What does chocolate-making have to do with saving the planet?
More than you might think. Together, IDEO and
@earthshotprize
created a Fellowship program and retreat to support a new generation of climate leaders. Learn more: .
#earthshotprize
#IDEO
As designers, it's hard to be sure we've got the right answers—after all, our job is to help create a future that is, by definition, uncertain. So how can we get more comfortable with being uncomfortable?
@martaharding
shares 3 ways to navigate ambiguity:
We stand with our Black colleagues here at IDEO, with Black communities worldwide, and with all those who are working to build a more just and equitable world. (1/4)
"Learning isn’t about the consumption of new information. Learning is the process of using our innate abilities to construct—or create—new understandings of the world. Learning, by its very nature, is a creative act."—
@sandyspeicher
"Most people perform at their best not because they’re specialists but because their deep skill is accompanied by an intellectual curiosity that leads them to ask questions, explore, and collaborate." Why companies should hire for curiosity:
@HarvardBiz
Systemic racism is by design. Black people have lived with this reality for centuries. It should not have taken 8 minutes and 46 seconds of watching George Floyd suffer for the rest of society to awaken. (1/6)
We are thrilled to share that
@sandyspeicher
will become CEO of
@IDEO
in August. More about the news, including the note
@tceb62
shared with IDEO today, here:
If innovation projects are going to succeed, they’ll need to survive a handoff from an innovation team to an execution team. Learn 3 new handoff models that can help teams stay connected through the transition: by
@thejoebrown
in
@HarvardBiz
“By making mindfulness a regular part of my design practice, I’ve not only become a better designer, but hopefully a kinder, more patient, and more empathetic person.”
"When you're approaching a new design challenge, it’s easy to bring your biases and baggage to the table. But this is the moment to stay open: The root of creativity is embracing the possibilities at your fingertips." Mindfulness practices for designers:
"If you see your role as a list of broken things that need to be fixed, life will deliver you nothing but. But if you actively seek creativity and fun, you might just find yourself successfully in the middle of the vibrant culture you’d once wished for."
Blockchain. You’ve heard the word. Perhaps you’ve invested in a digital currency or two. But do you really know what the technology is and why it matters?
@ideocolab
on why designers need to be thinking about
@blockchain
:
"Innovation demands new behaviors from leaders and employees that are often antithetical to corporate cultures, which are historically focused on operational excellence and efficiency." Culture change should be achieved through movements, not mandates:
Executing innovative ideas requires creativity, and creativity thrives in a work environment that fits the dynamic needs of modern teams.
@ideo_cd
shares 5 changes you can make to your work environment to help your company become more innovative:
Interested in today's most promising climate startups? Check out the
#EarthshotPrize
winners. Last week, we led a design fellowship in Windsor to set them up for success with Prince William, Tim Brown, Stuart Getty, Esha Reddy, Conor Farese, Jason Rissman.
How can our offices provide more business value? Should your organization open an innovation lab? Can our workplace language be more human-centered? Introducing The IDEO Journal, a new digital publication exploring the intersection of design and business:
“Culture is about creating an environment that makes it possible for people to work together to come up with innovative products and ideas.” 5 ways to jump-start your company culture: by
@anetferrara
"My basic principle about getting people together is: Talk normal. When possible, leave behind the jargon, and talk at the most normal, human way."—
@f_dust
via
@FastCompany
One year ago we launched The Circular Design Guide with Ellen MacArthur Foundation at
@Davos
. Today
@ideocolab
is convening partners to apply circular business models to industries in need of innovation, starting with textiles and food. Learn more:
"Design research is like being a reporter or anthropologist or therapist—you’re given access to people’s lives that feels like a great privilege, and with that privilege comes great responsibility."
Environments designers at
@IDEO
are constantly thinking about how we shape cities, and how cities shape us. Here are six ways we'd like to redesign urban life:
What’s the best way to cultivate empathy within an organization? Have employees spend time with their customers. But
@erinhenkel
&
@AdamMGrant
take it a step further: Instead of simply getting to know the customer, become the customer. More in
@HarvardBiz
:
Design thinking has the potential to “unleash people’s full creative energies, win their commitment, and radically improve processes.”
@HarvardBiz
shares how design thinking helps teams break free of the human biases that get in the way of innovation:
.
@OpenIDEO
designer
@scottshigeoka
thinks you should make a habit of talking to strangers—because “opportunities are everywhere if you’re always open.”
"Once you think of yourself as a creative person, you make better decisions. If you think of yourself as creative, then you can create a new future." —David Kelley,
@kelleybros
#creativeconfidence
Every person has a story as complex as yours. But how do you unlock those stories with a group of people you've just met? Here are 5 exercises to get you started:
“The best advice for service design prototyping, though, is the same as any other kind of design work: Do it early, do it often, and keep iterating toward the right solution.”
In a future of VR, AR, and digital assistants, many things are possible. But what is useful and desirable? How will people integrate these technologies into their lives? via
@ideo
+
@GooglePlayDev
"The promise of new technology has always been to expand our abilities as humans . It’s about looking beyond what the technology itself can do, toward what it enables us to do."
"There was no special analysis that they could have done beforehand to figure that out. No market research or benchmarking data would have suggested it. They had to build, fail, iterate, and repeat to find the answer."
"Inclusive, forward-thinking design doesn’t mean replicating what works well or feels right in our backyard. It means getting out there, dialing up your inner listener, and sitting down with someone completely unlike you."
How can design help reduce the 1.3 billion tons of food humans toss out every year?
@ideo
has partnered with
@RockefellerFdn
and other organizations to build a future where food is never wasted:
"Creativity isn’t all about fun. Acknowledging that allows us to design better environments and processes that support the profound vulnerability necessary to develop creative solutions."—
@sandyspeicher
Prototyping early on in the design process can spark conversations that are less about “we need to do this” and more about “what if we do that?” Here are 4 things to keep in mind when creating early prototypes:
An idea can have everything it needs to succeed, but without a smooth handoff from the innovation team to the execution team, it can get lost in translation.
@IDEO
's
@thejoebrown
shares 4 handoff models that can help teams stay connected: via
@HarvardBiz
"An intersection of AI and design is in creating personalized products and services that meet people’s needs and guide them to discover and explore the world in ways they couldn’t without the technology."
@IDEO
's
@mstringer
via
@FastCoDesign
From coming up with ideas for a family vacation to planning your next dinner party, mindmaps can be used for all sorts of problem solving. An exercise from Creative Confidence by
@kelleybros
:
Prototyping on day one of a new project can create a sense of excitement and momentum shared by you and the client, giving the team an important confidence boost.
According to
@wef
, creativity is one of the key skills leaders will need to face the increasingly complex challenges the future has in store. Use these 10 exercises to build your creative confidence:
"Learning is the process of using our innate abilities to construct—or create—new understandings of the world. Learning, by its very nature, is a creative act."—
@sandyspeicher
"Even a simple project can be life-changing." In this
@washingtonpost
story on preparing kids for today's workforce,
@IDEO
partner
@sandyspeicher
shares how small creative projects can empower students to apply their creativity to bigger challenges: