Here at the d.school, our holiday elves are hard at work on some new social media prototypes. Our goal? To help create engaging conversations about design thinking and make connections between design thinkers (that's you!).
So, in that spirit, tell us how you're prototyping your way through the holidays this year. Comment on what prototypes you're working on, holiday-related or not. One lucky commenter will win their very own d.school notebook. Happy holidays!
Peter Frykman poses with a hot-off-the-press copy of Business Week featuring Driptech, the drip irrigation company Peter formed using technology he developed with his Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability team. Business Week's story exposes the newest and most interesting companies that are being born even in the midst of this recession. "History shows that great companies are often built during bad times." says Spencer Ante of Business Week. Congratulations on landing the story Peter! We look forward to hearing more.
Twenty executives from around the world used design thinking
last week to help re-invent the purchasing experience for a company that’s busy
re-thinking an entire industry: Tesla Motors.
The project was part of Customer Focused Innovation, a week-long executive education program co-hosted by the d.school and the GSB. The program takes a “clean models, dirty hands” approach: in the mornings, the execs attend lectures and delve into case studies at the GSB. In the afternoons, they take on real-world innovation challenges using design thinking. CFI started four years ago as the brainchild of professors Bob Sutton, Huggy Rao and d.schoolers Perry Klebhan and Alex Kazaks, who were all part of the teaching team this year.
This was the first partnership between the d.school and Tesla, and we’ll admit: we had a little too much fun test-driving the roadster. Not only is Tesla the only global automaker manufacturing and selling highway-capable electric vehicles, they’re doing it with the performance of a luxury sports car. With a reputation for technological innovation firmly in place, Tesla is looking to re-invent the experience of buying a car.
CFI participants started by gaining empathy for Tesla’s customers: they spent a day at the company’s Palo Alto store, shadowing potential buyers and interviewing Tesla owners. One of the owners they met was Don Cox (pictured above being interviewed by a group of participants) a retired Stanford professor who owns roadster #60 and has given hundreds of rides to folks who are curious about the electric car experience. Over the next three days, participants synthesized their findings, developed prototypes, got feedback from users and iterated to create a second round of prototypes.
After just 13 total hours of work on the project, the participants presented scaled solutions to Tesla executives. They ranged from a mom-and-pop style dealership on a Manhattan street corner, to a fully realized Tesla Ambassador Program that tapped the evangelical spirit and enthusiasm of existing Tesla owners like Don Cox. Tesla is looking forward to taking ideas from the prototypes back to their store, and we’re looking forward to seeing what how CFI participants will use design thinking back at their own companies.
For more information, and lots of other good stuff, check out Bob Sutton's blog.
Kamal climbs a tree with his new knee.
d.school Fellow Joel Sadler and d.boocamper Eric Thorsell's re:motion project has received some pretty amazing recognition from TIME magazine and it's readers.
Developed in a Stanford Mechanical Engineering medical device design class, the "Jaipur Knee" has been listed as one of Time Magazine's 50 best inventions of the year.
During the class, Joel and Eric flew out to India to need-find with their partner, the Jaipur Foot Organization. Once there, they discovered that one thing they needed was a much more stable knee joint than what they were using currently. Their solution was the "JaipurKnee" a $20 prosthetic knee joint for above-knee amputees made out of high performance plastic. They found out that particular type of mechanism called a polycentric mechanism was the key to having super high stability AND really low cost. The knee has only five plastic parts and four nuts and bolts. It has been fitted on more than 300 people so far!
Since the class ended, the re:motion project has won the 2009 Stanford Social E-Challenge Business Plan Competition and have been featured in Business Week and now TIME magazine. Congratulations!
Last Thursday on California Ave in Palo Alto, teachers from East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, an Aspire school, and East Palo Alto Charter School began a two day professional development workshop run by the k12 lab research team. The teachers, who excelled at previous design thinking modules around brainstorming and prototyping, finally got the opportunity to put all their skills together and completed a design challenge around redefining the Mom and Pop store for the 21st century.
