Sara Cantor is a co-founder and the executive director of Greater Good Studio, where she and her team think of themselves as pissed-off optimists. We talk about design for good, ethics in design practice, and creating social impact. Listen to learn about: >> Human-centered design>> Greater Good Studio’s project “gut check”>> The power designers wield>> Better ways of co-designing with clients>> Community-based design work Our Guest Sara Cantor is a creative leader and human-centered designer focused on equity, inclusion and social innovation. After seven years using human-centered design to create new markets for corporate clients, she co-founded Greater Good Studio in 2011 to apply the process and principles of design to the more pressing challenges of the social sector. Her team of “pissed-off optimists" has helped nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies to build internal capacity for social innovation, create and prototype new programs and services, and sustain and scale their impact. Show Highlights [01:06] Sara’s journey into design, and the influence of Tom Hanks’ movie, Big.[01:45] Studying engineering at college.[02:34] Finding her true passion during an engineering design course.[03:52] Attending the Institute of Design.[04:39] Discovering her love of design research.[05:34] The first project where Sara was able to use her design skills.[09:22] Sara talks about her early design career.[10:31] Her rising disillusionment with the for-profit, corporate world.[15:57] Co-founding Greater Good Studio.[18:27] Designing for behavior change has no “marketplace.”[20:53] Greater Good Studio’s approach to business and its work.[21:01] Codifying the “is this the right project for us?” gut check.[23:49] Some of the gut check questions to ponder.[27:28] The power that a designer wields.[29:13] Being accountable not just to the client, but to the end user.[30:16] Helping clients share their power with their end users.[31:18] “Sharing the Sharpie,” co-designing and building ownership of the work.[34:58] Being able to let the client do the designing while providing guidance and support.[36:39] The future direction of Greater Good Studio.  Links Sara on Twitter Sara on LinkedIn Sara on IIT Sara on SEGD Greater Good Studio Greater Good Studio on Twitter  Five Questions with Sara Cantor  The Gut Check, by Sara CantorIn/Visible Talks 2021: Sara Cantor - Design is Not Neutral: How to Align Work and Values  How to Change the World Designing for Good with Sara Cantor Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like  Design for Good + Gut Checks + Seeing Power with George Aye — DT101 E50  Critical and Emancipatory Design Thinking with Lesley-Ann Noel — DT101 E57 Innovation Culture + Future of Work + Designing Value with Marc Bolick — DT101 E93

Design for Good + Ethics + Social Impact with Sara Cantor — DT101 E100

Design Thinking 101 is part of how Fluid Hive helps people think and solve like a designer.

You'll hear designers' stories, lessons, ideas, resources, and tips. Our guests share insights into delivering change and results with design thinking, service design, behavioral design, user experience design and more, in business, social innovation, education, design, government, healthcare and other fields.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Management

Holly Owens is an Adjunct Professor at the Touro College Graduate School of Technology, where she teaches in the Instructional Technology program, and works full time as an Instructional Designer with PillPack by Amazon Pharmacy. She has over 15 years of experience in education in various roles, including high school educator, instructional technologist, and podcast host. Today, we talk about instructional design and designing learning experiences for adults.  Listen to learn about: >> What is instructional design? >> Adaptive, individualized learning >> Andragogy and designing learning experiences for adults >> Incorporating strategic plans and goals into the learning experience  Our GuestAs a Corporate Instructional Designer at Amazon Pharmacy, Holly brings over 17 years of diverse experience in education, specializing in instructional technology, design, and teaching. Since 2012, she has been actively involved in online education, currently serving as an educator at Touro University's Graduate School of Technology in their Instructional Design/Technology program. With two master's degrees from the University of Maryland, Global Campus—one in Instructional Technology and another in Distance Education—Holly also holds a certificate in Distance Education Leadership and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Holly’s dedication lies in promoting online learning and its vast potential to empower students worldwide. As the host of the EdUp EdTech podcast, she offers a leading resource to stay updated on the latest and most impactful Ed Tech tools revolutionizing education. The podcast features guests from the EdTech industry, sharing personal and professional growth stories while exploring how technology is reshaping the education landscape.  Show Highlights[01:49] Holly discovered a love of EdTech while teaching high school, her first career. [02:12] Moving into higher education and instructional design. [03:44] Getting a job with Amazon Pharmacy. [05:09] Dawan explains why we talk about instructional design on the podcast. [07:06] What is instructional design? [08:59] Holly’s thoughts on remote/distance learning. [11:36] Adult vs young learners. [13:33] Designing learning experiences for adult learners. [15:07] Holly discusses how she designs learning experiences. [18:00] Adult learners want to know the destination and the what and how of getting there. [20:10] Fitting the strategic plan and business goals into the learning experience. [22:32] The differences between the corporate and education spaces when it comes to innovation. [27:18] Holly’s thoughts and advice for those thinking about getting into instructional design. [31:23] Books and resources Holly recommends. [34:24] Where to find out more about Holly and her work.  Links Holly on LinkedIn Holly at  Touro University EdUp EdTech Holly Owens—Making the Leap from Educator to Instructional Designer An Insider's Perspective: The Journey from Educator to Instructional Designer w/ Holly Owens Holly Owens with Host Toddi Norum: The Changing World of Online Ed & the Future of the Instructional Designer  Holly Owens - The Secret is  in the Sauce: 5 Key Ingredients to Use When Designing an Online Course from  Scratch  5 Ways to Help Students  Succeed in Online Courses with Holly Owens  Book Recommendations  Map It: The hands-on guide to strategic training design, by Cathy Moore  Design for How People Learn, by Julie Dirksen  Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change, by Julie Dirksen  What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming an Instructional Designer, by Luke Hobson  The eLearning Designer's Handbook: A Practical Guide to the eLearning Development Process for New eLearning Designers, by Tim Slade  DT 101 EpisodesTalk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change with Julie Dirksen — DT101 E131 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: The Future of Higher Education with Bryan Alexander — DT101 E97  Learning Design with Yianna Vovides — DT101 E58

