IDEO Thinking

Episodios

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  Rough, rapid, and right in the age of AI: Michelle Lee 07.10.2026 13m

  As AI makes it easier to generate polished renders with minimal effort, more people are celebrating the ease and speed of design. But beautiful images aren't design. They can seduce us into thinking an idea is fully baked, stopping us from asking the most important questions, the ones that uncover the insights that help us truly meet human needs.In this episode, Michelle Lee, partner and managing director of IDEO San Francisco, shares the story she wrote with Danny DeRuntz, an executive design director at IDEO, on why the three Rs of prototyping—rough, rapid, and right—still hold.Read along with the full story: https://www.ideo.com/journal/rough-rapid-and-right-in-the-age-of-aiRelated Resources:Michelle Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellesklee/Danny DeRuntz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-deruntz-3200b419/Meaningful resistance, by Michelle Lee and Takashi Wickes: https://www.ideo.com/journal/when-convenience-kills-the-magicPlayful thinking under pressure, with Cas Holman and Michelle Lee on IDEO U's Creative Confidence Podcast: https://www.ideo.com/creative-confidence-podcast/playful-thinking-under-pressure-q-and-a-with-cas-holman-and-michelle-leeWork mentioned:Prototyping Elmo's Monster Maker app for Sesame Workshop: https://www.ideo.com/case-study/bringing-beloved-childrens-characters-to-a-new-platformA new way to vote, for the people of Los Angeles: https://www.ideo.com/case-study/a-new-way-to-vote-for-the-people-of-los-angelesIn This Episode(00:00) Why a beautiful render doesn't always equal great design(03:42) Rough: a strategic incompleteness, and how to get it from tools that default to polish(05:53) Rapid: using AI's speed to get through more cycles(08:22) Right: building discrete prototypes for discrete questions(11:30) Maintaining joy and discovery: why designers still need to get their hands dirty__________ Explore more stories at http://ideo.com/thinking. Subscribe to IDEO’s weekly newsletter for curated perspectives on design, business, and innovation: http://ideo.com/subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Solving for the hidden costs of caregiving: Sierra Hillman 10.09.2026 10m

  There are 24 million caregivers in the US. For Sierra Hillman, becoming one at 22 exposed not just the many gaps in healthcare, but the massive opportunities to improve how care is designed and delivered.In this episode, Hillman, an interaction designer at IDEO focused on healthcare and emerging technologies, shares four opportunity areas to ease the burden on caregivers: mitigating enormous burnout, navigating the system, providing physical care, and making home modifications accessible.Read along with the full story: https://www.ideo.com/journal/opportunities-in-the-hidden-costs-of-caregivingRelated Resources:5 principles for easing the burden on caregivers, by Sierra Hillman and John Won: https://www.ideo.com/journal/5-design-principles-for-easing-the-burden-on-caregiversSierra Hillman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierra-hillman/In This Episode(00:00) Coming face-to-face with the hidden costs of healthcare at 22(02:23) Solutions for mitigating enormous burnout(03:37) Navigating the financial complexities of care(05:52) A human-centered approach to providing physical care(08:18) The journey to accessing at-home modifications(09:49) We've only scratched the surface for designing for caregivers__________ Explore more stories at http://ideo.com/thinking. Subscribe to IDEO’s weekly newsletter for curated perspectives on design, business, and innovation: http://ideo.com/subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  In the AI era, growth depends on people: Jennifer Ives 10.09.2026 20m

  A leadership team at a major life sciences organization was reviewing progress on an important initiative to integrate generative AI across the business. Proof-of-concept work was progressing, releases were on schedule, and the mood was upbeat. Then came the question that changed the conversation: "Are our people really ready?"In this episode, Jennifer Ives, an executive director at IDEO, shares the story she wrote with Matthew Higham, a partner at IDEO, on the five human strengths that will separate the organizations that adapt fastest from the ones that automate fastest.Read along with the full story: https://www.ideo.com/journal/in-the-ai-era-growth-depends-on-people-not-techRelated Resources:Jennifer Ives on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-ives-b39759/Matthew Higham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdhigham/Work mentioned:Better sales, less waste, with H&M Group: https://www.ideo.com/works/h-and-m-kigumiA better way to teach writing with AI, with Ethiqly: https://www.ideo.com/works/ethiqlyHow design is driving Ford to reimagine what a car company can be: https://www.ideo.com/journal/how-design-is-driving-ford-to-reimagine-what-a-car-company-can-beServing families first, with Intercorp: https://www.ideo.com/case-study/intercorpIn This Episode(00:00) "Are our people really ready?" (03:10) Asking the right questions when AI is happy to hand you answers(06:01) Human insight: what AI can't tell you about why a pattern exists(09:44) A growth mindset: building belief through experimentation(12:36) Psychological safety: the condition that lets teams take smart risks(15:44) A culture of change: when adaptability becomes a daily habit(18:53) Why technology alone won't deliver the outcomes leaders want__________ Explore more stories at http://ideo.com/thinking. Subscribe to IDEO’s weekly newsletter for curated perspectives on design, business, and innovation: http://ideo.com/subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  7 principles for designing AI hardware: Savannah Kunovsky and Mark del Lima 10.09.2026 13m

  So far, the industry seems to be caught between what users actually want from AI hardware and the sci-fi fantasies currently captivating the tech community. A better path means establishing a new standard in which trusted, useful intelligence serves the physical world.In this episode, Savannah Kunovsky, managing director of emerging technology at IDEO, and Mark del Lima, a senior design director, share seven principles for good AI hardware, inspired by the timeless rigor of Dieter Rams, and the conditions for putting them into practice.Read along with the full story: https://www.ideo.com/journal/make-the-invisible-honestRelated Resources:Savannah Kunovsky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannahkunovsky/Mark del Lima on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-del-lima-97b2284/More on AI from IDEO:Rebuilding trust with AI, by Peter Jackson and David Duff: https://www.ideo.com/journal/rebuilding-trust-with-aiRough, rapid, and right in the age of AI, by Michelle Lee and Danny DeRuntz: https://www.ideo.com/journal/rough-rapid-and-right-in-the-age-of-aiIn This Episode(00:00) AI is moving off our screens and into our walls, windows, and mirrors(02:03) Mutualism: the device that has no opinion about you until you give it one(03:54) Off by default: a doorknob that asks whether the house should wake up (05:23) Hardware has to earn its place in the room, not just on the network(06:36) Why a device that admits what it can't do earns more trust than one that never falters(08:08) Designing for the disappearing act: a choice instead of a task(09:38) What a child learns when the machine says it isn't sure(10:52) E-waste, repairability, and building things meant to be kept(12:22) How the principles survive contact with real work, and the standard they're building toward__________ Explore more stories at http://ideo.com/thinking. Subscribe to IDEO’s weekly newsletter for curated perspectives on design, business, and innovation: http://ideo.com/subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.