Technical Difficulties

Join Alison, an innovation leader, and a self described “experience unicorn," having been an academic, media/tech leader, entrepreneur, and non-profit exec. Today, she is the Chief Research, Education, Data, and Impact Officer at Sesame Workshop. Watch the video version on Youtube Tune in to hear Alison’s perspective on: - Her career path in academia to media and technology - Sesame Workshop’s app...

Join Radhika, the founder of Reground Design, a practice focused on developing implementable solutions to civic challenges in healthcare, education, human migration and community resilience. Watch the video version on Youtube Tune in to hear Radhika’s perspective on: - The power of design, and structuring engagements that build partnership - Racoon birthday parties - Designing, film-making, roboti...

Join Erin, CEO and co-founder of Desklight, a learning innovation firm that brings a learner-centered focus to instructional design. Erin is passionate about helping individuals and companies unlock their learning potential, and tells us about her journey as a design entrepreneur. Watch the video version on Youtube Tune in to hear Erin’s perspective on: - Creativity tools and her start in graphic/...

Join Maalvika, a dual PhD student at Northwestern studying Computer Science and Communication who is excited about understanding “how we exist on and with the internet.” You might also know from her podcast, “show me how good it gets” and @maaltoks on TikTok! Watch the video version on Youtube Tune in to hear Maalvika’s perspective on: - Connections between her PhD interests and her observations o...

Join Sarah, Global VP of Design where she leads designers, researchers and writers to bring us meaningful and accessible user experiences to an app that we all know and love—LinkedIn! Watch the video version on Youtube Tune in to hear Sarah’s perspective on: - Her educational path in HCI - Being an individual contributor vs. managing - Prioritizing user experience and trust in LinkedIn products -...

What does design leadership look like in tech? Join Nicole Kahn, VP of Design at Carta, as she reflects on discovering design research, the secret to telling sticky stories, and transitioning into tech. She has led design at companies like IDEO and WeWork, and is now building out what good design looks like at Carta. Nicole coined the "Bar Test" for storytelling, and is dedicated to unlocking the...

How did researching buffet lines inspire the pursuit of designing technology? Join Emily Harburg, CEO of PairUp, as she takes us along her adventures in industry, startups, and academia. Emily worked on theme park technology at Disney Imagineering, UX research at Facebook (Meta), and led Emerging Tech and Innovation and EF Education First . Emily received her PhD in Technology and Social Behavior...

How do you create space for your identity in design? Join Lesley-Ann Noel, an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University, as she brings us along her entire design journey—from her first encounters with design education, creating the Designer's Critical Alphabet, and recently, The Little Book of Designer's Existential Crises in 2022. Lesley brings an expan...

What does "code is power" mean through a technology, design, and justice lens? Join Amy Ko, Professor at the University of Washington Information School, as she recounts her adventures in human-computer interaction, the tech startup world, and academia. She is a leader in computer science education with over 100 published papers and recognition from the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery). A...

How does one become a Managing Director of Play? Join Michelle Lee, Partner and Managing Director at IDEO, as she delves into the twists and turns of her design career, starting out as an undergrad unsure how to blend engineering and art, to eventually leading Design for Play at IDEO's Play Lab. She believes the most unconventional paths are the ones that will make you most equipped. At the Play L...

What is the business case for costume weeks at work or school? Join Emily Ma, Head of Food for Good at Google, as she takes us through her design engineering journey and the curiosities that led her to interesting places. Her work on food and data started at X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory (where she also worked on Glass, Loon and Waymo!). Now, Food for Good is core to Google, where Emily reimagine...