The energy and passion of the group was apparent from the first empathy exercise held in the parking lot behind Know Knew Books. That excitement plus their extreme curiosity pushed them to get rich insights from interviewing people all around Cal Ave. They then took those insights and designed unique prototypes Friday afternoon.
Four EPAPA teachers have already used design thinking in their classes, including submitting entries to the Global Innovation Tournament. After the workshop, they plan to continue this trend school wide.
Calling all Stanford University Graduate Students!
Come to the d.school for an info session about our 2010 Winter AND Spring quarter classes
on the evening of Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. (that's TOMORROW!!)
Preview classes that might interest you for 2010. We'll have a succession of quick overviews of all the upcoming classes (that we know about), followed by small breakout sessions with the teaching teams for you to learn more about specific classes.
We are inviting the whole d.school community (you!) to a tailgate BBQ this Saturday.
Charlie Ellinger, our Senior Administrator, Rock of Gibraltar, and all around adult supervision is retiring today! Charlie has been with the d.school since before there even WAS a d.school (let's hope the authorities don't hear about that, though). We're sad we won't have her enthusiastic and anchoring presence around every day from now on. But we're thrilled to launch her into retirement as our newest d.school Ambassador, and to hear about her ongoing travels and activities when she comes to visit often (hint hint...). Bon Voyage and see you soon d.charlie!
Our bootcamp students are deep in prototype-test-iterate cycles for their second design project, and they’re asking a question that’s fairly universal for design-process learners: Do I have to test my prototype with the same users I designed it for?
The short answer is: Heck no!
It’s always best to get as far out of your own experience as possible when you’re looking for users, because outside your comfort zone is where you’ll find the deepest insights. But when it’s crunch time and you’re zooming through prototypes, don’t be constrained because you don’t feel like you have time to go back to users. Sure, your roommate, classmate, or those veteran user-testers otherwise known as d.school staffers can always test a prototype in a pinch, even if they’re not the Baby Boomer you’re designing for. But before you go that route, spend one minute brainstorming a quick way to get to your user group, or a good analogy for your user group. (The analogous testers can sometimes produce the most serendipitous results.) Even if time is so short you think you can only get one user, go get them! A tiny time investment in user-testing can pay massive innovation dividends.
(Pictured user tester: maureenhanratty)
All in all it was a fantastic night focused on celebrating people whom no mater how hard we try, never fully get the thanks they deserve.
Since its inception, the d.school has run its famous wallet project, an hour long introduction to design thinking, with thousands of people in different settings all over the world. Until now each one has had one thing in common: a d.schooler present to run the show. Last week the d.school engaged in its first cyber wallet project. 30 plus students at BYU learned about design thinking by redesigning wallets all while being lead by d.school Lecturer Adam Royalty whose image was projected on a screen in Utah while he controlled the show from Stanford.
Leveraging cutting edge information technologies and a very supportive Director of Technology in Bruce Boyd, the d.school proved it could successfully spread the energy from learning design thinking across two states without traveling anywhere. This is certainly the first step in many future cyber teachings to come.
A key focus of the K12 Lab's work at Bayside is supporting teachers as they integrate design thinking and content learning. Our exciting October 4th session concentrated on Empathy skills. The teachers spent 3 hours learning how to effectively gain empathy with others in a variety of ways including:
Interviewing
Observing
Watching videos about peoples' daily processes
Exploring an Empathy Box (a box containing someone's personal artifacts)
This focused training module is the second of eight sessions planned for the year. Each session will have a different focus relating to elements of design thinking.
Our Bootcamp class is deep into their second cycle on the
design process, reinventing the “golden years” for rebellious baby boomers. In
class Wednesday, empathy superhero Erica Estrada prototyped a Twitter-share of
questions and stories from students who are out in the field doing interviews
and observations. Bootcampers are getting out there to engage with users, bringing back some rich insights -- and also some of the tough questions that come with working your way through the design process. You can find all of the Tweets tagged on Twitter with
#dboot09, but here’s a sampling. (A Tweet tasting? Twitter dim sum?)
@scientiffic getting people to trust you in the least amount of time possible has been the biggest challenge!
@gabosama Once you find a subject with a good POV, do you keep looking for more people or stick to that one person?
