Stanford d.school

Thrilled to be attending Stanford d.school this week—taking an opportunity get creative, solve problems, and learn something new! A huge thank you to the Royal Academy of Engineering and ev.energy for supporting me to participate in this world-class program. Looking forward to collaborating with an inspiring cohort and bringing innovative ideas to life! ?? #ShottScaleUpAccelerator #DesignThinking #SilliconValley #Innovation

Last Thursday I had the chance to serve as a judge for the final critique in Charlotte McCurdy's course, Design 289: Redress: Biomaterials and the Future of Fashion at the Stanford d.school. Over the past 10 weeks, students have been working on projects at the intersection of sustainability, textiles, and biomaterials innovation. Most of them had little to no experience in these domains prior to the course, and what they were able to come up with in just one quarter was amazing to see. All of the projects were fantastic, but some of my favorites were an agar-based aerosol for making shoes, e.coli repurposed to create natural dyes, color-changing clothing coatings activated by sun and UV light, and a sustainable alternative to wool. Several of these projects were supported by the GSE Makery, and it was a lot of fun to see them come to life over the course of the quarter. It's really exciting to see this type of work being explored a bit more at Stanford, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it. You can learn more about the course here: https://lnkd.in/gm_8bieu #DesignInnovation #Sustainability #FutureFashion #Making #Makerspace

Discover how Roman Sanchez, Chief Innovation Officer for the city of El Paso, Texas, is flipping the script on local government by putting people first leveraging human-centered design practices. Click through to learn more about: -How Roman and his team turned intimidating COVID testing centers into welcoming spaces that people actually used during the pandemic -The 3-step approach that changed conversations with community members -The surprising way the city is involving everyone from seniors to young students in city budgeting BONUS: If you?work in local government and want to learn more about incorporating design into your work, check out our upcoming webinar featuring Roman, Nadia Roumani, and Bre Przestrzelski. Link in the comments. #LocalGovernment #Design #CommunityEngagement #HumanCenteredDesign

The latest episode of On Campus is out now! ??? I had an insightful conversation with Laura McBain, from the Stanford d.school, about design thinking and how it’s transforming higher education and communities. Don’t miss this one! #highereducation #designthinking Stanford University

Five years after COVID upended everything, one thing is clear: disruption is the new normal. Executive Coach and Advisor Rae Ringel and I teamed up to write a new article for Harvard Business Review published today called "5 Pandemic-Era Lessons on Leading Through Drastic Change.” As we reflect, "Five years later, it’s clear that major disruptions are no longer rare events. Whether sparked by global health crises, geopolitical conflicts, or technological upheavals, leaders now operate in an environment where significant change can emerge at any moment." In the article we outline five essential skills for thriving in an era of continuous change—from balancing employee and company needs to making smart decisions with limited information. ?? Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/g3ZNMqd6 #Leadership #FutureOfWork #HBR #FuturesThinking

I captured this moment at SXSW, where I facilitated an activity based on Charlotte Burgess Auburn’s book at the light house by the Stanford d.school, Siegel Family Endowment and The Tech We Want. Conference visitors had a chance to slow down and reflect by putting their personal values and principles onto paper. Companies have their big, bold value statements and design principles (some more than just words on a slide, some… less so), but how often do we do that for ourselves? Externalizing them, making them explicit. Glue-sticking our souls onto cardstock. Having them ready and in-sight at our desk when we have to make a tricky decision at work. Because outer work needs inner work. And honestly, people loved it. Maybe because in a world of drag-and-drop, AI-generated everything, and the sweet, sweet power of Ctrl+Z, physically cutting something out and gluing it down felt like a commitment. A decision you couldn’t just backspace your way out of. Terrifying. Thrilling. The ultimate act of rebellion. And then, in a moment of pure serendipity, four complete strangers, sitting next to each other by accident, unknowingly picked the exact same quote from all the options in front of them: “This moment, right now.” Either the universe was sending a message, or we accidentally created a hive mind. Either way, 10/10 would do it again.