Instructional Design + Adult Learning Experiences with Holly Owens — DT101 E134

David Staley is an associate professor in the Department of History at Ohio State University. He teaches courses in digital history and historical methods. He also holds courtesy appointments in two departments, the Department of Design, where he has taught courses in digital history and design futures, and the Department of Educational Studies, where he has led the forum on the university. We talk about the future of higher education and learning, remote learning, and explore some of the ideas in David’s latest book, Knowledge Towns.  Listen to learn about:>> AI and its potential impact on education >> How will we define a “university” in the future? >> Remote learning >> David’s book, Knowledge Towns  Our Guest David Staley is an academic, writer, designer, futurist and journalist.  He is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and (by courtesy) the Departments of Design and Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. He is the author of "Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education", the co-author of "Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets" and author of "Visionary Histories", a collection of futures essays.  He is an Honorary Faculty Fellow at the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University, and a fellow at the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. In 2022 he was awarded "Best Freelance Writer" by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for his "Next" futures column with Columbus Underground.  Show Highlights[04:32] David starts off the conversation by talking about how AI will impact and change the future of higher education. [05:12] The Interface. [06:10] One of the top design problems for the remainder of the 21st century. [09:11] What our relationship with AI might look like. [09:40] David gives a few hints on a book idea he’s working on. [10:19] The importance of knowing the level of dialogue a learner needs at any given moment. [11:26] David believes that AI will become a pretty important part of the classroom system. [14:01] New forms of knowledge. [14:46] Preparing students for a world of dynamic change. [18:01] David asks Dawan if he thinks students will come to university to solve problems rather than to learn a discipline. [21:26] A Miro Moment. [23:28] David discusses the epistemic culling phenomenon happening in higher education.[27:40] Will we be redefining what a university is? What might that look like? [32:41] Dawan asks, What is higher learning, and how does it serve us? [33:39] David takes us back to the early pandemic years, and the remote class experience. [34:39] Using the experience as a teaching opportunity. [34:53] The generic feeling of taking classes remotely. [35:32] The idea of Place. [36:43] The value of learning together. [37:20] Where will the location of teaching and learning be in the future? [38:07] Will the numbers of remote students continue to increase? [38:41] The emergency nature of online learning during the pandemic, as opposed to designed online learning. [42:26] How does a university bring what is unique about them into the online learning experience? [43:30] David contemplates future online learning looking like tutorials and one-on-one learning. [47:51] David believes that the best teaching and learning happens one-on-one. [49:35] Colleges and universities are talent magnets. [51:29] Place does matter when it comes to universities, but mostly from an economic development standpoint. [53:37] When remote working and learning can happen anywhere, workers and learners will have the choice in where they live, learn, and work. [56:04] Universities and colleges need to rethink their relationship with the place they are located. [57:32] Moving beyond survival to thriving. [59:18] Graceful endings in higher education spaces.  LinksDavid on LinkedIn  David’s articles on  Educause David on ResearchGate  Associate Professor David Staley Discusses Digital History and the Future Voices of Excellence from Arts and Sciences Creative Mornings Columbus  Books by DavidHistorical Imagination  Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education  Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets  Computers, Visualization, and History: How New Technology Will Transform Our Understanding of the Past  History and Future: Using Historical Thinking to Imagine the Future  Brain, Mind and Internet: A Deep History and Future  Book RecommendationsThe Next Rules of Work: The Mindset, Skillset and Toolset to Lead Your Organization through Uncertainty, by Gary Bolles The Future of Cities, edited by Joel Kotkin and Ryan Streeter  DT 101 Episodes  A Design Thinking Practitioner’s Shift into Higher Education and the Potential for Design Thinking in Higher Education with Fred Leichter — DT101 E4  Learning Design + Designing for How People Learn with Julie Dirksen — DT101 E42 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: The Future of Higher Education with Bryan Alexander — DT101 E97

