Undisciplined By Design

We sit down with Lyn Jeffrey of Institute for the Future to unpack why foresight is becoming a must-have skill in a world defined by uncertainty. From spotting subtle signals of change in everyday life to rethinking how innovation actually happens, this conversation challenges the idea that the future is something you wait for and instead positions it as something you actively shape. We explore wh...

Hans Heim and Roxy Lo of  Ibis Cycles  explore the delicate balance between driving innovation to stay ahead of trends while staying grounded in what customers are actually ready for – the MAYA principle of “ Most Advanced Yet Acceptable”.  We also discuss the value of thoughtful, deliberate risks and playing the innovation long-game when building a company in the shadow of Silicon Valley.

Today we’re joined by Dennis Boyle , Partner Emeritus and one of the original founders of groundbreaking design and innovation consultancy IDEO . In this unprecedented look at the story behind some of the most significant innovations of our modern era, Dennis shares insights from the early days of building IDEO's impressive catalog of game-changing product innovations. Among others, we'll...

In today's episode Lauren Meadow , Principal Strategist at Forum for the Future , explains how plants, animals, and systems in nature can translate to innovation opportunities for products, services, and human-designed systems. We'll also discuss why moving toward sustainable products and practices is not just ethical, but also a smart business strategy. 

Season 3 opens with Ryan Baum , partner at Jump Associates , a Silicon Valley based consultancy that regularly advises Fortune 100 companies on large-scale innovation projects and strategy. Ryan highlights the importance of keeping a future-focused mindset in times of uncertainty, and offers practical ways to make vision-driven business decisions that rise above the chaos.

In part 2 of our conversation with Fortune 150  Duke Energy Design Strategy Lead  Ben Kimmerle , Ben discusses the importance of taking an incremental approach to innovation and staying agile when leading change in large organizations and industries where moving fast and breaking things isn't an option.

Today's episode is part 1 of our 2 part conversation with Fortune 150 energy company Duke Energy Design Strategy Lead Ben Kimmerle . Ben shares insights on bringing a designer's approach to innovating in a field where user experience and customer journeys are not the norm. He'll also share stories about the power of incorporating customer feedback in unique ways.

In today's episode, futurist and innovation pioneer Michael Arent discusses his 40+ year career working at the forefront of human-computer interaction and innovation. Michael led innovation and design teams at companies like Apple and Sun Microsystems at a time when technology was evolving faster than anyone thought was possible and early visions of modern human-computer interaction were still in...

This episode features the marketing mind behind some of today’s most disruptive companies, including Impossible Foods and 23&Me. Silicon Valley-based product marketer Christa Olsen shares her perspective on taking a human centered approach to product marketing and why asking questions like  “just because we can build it, should we?” is a crucial step in the innovation process. 

Today's episode features Marshal Pursley, Director of the Technical Specialist Team at Microsoft. He shares insights and stories on the power of field observations and starting with human behaviors when innovating in the tech space. We also learn more about the 4 P’s of effective storytelling.

Today's episode goes deep with senior design leaders at Instagram , sharing insights on the power of translating physical habits and behaviors to digital platforms and features. We’ll also discuss Instagram’s approach to inviting users into the co-creation of product features, and giving people the tools to express themselves in a digital world.  Featuring special guests Jasmine Probst - Head...

Today's guest is Dan Harden, visionary designer, inventor, and the CEO and founder of Whipsaw - a design and strategy consultancy with over 700 patents and 1,000 projects to their name - including the Owala FreeSip, Nike FuelBand, and Google's Chromecast. Dan shares insights from his 25+ year career, including a strategic framework to approach new-to-market ideas and adopting the mindset o...

Today's episode discusses the concept of facilitative leadership as a tool to bring out the best in cross disciplinary teams, and insights on taking a human-centered approach to planning cities of the future. Our guest Daniel Iacofano is the CEO, Founder, and President of MIG - a global firm with 14 locations and more than 40 years of planning, designing, and sustaining environments that support h...

Our 2025 opener features design leader Joe Stizlein, Executive Director of Silicon-Valley based Stitzlein Studios . Over his 30 year industry-spanning career, Joe’s built global design studios for Google and Nike, spearheaded the design identity for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program, and designed iconic identities for household names like Netflix, Mac OS 10 and the Nike Flyknit. In today’s episod...

Today’s episode features part 2 of our conversation with Silicon Valley based Jump Associates , the world’s leading independent strategy and innovation firm. Director of Strategy Michael Fazio and Senior Innovation Strategist Ameila Carpenter discuss what it means to be a purpose driven company, and the effect it can have on your organization. 

For the Season 2 opener, we visit Silicon Valley based Jump Associates , the world’s leading independent strategy and innovation firm. We’ll chat with Director of Strategy Michael Fazio and Senior Innovation Associate Ameila Carpenter about the importance of being a future focused company, how to navigate the future, and how Jump uses a transdisciplinary approach to unlocking innovation.

In today’s episode we continue our conversation Paul Hatch, former CEO of product development consultancy Teams Design.  We’ll dig into Paul’s insights on developing the DNA of a cross-disciplinary team, and the power of leveraging people’s innate abilities to unlock full potential.

Paul Hatch , multi-disciplinary design expert and former CEO of globally recognized Teams design , shares wisdom from more than 20 years of experience leading cross-disciplinary teams and driving innovation through design. Part 1 of this 2 episode interview includes topics like the "rebirth" of expertise, and the movement to democratize design practices and tools for broader impact.  

In today’s episode we’ll talk with Hector Ariza, Global Design Director with Kimberly-Clark. Hector shares his perspective on the significance of developing your craft, and the evolution of design thinking approaches from more than 2 decades of leading global design teams for consumer products and brands. 

In today’s episode we’ll chat with a team of design researchers from Doblin, a Chicago-based consultancy that works at the intersection of human-centered design, research, and business strategy. They’ll share insights on using design processes to solve business problems, and the journey of building credibility with clients and collaborators. 

In today’s episode we continue our conversation with Simon King and Kelly Bjork of IDEO, where we’ll chat about the power of bringing discipline-specific expertise to collaborative environments where “staying in your lane” isn’t an option, and the value of inviting clients into the design process throughout the evolution of a project.  

This episode is part 1 of a conversation with Simon King and Kelly Bjork, design directors at IDEO 's Chicago studio. In this episode we'll explore how IDEO leverages a "post-disciplinary" approach to building teams and solving creative challenges, and the importance of using internal critique at key stages of a project to maximize impact.

In this episode we talk with Dave Seal, Design Director of Chicago-based design and innovation consultancy MINIMAL , about the nuances of truly blurring discipline lines when using design to solve problems, and even challenge some traditional definitions and parameters of what it means to be a “designer”. 

This episode is part 2 of a conversation with Sam Amis, former Nike footwear and "innovation kitchen" designer and Director of Product Design at The James Brand, and Malcolm Lee, SVP of Financial Center Design at Bank of America. Sam and Malcom each have more than a decade of experience progressing their careers through a variety of design roles at boutique firms, high end consultancies, startups,...

Today's episode features Sam Amis, former Nike footwear and "innovation kitchen" designer and Director of Product Design at The James Brand, and Malcolm Lee, SVP of Financial Center Design at Bank of America. Sam and Malcom each have more than a decade of experience progressing their careers through a variety of design roles at boutique firms, high end consultancies, startups, and large corporatio...