What does an innovation strategist do? The opportunity to become an “Innovation Strategist” catches people’s attention. Since our initial posting for the role in Toronto, we’ve received over 120 resumes from dynamic, brilliant young individuals all interested in joining the Idea Couture team. From the outside looking in, innovation strategy sounds incredibly sexy (and it certainly looks good on a business card). But if you ask a typical applicant what exactly they think an innovation strategist does, what usually follows is blank stares, buzz words, or my favorite, “They strategize innovation”. None of those are good answers. There’s nothing worse than expecting one thing and getting another. So here are a few of the tasks, activities, and responsibilities of your typical innovation strategist. Project DesignInnovation strategist as the planner Business Strategy Innovation strategist as the box builder Design Research Innovation strategist as design researcher Workshop Innovation strategist as a facilitator Design Development
Building and Maintaining a Strong Online Network {*style:<b> </b>*}Interactive designers tend to be early adopters who stay well ahead of the curve. But no matter how technically experienced and web savvy you are, there are still nuances to be aware of as you navigate the ever-evolving world of online networking. Follow these five rules to build a strong network: Stay active Make no mistake, tending to your digital life takes time and effort, but it’s important. Keep your profiles current by adding content on a regular basis. Live DesignCast Ilise Benun will show you how to develop clients using LinkedIn on Thursday, March 15, at 2 p.m. Respect the rule of reciprocity Online networking is a two-way street, so reaching out only when you need something won’t work. The most effective networkers are responsive, reliable and resourceful. Don’t be slapdash The more frequently people communicate online, the more unfiltered and careless they’re likely to become. Also, it’s worth it to put some safety nets in place. Realize it’s not a numbers game
MISC Magazine | The Future of Design Education Design schools have built up an expectation that they can equip students to tackle complex problems through the power of creativity alone. They can’t. They don’t. And they continue to fool themselves with four big myths about creativity. Myth 1: Creativity and design are inseparable. Myth 2: Analytical people are generally not creative people. Myth 3: is that, when it comes to design, creativity must be unbound from the laws, structures and processes of the day-to-day world. Myth 4: is that which surrounds the recent and very popular theme of ‘design for social change’. This article appears in MISC Winter 2014, The Balance Issue Want to work for us? The Saylor Academy relies heavily on members of the academic community in order to fulfill its mission. We are always in search of progressive-thinking deans, professors, assistant professors, instructors, teaching assistants, and students of varying levels of education (from high school level interns to graduate students) willing to share the breadth of their knowledge and expertise in order to make the Academy a success. Please see below for specific job postings. Unless specifically indicated, pay is commensurate with experience. Due to the volume of applications received, the Saylor Academy may be unable to respond to all queries about the status of open positions and/or to all applicants. Director, Educational Services Consulting Teacher Temporary Front-End Developer Grants Coordinator The Saylor Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Remote collaborative sketching, brainstorming and design studio techniques I’ve been facilitating design studios with collocated teams for years. Many, including me, have covered the benefits of collaboratively sketching new ideas and concepts with a cross-functional team. Recently though, I was tasked with bringing this exercise to a distributed team. With the product and user experience team in New York and the development team in Vancouver, it proved to be an interesting challenge. What follows is a play-by-play of how we set up the exercise and executed as well as an analysis of the successes and failures of this first attempt. It’s worth noting that this was the team’s first design studio ever – which added another layer of complexity to the event. We gave the teams a brief heads up of what was going to happen and asked everyone to come to their individual conference rooms with their own laptops. Priming the pump with affinity mapping Since this was their first collaborative sketching session, we didn’t want to jump right into drawing. 6-up template [Jeff]
Make a Good Impression in 30 Seconds - Ron Ashkenas by Ron Ashkenas | 12:52 PM February 6, 2012 This post was co-authored with Holly Newman. Here in the U.S., the Super Bowl this weekend showed us the power of 30-second advertisements, and how influential they can be in promoting a company’s awareness. But how often do we craft our own 30-second spots with audiences that we want to influence? Most of us are not in the business of making TV commercials, but in conversations there is almost always a 30-second moment that can make the meeting memorable. Malcolm Gladwell touches on this phenomenon in his book, Blink. So how do you turn your moment into an award-winning spot? Capture your audience’s attention. Convey a clear message. Focus on differentiation. When you combine these three elements, you’ve got the potential for an influential “spot.” Our world is filled with noise, information, and distractions; so having someone’s undivided attention — even for 30 seconds — is an opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted.