@ericadestrada @gabosama does ur POV hinge on an extreme user? step back and de-intensify their traits; test proto on users with similar traits
@AshutoshBagaria A priest had a protective shell around him, just said he would like to preach god's name, no retirement for him. How to go further?
@ericadestrada @AshutoshBagaria forget retirement; ask about plans to celebrate new life phase; how does he feel seeing othrs arnd him 'retire'?
Our bootcamp class got an introduction to the d.school's rules for productive team brainstorms today. These are a time-tested, road-worn recipe for successfully generating ideas with your team.
1. Defer Judgment. Don't block someone else's idea if you don't like it...put it on the whiteboard and maybe you'll be able to build on it later.
2. Go for volume. Getting to 100 ideas is better than 10, no matter what you initially think about the "quality". Try setting a goal for the number of ideas you'll get to in a certain amount of time to provide some stoke.
3. One conversation at a time. When different conversations are going on within a team, no one can focus.
4. Be visual. Sketch your ideas out for your teammate. It will communicate them more clearly than words alone, plus you might inspire some crazy new ideas.
5. Headline your idea. Make it quick and sharp, then move on to the next one.
6. Build on the Ideas of others. This leverages the perspectives of diverse teams and can be especially useful when you feel like you're stuck.
7. Stay on topic. Your idea for an edible cell phone is awesome, but not during a brainstorm on making opera more exciting for children.
8. Encourage wild ideas. The crazier the better...you never know where your team might be able to take it. (See #1 and #6).
Other tips: Warm up with a stoking activity...improv, games, dance, anything to get your team juices flowing. Have candy on hand for brain fuel. And have fun!
For a look at the rules in action, check out this video from graduate students John Shinozaki and Jaki Clark, biology PhD student Leticia Britos, d.school lecturer Adam Royalty, and East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy teacher Melissa Pelochino. They also did this video on how *not* to brainstorm. (Thanks, Leticia!)
Bernie Roth, Dave Baggeroer and an unintentional bicycle treadmill prototype.
Fortunately, there's plenty to go around. Adam Ting, a Stanford student who attended our undergrad Arts Intensive this summer, just sent us this message...
"In the spirit of design thinking, I'm revamping my dorm room to better accommodate the myriad activities that go on here. In some way, I'm trying to make myself a mini-d.school at home. Attached are a few pictures of one of the walls my roommate and I just finished. We're hoping to keep the room as a living prototype, and see what we can do to improve the dorm experience."
The more min-d.schools, the better, in our book. Rock on, Adam!
The d.school k12 lab is about improving the creative confidence of kids. When kids believe in themselves as design thinkers they are empowered to create a better world for themselves and their peers. Over the first two years of the lab, we've done everything from produce a design thinking space in an elementary school, to run workshops for hundreds of teachers, to help orchestrate a design contest around giving for 30,000 schools in India.
directions to the d.school: http://www.stanford.
read up on the k12 lab: http://www.stanford.edu/
On Friday September 18th, the d.school K-12 Lab held a two hour training session for EPAPA, an Aspire High School from East Palo Alto, and EPACS a K-8 school from East Palo Alto.
After a quick warm up, the teachers turned students used the d.school design process to create a way to "extend summer" for a partner. Something especially important for employees of a year round school. The prototypes included:
Of all the workshops we've done, this was likely the most energetic. That may be because everyone had a case of the Fridays, and/or this is an extremely passionate, connected and motivated group.
Learn more about the d.school K-12 lab at our website
Congratulations to Peter Frykman and the rest of the Driptech team for being chosen as a 2009 Tech Award Laureate by The Tech Museum! Driptech has developed an innovative approach to manufacturing drip irrigation systems with its unique laser technology, thus making drip irrigation more efficient and affordable for farmers in the developing world. Driptech (representing the Economic Development category) and 14 other laureates were chosen out of 650 applications from around the globe for this prestigious award. Peter and team will be recognized on November 19 at The Tech Awards Gala alongside former Vice President Al Gore, this year's Global Humanitarian Award recipient. Once a project in the Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability course, Driptech has pressed forward at lightning pace doing multiple field trials with their product in India and China, and gearing up for a market launch! Check out Driptech's newly launched website here for more info: www.driptech.com
Other press release links:
The eight 2009 Fellows from the Biodesign program completed their d.school Bootcamp today.
