If you scroll down your feed, I bet you’ll find that purpose and system appear more frequently than most other terms. They are both embedded in our business lingo for a reason. ‘Purpose’ contains the notion of transformation and recognizes that companies are in business to make an impact and that teams can drive an enterprise to a preferred future. ‘System’ talks to operationalization through interdependence between parts and context, crucial to transformation as well.

Inclusivity can fix inequality and several other monstrous problems that won’t go away. It can also lead companies to brilliant outcomes. For my generation, the 21st century was a promise of better, more harmonious times. Humankind would finally have the science and technology to produce miracles and find peace. …

(Third in a series) Profound crises are impacting social structures, commerce, institutions, and the environment. It’s hard to see an end to this, but the ultimate impact is on people’s attitudes and behaviors. We have to assume the effect will be massively profound and that traditional approaches (developed in response…

(Second in a series) — Amid disruption, values change, and so do people’s expectations. There seems to be a consensus that this crisis will accelerate profound transformations across every aspect of life. Yes, it’s a platitude that could mean anything. Luckily, there are also visions of ‘new futures’ in place today, by a crop of…

We already see signs of a new reality forming: online vs. physical retail, wfh vs. office, hospitality vs. delivery, and on and on and on… Most of us expect to have to make substantial changes, but taking action early in this crisis can be paralyzingly hard. We are amid a…

Why do we value some objects more than others? Burning House is a photo project that asks people to share images of the objects they would save from their burning homes. It isn’t new or trending. …

Using service, product and communications to create and maintain customer relationships. (2017) It was no surprise to observe that innovation is focused primarily on the customer. Traditionally, designers use research and behavioral observations to define customer needs and ideate, prototype and develop solutions. …

Some businesses are winning by syncing their culture, operations and offerings with their customer and communities’ goals. (2017) What’s going on? Iconic, global brands are getting record setting shares for the worst reasons. Pepsi produced and aired a commercial that managed to offend the sensibilities of its most prized target audience, the youth…

Not everything we do is marketing, but everything we touch is media. (August, 2018) My second lecture this semester was meant to open students’ eyes to the new challenges facing designers in a cross-platform world. My line was meant to intrigue, and help them think of themselves as agents for…