design studies forum › Rethinking Design Thinking: Part I This article originally appeared in Design and Culture, Volume 3, Number 3, November 2011 Abstract The term design thinking has gained considerable attention over the past decade in a wide range of organizations and contexts beyond the traditional preoccupations of designers. Introduction Professional design is now operating within an expanded and increasingly complex field. For design firms working for global clients in relentless pursuit of new markets, new offerings and new kinds of value creation, design itself is being remade (Tonkinwise 2010). While much of this critical discussion is beginning to take shape outside design circles, this article will examine design thinking from within. If we explore design thinking by using theories of practice, we may better understand designers’ work within the social worlds in which it takes place. Asking What If: The Designer as Cultural Interpreter In just the last five years, the term is more and more ubiquitous. Understanding Design Thinking
The Rhetoric of the CV - Manage Your Career By Joshua R. Eyler When you send in your job-application materials, you're not just assembling separate documents to fulfill the requirements of an ad. In a fall seminar at George Mason University, "Preparing for Careers in the Academy," I worked with advanced doctoral students to help them think about the larger message they were sending in their application materials. I wanted students in the seminar to understand that each of their documents should be crafted meticulously, paying close attention to the rhetorical choices they are making. It is perhaps easiest to think about issues of rhetoric when considering a candidate's cover letter or statement of teaching philosophy. The CV has a reputation for being purely utilitarian in nature and, as such, has less glamour than other application materials. In each section, and in the document as a whole, candidates must make an argument that moves from the most important evidence to the least important. What to do with everything else.
The Grove | The Leaders of Visual Planning, Team Performance, and Graphic Facilitation for over 30 Years. In Debt to Your Degree - Advice By Professor Pennywise As strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" waft across the perfumed spring air, it seems just the time for Pennywise to take up cudgels against the staggering debt levels plaguing university graduates. Both undergraduates and those seeking a Ph.D. all too often find themselves in the cold embrace of debt these days. One reason is the pernicious ubiquity of credit cards, with punishing rates of interest. Another is the decline of federal student aid, replaced by loans. Tuition inflation is a third. To those mired in debt—both students and faculty members—this column is for you. Pennywise believes that much of the household debt explosion of the past 30 years is a consequence of consumers borrowing simply to tread water, combined with ruthless, predatory lending practices—including by mainstream banks. Anyone can fall into the debt trap when hit by unexpected adversity: chronic health trouble, a death in the family, a downsizing. Take responsibility. Tally your debt.
Strategic Design MBA Course Descriptions Download the course schedule forJanuary 2013 - June 2015Cohort 1, Cohort 2, and Cohort 3 Course 1: Innovative Leadership Compare to traditional MBA courses: Leadership, Organizational Behavior This course addresses the skills, concepts, and mind-set that support leadership in complex, innovative organizations. Course 2: Design Research for Business Compare to traditional MBA courses: Market Research, Statistics This course provides students with the qualitative and quantitative tools they need to find and frame opportunities, construct successful project briefs, and apply the design research method to products, services and experiences by exploring and documenting new research techniques. Course 3: Business Model Development PROJECT COURSE Compare to traditional MBA courses: Strategy, Organizational Structure, Business Planning, Marketing, IT Management In this course students explore a customer-centric approach to business models. Course 4: Metrics I: Financial Reporting and Analysis
The Lonely Lobby of the Job Hotel - John Lees by John Lees | 2:39 PM October 13, 2011 I’m losing an argument with Bill, one of my clients. He’s been looking for a job for five months and, like so many at this stage, announces that he is “lowering his sights” in terms of salary and status. He plays his trump card: “Listen, John — there are only so many jobs out there. The best job search in the world can’t change that fact. I’m tempted to jump on that last word, because realistic is too often a second-hand picture of reality. But I’ll take Bill’s main point on the chin. “Bill,” I say, “three years ago people fell into jobs. Bill is looking glum, so I tell him about the job hotel. “This week you went back to the job hotel and the lobby was full of people who had lost their luggage and missed their flights. The analogy is imperfect, but at least Bill smiles. In tough times, “something will come along” doesn’t cut it. Don’t spend all day at your computer.
A (Nearly) Complete Online Toolkit For Startups When you’re launching a startup, what’s the one thing you need? Initial funds? Organization? A plan? Well, yes—but also tools. Fortunately for entrepreneurs, there are tons of web apps out there—many of them free—to help handle the business side while you catapult your product into the market. 1. Great for: Back office number crunching How it works: Keep all your accounting and HR reports in the cloud to keep everything straight—and saved. 2. Great for: Onboarding new employees. How it works: Onboarding takes a lot of time—and a lot of paperwork. 3. Great for: Finding new employees via social networks. How it works: Zao is basically a referral program based on social media. 4. Great for: Sales CRM. How it works: Make customer relationship management your #1 priority by using Pipedrive on mobile or desktop. 5. Great for: Managing employee perks. How it works: Use this customizable platform to request new perks in your area, and AnyPerk will see what they can do. 6. 7. 8. Great for: Bookkeeping
Insights into applying to jobs » Why Employers Prefer Chronological Resumes Over Functional: If you’ve ever tried to hide gaps in work history, a limited amount of professional work experience, or too many different job titles, chances are you may have used a functional resume to get the job done. But ask any hiring manager if it worked — chances are, you increased your likelihood of landing in the rejection pile. Recruiters and hiring managers alike have been around the block more than a few times. They know all the tricks in the book. Many times, submitting a functional resume in lieu of a chronological resume sends off red flags for the employer. What is a chronological resume? A chronological resume typically includes your work experience in reverse chronological order, followed by your education, skills, certifications, honors, awards, or achievements. However, there are other benefits to the chronological resume as well: Clear and concise: As mentioned, chronological resumes are easier for recruiters to read. Downfalls of chronological resumes