The Fellows came in with the energy and desire to learn the d.school design process, and to see how it could augment their own innovation methods. They worked through a process of gaining empathy, synthesizing information to build a strong point of view, ideating, prototyping, and testing those prototypes with users.Over the next year the Fellows will work with professionals in the Medical Center to generate innovations in the cardiovascular space.
Congratulations on the work the Biodesign fellows did and the engagement they brought to the workshop.
Future innovators, prepare yourselves to become breakthrough thinkers and doers. Cross the boundaries between technology, business, and human values. Use design thinking to work on BIG projects with multidisciplinary teams. Be human-centered, prototype driven, and mindful of process in everything you do. Get a jump on your skills for d.school classes and Labs offered in the Winter and Spring quarters.
Topics include design processes, innovation methodologies, need finding, human factors, visualization, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, storytelling, and project leadership. We are looking for a magic mix of graduate students from across all disciplines and fields at Stanford to experience hands-on projects. Expect in-class exercises, guest lectures, and a Friday lab for design thinking workshops and team time.
Number: ME 377
Teaching Team: George Kembel, David Baggeroer, Jeremy Utley, Thomas Both
Time: Monday, Wednesday 1:15-3:05PM, Lab Friday 1:15-3:05
Location: Building 524, 451 Panama Mall
Enrollment Limit: 2 sections, 24 students per section
Grading: Letter Grade
Application: Available here.
Let me give a testimony to what Stanford undergrads can do when we have their undivided attention. We are blown away. The Arts Intensive students are massively engaged. After a week of design thinking skills-building culminating in a one-minute movie festival, they’ve launched into their first major team project, redesigning the instant ramen experience. We’ve done this project before, but always as a solo experience, and it’s fantastic to see the kind of energy that teams bring to it.
They met their teams on the train to San Mateo, walked to the mystery launch site (the delicious ramen restaurant Himawari!), and got their challenge. They dove right in with an intense exploratory conversation with the owners, servers, and patrons over lunch. The students then fanned out across San Mateo to observe and engage strangers in needfinding interviews. Follow the action on Twitter at #darts09.
Undergrads finally have a toe in the door at the d.school! Thanks to the Stanford Arts Intensive Program, we've got 16 students and two assistants jamming on design thinking skills and projects for two and half weeks just before the start of Autumn quarter classes. We couldn't be more thrilled. It's a small start, but let's just say we see the seeds of greatness here....
Message from Social E'ers & Extreme Affordability Alumni Soniya & Erik:
Want to help launch a compelling new technology to fight malnutrition?
The Small Scale Fortification Group is looking for two MBAs to join our team. We are a collaborative of three teams (DrinkWell, Zing, and AMaize) that emerged from the 2009 Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability course at Stanford’s d.school.
Mission. Our goal is to fight malnutrition, which plagues the developing world. In the US, people get vitamins through fortified cereals and salt, which is the most cost-effective method to deliver vitamins to people. However, in the developing world, the rural poor cannot afford and do not have access to processed foods. Our mission is to develop technologies that make it possible to efficiently deliver nutrients to those who cannot access centrally-processed foods. We are exploring fortification of both water and staple foods.
Our initiative partners with (and is funded by) Project Healthy Children (PHC) www.projecthealthychildren.org. PHC has established food fortification initiatives in Rwanda, Nepal, and Honduras. It was founded by successful serial entrepreneur, David Dodson, GSB ’87, who runs it in partnership with Amy Lockwood, GSB ’03.
