If you are not different (and sometimes even disliked) you won’t be noticed. And it also means that most likely you don’t innovate. With Jessica Mignone, a Principal Product Designer at Intuit (and a former UX Designer at Google), we discuss innovation from the perspective of constant improvement, or, in other words, we say that: going back to the stuff we built and making it better - this is innovation. We note that people innovate their entire lives anyway, and they are not even aware of that....
May 14, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 53
Innovation is only true innovation when it is put on the market and validated with customers. With our esteemed guest, Joe Pine, the author of (among many others) “The Experience Economy”, we investigate the innovation space for experience design. We dig into the value of long-term thinking and the importance of considering the employee experience next to staging the experiences for customers. We tap into a concept of regenerative management and into the importance of underpromising to create po...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 52
Is there a universal definition of innovation? It seems there isn’t. But there are quite a few ingredients that seem universal such as purpose, long-term vision, diverse team, rebel spirit, trust, and protection of a boss who is willing to be patient. Once again our guests expand our worldview and make us rethink the concept we thought we had figured out. And what we conclude is this. If you want to be truly innovative you need to set your mind on a purpose that goes beyond your bottom line and ...
May 12, 2020•35 min•Ep. 60
Innovation — do we know what we talk about? Is it something business-related or perhaps it links to academia? It is about the insight or the outcome? And what does trivial mean in this context? Or maybe innovation is like love — everybody talks about it but nobody has seen it… We are setting out to discover that in Season 6. LINKS Bill Buxton’s short article about innovation....
May 05, 2020•28 min•Ep. 51
When we started this season about magic, we had no clue where it could take us. Actually, we had little clue of what magic meant in the first place. With our guests of Season 5 we had the great pleasure to look at magic from the perspective of an artist, designer, teacher, leader, and magician. And you might be surprised how much of it can be applied to both our personal and professional lives. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.
Jan 14, 2020•33 min•Ep. 50
Is there a place for “magic” today, besides the theatrical dimension and the entertainment industry? Yes, there is! In our conversation, Ferdinando Buscema—a professional "Magic Experience Designer”—takes us on the journey of wonder, kindness and luck. We explore about how magic relates to the world of business, and what modern leaders can learn from the Archetype of the Magician. IMPORTANT LINKS Ferdinando's professional website Doug Henning David Copperfield Archetypes by Carl Jung Ferdinando’...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 49
There are always more than two options. In the way we see the world. In the way we collaborate. And in the way in which we hope to impact culture. Malcolm Campbell, an executive director of R&D labs at Canon Medical Systems, talks about how spirituality and science can create magic of desired culture through the narratives that people share. IMPORTANT LINKS Malcolm's "Skirnir" web page with his LARP games , photographs and writing . A discussion about Malcolm's talk on "Living Seidr". Malcol...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 48
Artists today have no other way but learn to become entrepreneurs. In a conversation with Rasmus Stride and Ariel Orah we investigate the challenges artists face in order to do their art. We also dig into the topics of collaboration and praise embracing diversity as a path to become an inspirational leader. IMPORTANT LINKS Soy Division Berlin by Ariel Empathy-based Artist Collective by Ariel Day Dream by Rasmus “The book of symbols” Brian Ino “ Music for the airports ”...
Jan 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 47
Secret societies, immersive experiences - where is the magic in there? Together with Anthony Rocco - an immersive experience designer and one of the faces behind the Latitude Society in San Francisco, we unpack the magic of being together as a group that agree on certain rules and believe in a certain reality that leads to creation of a magic circle where new patterns of behavior can be formed. IMPORTANT LINKS Merry Pranksters Cacophony Society Latitude Society Mormonism Psychomagic: The Transfo...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 46
Magic is a part of us. Pim Schachtschabel, a bespoke experience architect of magic and founder of one of the world's best escape rooms shares his perspective on how magic is the way we see the world. How Magic can be a way of thinking and perceiving what is happening around us. He shares his insights on designing storylines in escape rooms and the experiential workshops he secretly co-creates. IMPORTANT LINKS Pim’s website “ Creative confidence ” by David Kelly “ The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisd...