5.5 Things Everyone Should Know about the Future of Higher Education with David Staley — DT101 E133

This is a Design Thinking 101 episode in the Ask Like a Designer series. Ask Like a Designer helps people explore creating services and solutions by thinking and solving like a designer.  You’ll learn about design thinking, service design, learning design, leading and building high-performing teams, and ways to achieve better outcomes.  This episode is based on this article: ALD014 // 5 Ways Nobody Cares About You and How They Make You a Better Designer. Read the article and others like it on Fluid Hive’s Ask Like a Designer.  What did you think of this episode? Please send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team.  Cheers ~ Dawan Design Thinking 101 Podcast HostPresident, Fluid Hive  Show Highlights [00:51] Your tiny narcissist. [00:55] The five ways nobody cares about you. [01:52] Nobody cares what you create. [02:13] Nobody cares about the problems you solve. [02:35] Nobody cares what you know. [02:56] Nobody cares about your experience. [03:19] Nobody cares if you win. [03:51] Fluid Hive’s free thinking tool has all of the questions you need to answer to keep your inner narcissist in check.  The Design Thinking 101 Podcast’s Ask Like a Designer series Ask Like a Designer — DT101 E61  Design, and One Question to Rule Them All // ALD 002 — DT101 E63 There Are No Problems Worth Solving — Only Questions Worth Asking // ALD 003 — DT101 E65 Your Good-Life OS: Designing a System for Living Well and Peak Performance // ALD 004 — DT101 E67 The Swiss-Army Lives of How-Might-We Questions // ALD 005 — DT 101 E69  Designing Facilitation: A System for Creating and Leading Exceptional Events // ALD 006 — DT101 E73  The Innovation Saboteur’s Handbook // ALD 007 – DT101 E77  Three Little Words for Better (Business) Relationships // ALD 008 — DT101 E79  The 30-Minute Solution Matrix: How to Think and Solve Under Pressure // ALD 009 — DT101 E87  Protect Your Solutions with Transformation Stories: Part 1 — Crafting Well // ALD 010 — DT101 E89  Protect Your Solutions with Transformation Stories: Part 2 — Telling Well // ALD 011 — DT101 E92  Want Better Outcomes? Find Better Problems. // ALD 012 — DT101 E99  Designing a Learning System for the Good Life // ALD 013 — DT101 E108