Role. We are ideally looking for two committed MBAs to replace outgoing GSB graduates, Erik Bengtsson and Soniya Sapre. There are two roles: one within the DrinkWell team (water fortification) and one within the Zing team (flour fortification at small-scale, rural mills). (See Executive Summaries below for more information on each team / technology.) The two roles are similar, with responsibilities that include:
· Work within the Small Scale Fortification Group’s “Business Model Team,” to develop a financially-sustainable, scalable business model
· Work closely with engineers within each team (DrinkWell or Zing, respectively) to ensure a tight connection between the technical development of the product and the strategy / business model
· Collaborate with Project Healthy Children as they support our efforts
· Help to shape our newly-formed collaborative as it develops its culture, systems, and working norms
We see the role as a highly-entrepreneurial leadership position. Each team has become an eccentric family of its own and we are now forming a dynamic among the larger collaborative. We are working on a problem that has not been solved by anyone: it is an area ripe for fresh ideas and one where there is the potential for truly significant global impact. This is also a great opportunity to gain exposure to design thinking and to take social entrepreneurship from theory into practice. There is potential for these positions to evolve into a full-time role in the future.
We’d love to hear from you. Please email a resume and a short explanation of the nature of your interest to:
Bengtsson_Erik at gsb dot stanford dot edu and Sapre_Soniya at gsb dot stanford dot edu.
Thanks!
Soniya and Erik
DrinkWell - Executive Summary:
DrinkWell has created a unique system to alleviate iron deficiency anemia, one village at a time. DrinkWell delivers critical nutrients to rural families by reaching them at the water pumps they visit each day. Water fortification has the ability to reach every person in a village. DrinkWell can add safe, soluble iron to water without influencing its taste, odor, or color. The DrinkWell device will attach to community hand pumps in Kenya and meter out tiny amounts of iron fortificant solution into the stream of passing water. The device would not require an attendant nor require any additional energy source in operation. The device would also not require any behavioral change from those who use the water pump and will cost roughly $100 to produce. DrinkWell has raised funding and is scheduled to complete mechanical trials of its device in Houston and Kenya in September and October respectively.
Zing – Executive Summary:
In March 2009, the team conducted a field visit to Rwanda, where malnutrition is linked to 60% of child deaths. The team noted a critical need to efficiently deliver nutrients to the rural poor, who rely on cassava, a shrub lacking in almost all vitamins, for their sustenance. The team developed a $35 mixer that that attaches to the output of small-scale mills and evenly mixes vitamin and mineral fortificant into flour. The mixer is designed to fit with every mill, to ensure uniform mixing, to incur minimal operating costs, and to require minimal additional effort on the part of the miller. The device will be distributed to small-scale millers in rural areas—this is a cost-effective channel to reach families, who often visit such mills to grind their cassava into flour. While mixers are a simple and inexpensive way to fortify staples, to date they have faced challenges in the developing world, which the team is seeking to address. The team is being advised by several experts in the field and hopes to launch a pilot field study of its device in Africa during Fall Quarter.
The d.school's new Social E Lab wishes Sam Hamner and Megan Kerins well, as they brave airport security to get their 10 Pepper Eater prototypes through the x-rays and on to Ethiopia, where they will be testing their devices. The Pepper Eaters team consists of four former Extreme Affordability students, who have secured funding in order to further test and implement their solution. The Pepper Eater is a device designed for women in Ethiopia that flakes and de-seeds red peppers. Their device has vastly improved the processing of red peppers, which currently consists of women processing the peppers by hand, thus resulting in a huge health hazard.
You can follow the Pepper Eater team on their blog: http://thepeppereater.wordpress.com/
Happy & safe travels!
The d.school is thrilled to be hosting the final of four NSF funded workshops on Interdisciplinary Graduate Design Education. Highlights so far include an inspirational talk by David Kelley, introduction vehicles with Tina Seelig, and how to get into high security hospitals with just a paper name tag by Bernie Roth. See if you can spot a few interesting name tags above. More pics at flickr.
A huge thanks to Erica, Carly and Scott W. who have topped their last culinary creation once again with the above featured "burger cupcakes." And to all the d.schoolers still on vacation, we enjoy them for you. ;) For more pics of crazy food appreciation, Check here.
Teachers were immersed in design thinking with two cycles through our design process. They then turned immediately to apply the design process to their own curriculum to take design thinking back to their schools. Projects that were seeded during the workshop included such diverse concepts as a Second Grade Fairy Tale unit, an Empathy Tea for New Teachers, and a Design a Backpack Activity for 5th Grade Parents. D.school folks were impressed with the wide range of topic areas and potential users for whom teachers could apply the process.
