It’s a zoo.

July 7, 2010

Hippos, Seagulls, Chickens & Pigs

How many times have you been off on your merry way during a design effort and in comes the stakeholder that completely de-rails what is looking to be a success? Jared Spool calls this “swoop and poop” leaving everyone in chaos. Beware of Seagull Management!

How about the HIPPO that drops a bomb on a feature or design direction?

And don’t forget about chickens and pigs:

Funny that “design” and “experience” can mean so many things to decision makers that are not in the game but call it from the sidelines or the stands. Personally, I strive for practical ways, tools, and exercises to get everyone on the same page and committed.

When it comes to teams that perform well, remember the now classic analogy. Pigs should be empowered and expected to make decisions, as they’re the ones with skin in the game and on the front lines. Chickens only have something to gain by the pigs performing. I continue to believe that Agile & SCRUM are a perfect fit in the creative workplace and not just a methodology for software development.

Healers

January 13, 2010

Meeting musicians, rock stars, movie stars, actors, artsists, and all the glitz that follows is cool. Though, I learned through the years that often I am far more engaged by the craft and work produced than the person, or persona, I meet.

Now, Doctors … they wow me. I become star-struck in the very presence. Truly. Perhaps it’s the more romantic notion of “healer” that resonates strong with me. These are professionals that serve the human experience every day and they directly impact our lives and in one of the most profound ways.

While I’m currently in the “eye of the storm” for an Experience Design study focused on Physicians, I wanted to share the observation of how much I value the opportunity of serving them and, hopefully, their patients through Design Thinking. While being honest with this observation, Ryan Armbruster and Mark Hurst come quickly to mind. They sure are on.

2010 and Charged.

January 4, 2010

I am charged and thrive when providing valuable service to business and people. I am a firm believer that design thinking is the next competitive advantage in business and will be for as far as I can tell. I am fortunate enough to have practiced and gained design sensibility with research ability … and confident in understanding the balance of both. I am committed to trusting my instincts more and more every day, as Vision is a terrible thing to waste.

I’ve found that designing for evil and being micro-managed drains people and should be avoided at all costs. I embrace empowerment and the trust that is granted and earned from strong relationships. I continue to ask, in the most sincere way, who am I and how I am serving our world.

I am thankful for the powerful experiences and amazing people that I’ve encountered in the last decade. I look forward to what’s to come in the next and what I make of it. I am eager to continue my learning and understand it often begins with clear goals.

Business Analysis vs. Design Thinking

November 23, 2009

I have a great deal of thinking to share on the topic. To start, I enjoyed Harold Hambrose’s article’s:

http://www.wrenchinthesystem.info/2009/08/business-analyst-vs-designer/

http://www.cio.com/article/499620/Q_A_Why_Are_Enterprise_Applications_Underused_Poor_Software_Design

More to come.

World Usability Day 2009

November 12, 2009

Today I spanned two cities, Philadelphia and New York, for inspiration … to fill my tank … to see and hear from my peers on what’s going in the world of “sustainable design.” While we’re all saturated with marketing campaigns and the whole advertising world going green … is there any true impact being made?

Perhaps my expectations were too low. Maybe my head has been far down in work for too long. I am amazed, inspired, and energized by all those that have taken on the effort to influence the world through design and make a personal choice (with all of the  sacrifice that follows) to positively affect the lives of others. And you know what? Humans are responding. Naturally, when there is emotion and honesty in an effort, it resonates powerfully in others.

I am gracious to all contributors for a fun and stimulating day. I hope to provide highlights and resources here. For now, I have to share how much I loved hearing Michael Dwork’s story about Verterra.

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