SXSW (...tangential)

hey folks -- wanted to check in to see if any of y'all are heading out to Austin for SXSW. Adam, Daniel and I will all be out there from the 10th through the 16th. if you guys are around, it would be great to meet up! and if you have any panel recos, we'd love to hear them! xx

Embodied cognition and design

a really interesting and insightful article (h/t to gary hustwit) about how something as simple and mundane as a coffee cup can trigger certain emotions, feelings and perceptions about the world around you. and i love the idea that we should be designing things for the human mind (cognitive ergonomics) in an effort (ultimately) to produce "nice" thoughts.

Myth busting

Some good headlines but shaky shaky explanations.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1exLus/www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/2011/03/5-design-thinking-myths-in-business/

Criticism of Design Thinking

Or not so much design thinking itself, but the 'this fixes everything' mentality that the author says comes with it. (link)

There are probably better criticisms out there. Will share them if I find them. Anyone else seen anything like that?

It's not biking, it's Cruising.

Here's an article Adam and I stumbled upon that gives a great overview of design thinking (including a look at the 'personality profile' of a design thinker), and also an interesting outline of IDEO's design process.

They cover a few really interesting IDEO examples, including how they helped identify an opportunity for a new type of bike for Shimano - one aimed at people who found traditional cycling intimidating (in terms of cost, the technical expertise needed, the fitness requirements, etc.). They looked at what people feared / wanted, and based on that branded an entirely new biking experience - Cruising.

Brilliant? B.S.? It certainly appears to have worked.

Overview of Design Thinking

There may be a lot of navel gazing around what design thinking is and is not, but this is still an interesting read on exactly that. (From Fast Company, almost five years ago).

One particularly good point on why the process of design thinking is important in and of itself -because we don't necessarily know what we're looking for:

The byproduct of the process is often other unique ideas and strategies that are tangential to the initial objective as defined.

This entire approach seems to make a whole lot of sense. So why is some form of the design thinking process not standard operating procedure for anyone trying to solve a problem, build a business, identify opportunities for innovation, etc.?

"the biggest art movement in the history of human kind"

Not the Renaissance. Graffiti!

"Bomb It". 2007 - Graffiti documentary.

Graphic design in the raw. Vastly different approaches from an amazing array of people. Much of it a world away from Exit Through the Gift Shop. It brings up some great questions about legitimacy, motivation, beauty and culture.

http://www.bombit-themovie.com/

Streaming on Netflix.