Other big learnings for the Lab came from their "Low-Res, High Impact" point of view which led them to tailor the workshop activities so that everything presented in the workshop was at a scale that could be replicated in a public school classroom. According to Lab Director Rich Crandall, "Creativity with constraints was a strong throughline for the workshop. These teachers have a lot going on in their classrooms, and they are constantly asked to do a lot with a little when it comes to resources. We wanted to show that incorporating design thinking could be done readily."
To learn more about the K-12 Lab and what they’ve learned in two years of prototypes in classrooms and informal learning programs, check out their newly launched website. It showcases stories about the Lab's work as well as inviting participation through a wiki-based tool.
Finally, if you want to meet the K-12 Lab's fabulous team and other teachers using design thinking, please mark your calendar for the K-12 Lab's Fall Teacher Schmooze Tuesday October 20, 5-7pm.
Stanford d.school Co-Founder George Kembel talks about "Awakening Creativity" at the Chautauqua Institution. Watch the video here.
We tweeted highlights during the speech via @stanforddschool. You can also read them below:
Capra J'Neva and Emilie Fetscher of Veranda Solar are featured on Forbes this week.
Traveling around the d.school today is this wonderful video and blog post about teaching thinking-while-doing in a far corner of the world from the learning studio of the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
We've given over the d.school to host a book-launch party on Wednesday, February 4 at 7PM for a book that features some of our terrific d.school residents, friends and neighbors. It's called The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten. Come on by if you have time. The Stanford Bookstore will be selling books, and refreshments will be provided.
d.school Professor Bob Sutton explains "The guys who wrote this book picked several books by people with close connections to the d.school, including Dan and Chip Heath’s Made to Stick (Chip is frequent guest at the d.school), Tom Kelley’s Art of Innovation, Randy Komisar’s Monk and the Riddle (Randy teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford and happens to be married to Debra Dunn, who teaches many classes at the d.school), and The Knowing Doing-Gap, which Jeff Pfeffer and I wrote."
The publisher's blurb is below....
A great business book can change your life.
When 11,000 business books are published each year, it’s not easy to find the ones worth your time and money. Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten of 800-CEO-READ have taken on the ultimate challenge, rereading the classics, bestsellers, and sleepers to choose the 100 best business books. The 100 Best Business Books of All Time features classics like Good to Great and The Essential Drucker and some surprises like Oh, The Places You’ll Go and Moneyball.
For more information and a free excerpt, visit: www.100bestbiz.com
To be published February 5, 2009 by Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA)
psst....
8:00pm -11:00pm
Friday January 23rd, 2009
at the Design Loft
Duena St. & Santa Teresa St.
A shameless plug and congratulations for our friends at Ambidextrous, Stanford University's Journal of Design. They've recently published their Fall 2008 issue themed "Getting It On" and celebrated with a happening launch party graciously hosted by Adaptive Path in San Francisco. Ambidextrous has been called a "quirky magazine [that] explores the craft of design and the nuances of design thinking" by Dan Pink, in his book A Whole New Mind.
Ambidextrous features the people and processes involved in design and design thinking. The print magazine is curated and edited by a team of Stanford students and recent grads with content by writers and photographers from all over.
The newest issue originated in a proposition that they explore the topic of sex ("Let's Talk About It"). The result is perhaps PG-13 at most, with topics such as MUJI designer Kenya Hara ("Landscapes of the Unknown"), fasteners and attachment ("Ups and Downs in Zipper History"), and the power of emotions ("Free as in Love"). They also investigated titillating instances of explicit sexual material ("Sex Goes to the Museum," "Getting it On Gets Faster") But what largely comes through in the issue is a lust for design and design thinking and a sweet affirmation and appreciation for those that do design.
