{Recap} Fireside Chat with Adam Reineck — Global Design Director at IDEO.org
On 19th of June between 6pm and 8pm, about 100 people gathered at the iHub for a fireside chat with Adam Reineck — Global design director at IDEO.org. This was Nairobi Design Community’s first event of event of 2018 (face palm) but we couldn’t have started the year better than this.
IDEO.org mission is to improve the lives of people in poor and vulnerable communities through design. They use human-centered design to create products, services, and experiences that improve the lives of people living in poverty.
When we had that Adam is going to be in town for 4 days, we reached out for a possible event. When he confirmed availability Kirui and I went on to organize and aggressively market the event, we only had 2 days to do so. To our surprise 100 tickets sold out on the first day, we added 50 more which sold out over the weekend.
About Adam
As Global Design Director at IDEO.org, Adam Reineck focuses on guiding projects and initiatives through the lens of design excellence. Adam has broad experience in product design, service design, and brand strategy and has worked in partnership with social enterprises and foundations on challenges related to energy, water and sanitation, healthcare, and financial opportunity.
Before joining IDEO.org, he spent eight years as a principal designer at IDEO and worked on a diverse set of international projects with clients including the U.S. Department of Energy, Nike, Samsung, LG, HP, and the North Face. He first worked with IDEO.org in 2011 as a Fellow in the organization’s inaugural year. He founded New Factory, a design studio that bridges innovation and craft, in 2012. Adam’s work has been published in Fast Company, BBC, Wired, Cell Magazine, and the New York Times. He has received design awards from IDEA, ID Magazine, Red Dot, iF, and others. He studied Industrial Design at California College of the Arts.
The Conversation
This was my first ever event to moderate I was excited because design is close to my heart, I believe that through design we can change and improve lives. I had key talking points but my intention was to allow the audience to ask more questions and engage with Adam.
We talked about his education background, his transition into the design industry and his experience working with different brands. Adam started his career as an intern at IDEO.com.
What is the difference between IDEO.com and IDEO.org? IDEO.org focuses on challenges around poverty while IDEO.com works on all other types of projects.
Design Thinking
Adam studied industrial design. This is common when it comes to design thinking. We have few people who actually studied design thinking. It is almost always a journey from other disciplines. When I asked Adam the difference between Human centered design and design thinking, he mentioned that he doesn’t like the use to use the terms to define what he does. Weird right? see when you brand something there is a big chance it loses the original meaning. Adam imagines a world where we can just say “We’re doing a great design that encompasses sustainability and impact.” Unfortunately we still have to use buzz words because the world around design hasn’t transitioned into this mind set.
How do you sell design thinking to clients in emerging markets?
How can designers brand and identify themselves for the market?
We also talked about the opening of IDEO.org studio in Nairobi. IDEO.org does a lot of work in Africa and there was a need to bring and office closer to the people, they also plan to invest in local talents and the design community.
I paused a question about hiring and what Adam looks for as a design director when hiring new designers.
Who is an ideal designer?
What do you look for when hiring designers?
The future of design
Adam shared a few insights on what he thinks the future of design is. Designers will need to maintain a multi disciplinary mindset while having a core skill and being able to solve problems at a high level.
Overall it was a great event as we allowed the audience to ask more questions. This made the conversation very engaging. Thanks everyone who made this event a success.
Whats next?
We had an overwhelming response (53 responses) to the design sprint workshop and we are currently planning to do conduct the half-day session in the first or second week of July. Most survey participants indicated that the weekend would be the most appropriate time slot and as a result, we are planning to have it on a Saturday morning. We will keep you posted, please follow us on twitter to ensure you don’t miss out on upcoming events.
