'There are two pitfalls: going too fast, and going too slow. You have to find the perfect line' - Benoit Poncin 

Benoit is the co-founder of STUD, an Antwerp based agency with a mission to guide and advice organizations (mainly SME's) who haven't found their way to digitization yet. After finishing his Masters degree in Industrial Product Design at the University of Antwerp, and completing an internship during his final year at an innovation agency, Benoit and his two business partners saw a gap they felt absolutely needed to be filled and decided to start a company for it. That's when, In 2018, the company STUD came to life. Today's best way to describe it? A team of digital innovators, creatives and experts that want to make digital technology understandable, accessible and affordable to all businesses.

--Reach out to Benoit: LinkedIn|https://www.linkedin.com/in/benoit-poncin/  ; E-mail|[email protected]

--Find out more on STUD: Website|https://www.studconnects.com/

The episode I have in store for you this week is an interview with Benoit Poncin in which we talk about STUD, the company he co-founded in 2018. After discovering the high-level 'why, how, what' of the company, we get a real peek behind the curtains in which Benoit explains to us the specific framework STUD applies for co-creating digital solutions. And he even illustrates this with use cases of their own. Please enjoy!

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to reach those harder to convince listeners. And of course, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come!

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about.

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

Welcome to another episode of the Products, Teams & Sprints podcast where we go on a quest to find out the secrets, best practices and actionable tips & tricks to turn ideas that matter into products that stick. Fast.

All of this through the lens of tweaking the process.

This weeks episode is an attempt to de-fuzz the concept of design thinking. 

A lot of people have already come into contact with the term at work, have heard about it, or are even able to associate it with a certain practice but it seems to me that most of them are still having a hard time answering the question 'what is design thinking exactly?', including myself. In this episode we're going to try and shine some light on this.

 By taking a closer look at its roots, the aim of this episode is to give you a better understanding of the how and the why it came to life and to, hopefully, make this rather fuzzy concept a bit more tangible.

Please Enjoy!

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If you would like to read a detailed overview: 

article Dr Stefanie Di Russo: https://ithinkidesign.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/a-brief-history-of-design-thinking-the-theory-p1/

article Interaction Design Foundation: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/design-thinking-get-a-quick-overview-of-the-history

Article I mention on what the definition of design thinking: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-design-thinking-and-why-is-it-so-popular

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If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to get those harder to convince listeners. And of course, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come!

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc    -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about.

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

'If you aim on being a human-centric organization, the focus on behavior is key' - Michiel Meekels

Michiel Meekels is one of those people who just can't be described in one sentence. After being schooled as a graphic designer, Michiel embarked on a journey to pursue his passion and since then has been operating at the touchpoint of entrepreneurship and corporate consulting. His experience in working for a variety of companies, founding several of his own, and attending masterclasses at leading institutes such as Vlerick Business School and the Stockholm based Hyper Island has left Michiel with an extensive background in marcom, branding, user experience, strategy, transformation and business. Michiel currently occupies the roles of UX architect at Monkeyshot and lecturer at KDG University College Antwerp. To top things off, Michiel even founded, together with a friend, his own running tribe recently.

--Reach out to Michiel: LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michielmeekels/

--Find out more about Monkeyshot: Website | http://monkeyshot.be/

--Interested in the antwerp based running tribe? Go check them out!: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/negativesplit_runningtribe/?hl=nl

This weeks episode I sit down with Michiel Meekels for a one-on-one talk on 'How to transform internal teams with a pre-existing culture to human-centered design teams'. We cover a variety of topics such as 'the importance of values and the impact on company culture'; 'the crucial role of softskills in this'; 'the mindset these teams should adopt around learning' and at the end Michiel even shares with you three key tips & tricks you can start applying from the second you've finished this episode. Please Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to reach those harder to convince listeners. And of course, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come!

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc

-- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about.

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

Other links from during the podcast:

Nobl Organizational charter - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jb87tuJ2OkZb_CjNIck3rRPNuVAysJr0B8RosAxT_Vs/edit

Welcome to another episode of the Products, Teams & Sprints podcast where we go on a quest to find out the secrets, best practices and actionable tips & tricks to turn ideas that matter into products that stick. Fast.

All of this through the lens of tweaking the process.

This weeks episode is probably the most tangible and easy to apply one so far and covers the topic of 'How Might We  note-taking'. A key cornerstone in the design sprint process and other design thinking practices, and more importantly, something everybody can apply in his own personal life. 

In this episode we touch on a variety of topics such as: where does it come from, what's the relation with Proctor & Gamble, why it works this well and many more. 

The best news? It's so easy to apply once you know it, you'll be able to try it the second after finishing this episode!

Please Enjoy!

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If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to get those harder to convince listeners. And of course, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come!

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc    -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about.

