When trying to understand what an audience needs it pays to dig deeper than the obvious solutions. This means framing and reframing the problem we are trying to solve. One of the easiest and often ignored concepts is that needs are verbs not nouns. A verb will allow your imagination to fly whereas thinking of your users’ need as a noun means you have already defined the solution. Nouns constrain our thinking to varia

I Like I Wonder is about driving creative action, check out event #3 “Hack Your Learning” with Steve Hargadon. You’ll not only get the chance to listen to Steve present but also ‘play’ with him in the workshop that follows. Steve’s session is designed to help you better take charge of your own learning. The Internet and social media are opening new doors for initiatives, creation,

The success of applying design (thinking) to your business problems isn’t just in the process you follow or the activities you undertake. Anyone can pick up a copy of d.school’s amazing tools and start using them. Often, in haste to get going, they ditch the one vital page in the download – the design mindset. CEOs and companies around the world are starting to turn their back on design thinking say

The fact that some people are naturally better at different parts of the design process than others has become more apparent than ever of late. We know diverse teams matter, bringing in people from all areas of the organisation (the accountants, guys from ops and front of house, interns and executives) is important. Sometimes that team is compiled without worrying about which parts of the design process they are actu

I visited Google as part of Better by Design’s US Study Tour 2012. Whether the vibe of the place delights you or weirds you out (that’s me), it is impressive and somewhat inspiring.  The campus that we visited in Palto Alto was huge. About 15,000 people in over 40 buildings and on 26 acres (according to Wikipedia and Google jobs). But it is what they do with the campus that struck me the most. Massive foo

There is a big different between looking abroad for information and inspiration, and picking up whatever seems to be working somewhere else and implementing it here. The first is about learning and designing what is right for us. The second is often associated with fear and naivety. The best Kiwi leaders know the difference, and design their own success stories. Late last year, I was lucky enough to join Better by De

Inspiring People – Creative Action I Like I Wonder is a series of intimate monthly events for creative leaders and innovators in Wellington, NZ. We know that true creatives gain true understanding by ‘doing’. I Like I Wonder events are about gaining creative wisdom from visiting international speakers through not just listening but by applying your new found insights in a hands-on workshop which follows. The wo

‘Happiness is a Boardroom Topic’, I couldn’t agree more.  Check out Emma Saunders’ TEDx talk: and watch the rest of the talks at TEDxTeAro.

As a recent addition to business and design in New Zealand I am continually surprised by how often I hear people talk about what is going on overseas.  Living and working in a small Pacific nation it is no wonder that there is a greater global consciousness and it is something that I have come to enjoy.  But what I do find a bit amiss is how often I hear people in business and government talk about wanting to be more