind of like Luna-goes-to-Santa Monica. Whatever that means. Hazy, breezy summertime tunes. Thanks Ricardo! Music

Listen to this. It’s kind of like Luna-goes-to-Santa Monica. Whatever that means. Hazy, breezy summertime tunes. Thanks Ricardo!

Music

9:42am

This is getting my day started off just right.

WHERE IS THE MONEY GEORGE? (via bunuel3333)

May. 20, 2010 at 9:48am
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The biggest drain on momentum and brainpower in change efforts today is obsession with the project plan. I have seen more projects flounder and die because leaders and consultants are hammering out finely detailed project plans rather than engaging people.
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I challenge anyone to disagree with this. Now how do we fix it?

Project Planning Can Be a Costly Diversion | Fast Company

May. 19, 2010 at 9:05am
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Currently, all Americans are thrown into the same system. Both light users and heavy users go to the same place and have access to the same services. However, about 90% of us are light users. Our current services try to meet the needs of everyone. But it’s not working for anyone. We need to restructure and redesign the “System” into two communicating, efficient networks that have different resources, processes, and experiences.
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An intriguing and perhaps provocative idea for applying design thinking to the healthcare system, as well as healthcare experiences and delivery of care processes.

The Future Well | We design services and products that create health and happiness.