Jan 14, 2020•55 min•Ep. 45
What propels you to do more? What brings you satisfaction in life? Joana Mao, a strategic designer and the author of the Clear Purpose Framework convinces us that a way to live a fulfilling life is to find your deeper purpose: the purpose that goes beyond your own goals and desires. Once this purpose is surfaced the magic of inner alignment will happen. IMPORTANT LINKS Fundacao Bradesco Coexiste “ Skillful Means: Patterns for Success ” by Tarthang Tulku...
Jan 14, 2020•49 min•Ep. 44
Experiences are something we remember for a long time. Much longer than we remember things. How to design for them? With Anna Pohlmeyer, the assistant professor at the Institute for Positive Design at Delft University of Technology, we talk about the challenges behind hedonistic adaptation, designing for values and virtues. And we also consider designing for inefficiency as a way to engage people on a new, deeper level than it usually happens. IMPORTANT LINKS Check out the Delft Institute of Pos...
Jan 14, 2020•49 min•Ep. 43
What is magic? Professor David Bassuk from Purchase College NYC returns to our podcast to discuss whether magic is more of a mindset or rather a toolbox. He digs into the danger of magical thinking as a trap for avoiding the current problems we should be addressing. IMPORTANT LINKS “ Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History ” by Kurt Andersen “ Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions ” by Stephen Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde, Sand...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 42
Can magic have anything to do with business and leadership? What is magic for in the first place? Why would we even discuss it? Aga and Łukasz look at the different perspectives of magic and its applicability in work and life.
Jan 09, 2020•19 min•Ep. 41
So many of us dream about living a creative life. But isn’t it just fantasy? In our first ever live conversation with Rachel Uwa and Katja Wessling we investigate the joy but also the difficulties of choosing to become an independent creative. IMPORTANT LINKS School of Machines by Rachel Kaospilot experience design program by Katja and Andy (our guest from the very first season) “ Buddhism for Mothers: A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children ” by Sarah Napthali “ A Course in Mir...
Dec 17, 2019•45 min
This season showed us the huge difference between the notion of the English phrase: common sense and its Polish version: healthy judgment. This realization made a great twist on all our conversations where we tried to investigate both these expressions. We dived into the world of measures, decision-making, changing minds, agile, design and even music to better understand whether common sense is as common as it should be. Or perhaps common sense shouldn't be as common as you might think after all...
Oct 01, 2019•50 min•Ep. 40
There is plenty of stuff that should be common sense but it isn't. In this episode, Gus Power rants about many of such things: from abusing agile principles, through pretending to be aligned, to the misjudgments that stem from the ladder of inference. We tap into the topics of employee motivation, the innovation trap and also the phenomenon of weak consensus every organization on this planet should be aware of. You are up for a ride with this conversation. IMPORTANT LINKS Jeffrey Liker “ The Toy...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 39
So many of us find decision taking really hard. But does it have to be this way? In our conversation with Michelle Florendo, the decision engineer, we discover the three core elements of decision taking. But most of all we both realize that decision taking process is something very different from what is the outcome of that decision. Important links Michelle's podcast: Ask the Decision Engineer “The paradox of choice” by Barry Schwartz “Smart Choices” by John Hammond, Ralph Keene and Howard Raif...
Oct 01, 2019•58 min•Ep. 38
Many companies these days only vaguely know what they aim for. Their visions are in-concrete and difficult to execute on. In this episode we talk to Tom Gilb, the creator of the Evolutionary Development (EVO) about his impact on the way different companies (and even countries) around the world can improve their performance based on focused and tailored measurements. For those, who are curious: EVO is a software development method that is based on incremental product releases, frequent delivery, ...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 37
Singing might seem like magic to so many of you. But is it really the case? In this conversation with the Brazilian musician and the signing teacher, Wagner Barbosa, we talk about the mechanics of the vocal tract, what does rhythm do to our brain and why is positive reinforcement so utterly crucial if you want to learn how to sing. We also hear the story of training 30 kids to sing the national anthem at the Olympic Games - can you imagine that? IMPORTANT LINKS Wagner's band: Banda Golonka - Wag...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 36
Yeah, we all go to school and learn stuff. But is it the best way to become a professional? For centuries there was another way: an apprenticeship. Peter Droste, a self-thought experience designer from New York, talks about his personal path to become who he is today. He explores what experience design means, how you can test the limits of what's possible and how it was to learn making steaks from a vegetarian chef. Important links “ The artist’s way ” by Julia Cameron “ The war of art ” by Stev...