5 Ways Nobody Cares About You and How They Make You a Better Designer // ALD 014 — DT101 E132

Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design for How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. Julie was my guest for episode 42 of the show. In this episode, we talk about her latest book, ways to motivate learners and workshop participants, designing learning experiences for skill development, and more.  Listen to learn about:>> Julie’s latest book, Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change >> Behavior change challenges >> The biggest challenge when creating virtual learning experiences >> Motivating and engaging learners >> AI in education Our Guest Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. Her MS degree is in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. She’s been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is a Learning Guild Guildmaster. She is happiest when she gets to learn something new, and you can find her at usablelearning.com.  Show Highlights[02:02] Julie gives a quick summary of her first book and how Talk to the Elephant is its natural sequel. [02:42] The new book tackles the challenges in actually changing behavior. [04:26] On learning experiences. [05:21] Julie is starting to organize a third book, which will be on skill acquisition. [05:34] The evolution of behavioral design. [06:21] The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest behavior change experiment in the history of the world. [07:06] The book’s audience are those in the learning and development field — people who design learning experiences. [08:00] The Change Ladder. [08:54] Julie offers one case study she uses in the book to demonstrate the challenges around behavior change. [14:17] The importance of communicating and working with the people you serve when it comes to changing behaviors. [14:58] Julie tells a story illustrating the importance of talking to and understanding the people you serve and their needs. [17:57] It’s important for people to participate in their own behavioral design. [20:15] Creating the conditions for learners to motivate themselves. [21:22] Making things as easy as possible for someone to do. [22:42] A Miro Moment. [25:27] Creating learning experiences that engage learners. [26:14] The biggest challenge in designing virtual workshops. [27:55] Why Julie is interested in Virtual Reality. [29:34] The top two challenges Julie sees in almost every behavior change. [34:55] Immediate impact and immediate rewards help learners stay motivated. [37:21] Helping learners see what they will be able to do with this new skill or new knowledge. [42:53] Julie shows appreciation for how video games onboard players as a great example of guiding people along the learning curve. [45:11] Designing learning experiences to make your learner feel smart and capable as they acquire new skills and knowledge. [48:42] Julie talks about research on self-directed learning by Catherine Lombardozzi. [49:20] Julie and Catherine will be doing a webinar on the key behaviors seen in good self-directed learners. [52:05] Julie ponders how systems thinking and design fits into behavior change. [52:54] Dawan and Julie talk about AI and its role in education.  LinksJulie on LinkedIn Usable Learning Designing for how people learn  Book RecommendationsDesign for How People Learn, by Julie Dirksen  Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change, by Julie Dirksen  Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman  Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein  How Change Happens, by Cass Sunstein  Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things, by Dan Ariely  Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely  DT 101 EpisodesLearning Design + Designing for How People Learn with Julie Dirksen — DT101 E42  Learning Design with Yianna Vovides — DT101 E58  Adding System Awareness to System Design to Your Innovation Stack with Julie Guinn — DT101 E43

Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change with Julie Dirksen — DT101 E131

David Lemus is an independent design strategist with engineering roots working with organizations to empower teams to be customer obsessed and have a culture of iterative learning. He has designed and facilitated dozens of design thinking workshops across Fortune 500 companies, non-profit and government organizations. David is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of Portland's Pamplin School of Business and leads the Portland Design Thinking Meetup community. Listen to learn about: >> Team facilitation >> Human centered-design: mindsets over methods >> [Re]Building human connection  Our Guest David Lemus is an independent design strategist with engineering roots working with organizations to empower teams to be customer obsessed and have a culture of iterative learning. He has designed and facilitated dozens of design thinking workshops across Fortune 500 companies, non-profit and government organizations. David was in-house at Capital One on the Design Thinking and Strategy team. That team focused on changing the way the enterprise worked by empowering all employees with the mindsets and tools of design thinking. His team scaled practitioner and senior leadership programs throughout the risk-averse organization. Prior to Capital One, David was a senior consultant at Peer Insight, a service design and innovation firm where he led service design projects with Fortune 500 and non-profit clients. David is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of Portland's Pamplin School of Business and leads the Portland Design Thinking Meetup community. David has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland. Show Highlights [02:10] How David went from engineer to design strategist. [02:59] The two experiences as an engineer that led David into design thinking. [04:46] Experimenting to find the right career path. [06:54] The challenges of experimentation and risk-taking in the workplace. [09:07] Teaching human-centered design and creativity at Capital One. [11:16] David’s focus is on mindsets, not methods, when it comes to teaching design thinking to others. [14:08] Helping non-designers to understand and use human-centered design in their work.[17:04] A Miro Moment. [18:53] Breaking down silos. [20:29] The lack of skilled facilitators for collaboration at work. [21:20] Finding ways to make meetings productive and fun. [22:40] Do you really need a meeting? [24:47] Designing meetings. [26:09] Practicing active listening during meetings. [27:26] Cultivating the right energy in the team and creating the right environment in the room for the work you’re doing. [27:26] Designing the right activities for your meeting in order to achieve the meeting’s goals. [30:46] David and Dawan talk about why people’s design thinking expectations are often not met in reality. [33:23] What David is working on now: Connection. [38:37] Where to learn more about David’s work. LinksDavid on LinkedIn lemus&co; David’s website Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like  Public Sector Design + Outcome Chains + Prototyping for Impact with Boris Divjak — DT101 E26  Designing for Healthcare vs Sick Care + The Emergency Design Collective — DT101 E52 The Experimentation Field Book with Natalie Foley — DT101 E123

Design for Good + Ethics + Social Impact with Sara Cantor — DT101 E100

Download our free app to listen on your phone