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

'The key to efficient teams? For me it's trust'- Mathias Schaubroeck

Mathias Schaubroeck is the founding partner of Absintt, an innovation agency headquartered in Antwerp with one soul mission: enhance today's companies' relevance, impact and commercial success by new innovation strategies, brand design, product design and touchpoint design. After graduating from a master of science in Product Development at the University of Antwerp, Mathias founded Absintt together with his business partner (Orlando Thuysbaert) and grew it to the enterprise it is today, providing services to a client portfolio of over 200 companies. Next to this, Mathias is also co-founder of the digital agency 'Stud'; member of the Community Brand network and over the years has been a guest lecturer at XIOS Hogeschool Limburg and the University of Hasselt.

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Reach out to Mathias: LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathiasschaubroeck/

Find out more on Absintt:

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/AbsinttInnovation/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/absintt_innovation/?hl=nl

Website | https://www.absintt.be/

- and while you're at it, I recommend you check out their unique 'innovation academy': https://www.absintt.be/innovation-academy

Wondering what's the Community Brand Network?: https://www.communitybrand.network/

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This weeks episode is also part of the '3-episode official launch' of this podcast series and is therefore constructed in the same way as the one with Christophe Rosseel from In The Pocket (PT&S E2). Same type of questions; different company, insights and expertise. For this episode I sit down with Mathias Schaubroeck to talk about his company Absintt and discover what he believes to be crucial to creating great products, shaping efficient teams and gaining momentum. Of course, all of this through the lens of tweaking the process. Please enjoy!

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to convince those harder to convince listeners. Of course, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come! 

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc    -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about. 

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

Welcome to another episode of the Products, Teams & Sprints podcast where we go on a quest to find out the secrets, best practices and actionable tips & tricks to turn ideas that matter into products that stick. Fast. 

All of this through the lens of tweaking the process.

This weeks episode is all about getting your users hooked. What's the reason these big and successful companies like Facebook, Slack, Google succeed in creating products that stick? Products that, after interacting with them for the first time, become an essential part of people's everyday life. 

One guy who has done an amazing job on this, is Nir Eyal. He states that all these companies have one thing in common. They all incorporate in their products what he calls a 'Hook'. 

In this episode we dive into this 'hook model' and discover why it causes people to become absolutely addicted and keep coming back again and again. Please Enjoy!

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If you enjoyed this episode, please give it like and spread the word. This would help a lot to get those harder to convince listeners. And of course, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come! 

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc    -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about. 

Thomas: LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159) -- other communication channels coming soon!

'If something is hard, do it more often. If a deploy is hard it's because it's not automated enough or we don't understand it enough'- Christophe Rosseel.

Christophe Rosseel (@chr1stophe) is the Chief Service Delivery Officer at In The Pocket (ITP), a Belgium based Digital Product studio made up of 110 engineers, product designers and strategists with a passion to create digital products that make people happy and businesses grow. ITP has a portfolio of international clients in retail, media, health, HR solutions, finance, telecom & travel and builds smart digital products and platforms for mobile, web, augmented & virtual reality and the cloud.

Go check them out! website: https://inthepocket.com/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthepocket/; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-the-pocket/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITPAgency; Twitter: https://twitter.com/itpocket.

In this weeks episode I sit down with Christophe Rosseel to find out what makes In The Pocket as successful as they are and what he believes is key to turn ideas that matter into products that stick. Fast. During our talk we touch on a variety of topics such as: how In The Pocket came to life and their link to Netlog, their definition of efficient teams, how to gain momentum, and many more. This episode is the first 'expert interview' and therefore symbolizes the official start of this podcast series. Let's get this show on the road! Please enjoy!

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a like and spread the word. This would help a lot to reach those harder to convince listeners. Of course, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on the many to come! 

PT&S podcast: Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/7sTNgbr3Jufbw0I3dF6xtc    -- Other channels coming soon!

Please, do not hesitate to reach out! -> feedback and re-iteration to improve the outcome is EXACTLY what this podcast is all about. 

Thomas: LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-deschepper-a78406159 -- other communication channels coming soon!

The book 'Accelerate' Christophe referred to: https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339

What are the 'not so secret' principles behind the famous design sprint process? Why do they lay at the base of its success? How can we potentially incorporate these into other practices to increase team efficiency, customer satisfaction and  velocity? 

During this first official episode we take a look at the four core principles of the Design Sprint process. The design sprint is a 4/5-day process, originally developed by Google Ventures, for rapidly solving big challenges, creating new products or improving existing ones. While the process itself has proven to be extremely effective and the way it is structured and tweaked over time could (and probably will) lead us to a whole new conversation, the goal of this episode is to take a good look at the key pilars making this approach such a success so we can potentially incorporate them into other practices.

Where this all comes from, the vision and what to expect. 

Let's get things going!