Oct 01, 2019•57 min•Ep. 35
We all have self-sabotaging mechanisms that stop us reaching our full potential. Elena Foggiato, an amazing coach from Milan, Italy, talks about focusing on the things we can change and also about being present with our lives. She also explains how improvisation is this amazing tool any of us can use to find new ways of interacting with others. Important links " Callings " by Gregg Levoy...
Oct 01, 2019•59 min•Ep. 34
Is Big Data able to take decisions for us, humans? In this episode, we talk to the Big Data expert from nPowered, Piotr Jegier about the traps that many of us will encounter as we start to rely more any more on data. We dive into the topic of cognitive biases and try to understand in what domains humans still can't be replaced by AI. IMPORTANT LINKS nPowered - what we do Piotr's twitter Flat Earthers' documentary - BEHIND THE CURVE | Official HD Trailer (2018) | DOCUMENTARY | Film Threat Trailer...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 33
What do we talk about when we talk about common sense? David Straker, the author of the book "Changing minds" gives a great definition of what common sense truly means. He points out at the traps of our System 1 thinking when it comes to considering something to be common sense. Then we chat about the role of empathy in influencing people, what trust means in the interpersonal relationships and how crucial it is to be able to change our own minds before we attempt to change the minds of others. ...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 32
Sometimes we all ask ourselves this very question: is common sense all that common? In this fourth season of the Catching The Next Wave podcast we hope to investigate what common sense really means and whether it is something that should be generally popular. ...or perhaps not really... Important links Nassim Nicholas Taleb “Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder”...
Oct 01, 2019•23 min•Ep. 31
Once again we are standing corrected - whatever we imagined crossing the borders means, there is so much more to consider. We were talking about starting the transformational journey, crossing borders slowly or quickly, sitting in the fences and also about the certain borders that needn't be crossed. We looked at ways to let go of your own image of yourself and be happy about the choices you've made. We investigated crossing borders in the personal and professional domains tackling the forever e...
Apr 25, 2019•53 min•Ep. 30
Staying innovative is the ultimate challenge for every organization today. Clara Otero, a Director of Systems Innovations for NXP’s Automotive Business Unit, talks about how to structure innovation so that the organization works on both the long-term as well as the short-term vision for product development. We talk about the need for collaboration to create new solutions. We also discuss how to lead a happy and fulfilled life by owning the choices you make. Important links “Ender’s Game” by Orso...
Apr 25, 2019•56 min•Ep. 29
How does living a nomadic life change your perspective about owning stuff? Together with the world-wide known innovator Alex Grots we explore the importance of rituals, the history of Design Thinking at IDEO and the value of Design Thinking workshops. We also chat about the need to keep the unique organizational culture when your start-up is growing. Important links ProGlove IDEO The House of Beautiful Business conference The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageo...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 28
The realization of your own mortality must impact the art you do. John-Paul talks about his path as an artist early touched by cancer. He takes us into the world of interactive video installations, game design and provocation. We chat about the burlesque theater as an ultimate space for women to be themselves to the core. And we look into the third gender: the choice of neither being a female or male but being both. Important links The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind Cloven Viscount by Italo Calvino...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 27
Have you ever imagined yourself being a guest at the Mad Hatter tea party from Alice in Wonderland? Our guest, Flemming Ottsen, can make it a reality. In this conversation we talk about switching from engineering and product management to performance. We explore the world of immersive theater, the importance of meditation and the ego work. We also cross a border we never imagined to cross on this podcast - we discuss the potential positive impact of psychedelics. Important links The Flyingfox En...
Apr 25, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 26