At heart they're romantics about design and the design process. And this has been true for Ambidextrous from the start. The brown paper cover serves as a demure disguise for the ongoing passionate love note written by and for design geeks. If you're not yet a subscriber sign up now. It's a great read from cover to cover. Their website has some selected articles from this and previous issues up. And through Dec 31 they are having a holiday sale on magazine subscriptions -- $10 off their regular subscription price. Make Ambidextrous a stocking stuffer!
Apply for a free alternative to business school with Seth Godin. Just the kind of innovative idea that Stanford graduates are known for, and that the d.school loves!
We're so pleased to announce a warm re-welcome to Susie Wise!
The founding director of the d.school K-12 Lab, Susie coordinated the efforts of a huge number of people to build out the Nueva School iLab and ensuing curriculum in a jam-packed six months. Susie has been on hiatus since Winter of 2008, and is returning to the d.school in a new role, working with the d.school leadership team to bring the d.school to the next level. Her first public works project here will be to channel some of the d.school's tremendous efforts of teaching and learning into a prolific publishing engine!
Susie will be working half-time for the moment, and you'll see her at the d.school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please join us in welcoming her back to the d!
Please join us in extending our congratulations and warm re-welcome to Rich Crandall!
We are pleased to announce that Rich, one of our 2007-2008 d.school fellows, has agreed to remain at the d.school in a director's role, leading the K-12 Lab through at least Summer 2009. Rich started with Susie Wise and the K-12 Lab team in the Autumn of 2007, and has been guiding these efforts since the Spring of 2008. He's been continuing the work of developing K-12 design thinking curriculum and has been spinning up teaching teams with the Nueva School, East Palo Alto Academy, the Henry Ford Learning Institute, and more.
Rich and the K-12 team have executed on numerous teacher workshops and student experiences, and are engaged in building long-term relationships and fund raising development as well. We're looking forward to seeing what new heights this year brings. Rich is an extraordinary design thinker and leader, and and passionate proponent of great learning experiences for kids. And he brings to the d.school a sure knowledge of what a little fun can do to change your day, your mood and your life
The d.news extends congratulations to our friends and neighbors at the graduate Program in Design for their sweep of the PICNIC Green Challenge in Amsterdam recently!
The 2008 PICNIC Green Challenge is the annual international creative competition, sponsored by the Dutch Postcode Lottery and cross-media event PICNIC, that challenges entrepreneurs worldwide to create greenhouse-gas-reducing products or services that encourage consumers to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.
With a revolutionary material EcovativeDesign has won this year's PICNIC Green Challenge, and Veranda Solar won a surprise special prize of 100,000 Euros.
After graduation Capra J'neva and Emile Fetscher formed Veranda Solar while Ed Browka joined Ecovative as COO. They were happy to see each other as finalists in Amsterdam, and receive a significant boost to their green ventures.
Greensulate™ is made with a revolutionary new manufacturing process that uses a growing organism to convert waste cellulose into a rigid biological resin. This process is extremely energy efficient, occurring in the dark, at room temperature and pressure, without any petroleum inputs. Greensulate™ is enabled by a flexible platform that can be leveraged to produce sustainable materials for many markets, including packaging, disposable coolers, and surf boards.
To learn more visit
http://www.ecovativedesign.com
Veranda Solar makes affordable, beautiful solar panels that hang out your window or clip to gutters and balconies. Their panels easy installation saves you half the cost of traditional panels. They are plug and play. They snap together. Now you can make the decision to go solar and hook up your house, all in a single afternoon. Now you too can invest in your own personal green energy future.
To learn more visit
http://www.verandasolar.com
Future innovators, prepare yourselves to become breakthrough thinkers and doers. Cross the boundaries between technology, business, and human values. Use design thinking to work on BIG projects with multidisciplinary teams. Be human-centered, prototype driven, and mindful of process in everything you do. Get a jump on your skills for d.school classes and Labs offered in the Winter and Spring quarters.
Topics include design processes, innovation methodologies, need finding, human factors, visualization, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, storytelling, and project leadership. We are looking for a magic mix of graduate students from across all disciplines and fields at Stanford to experience hands-on projects. Expect in-class exercises, guest lectures, and a Friday lab for design thinking workshops and team time.
Quarter: Autumn 2008
Class: ME377
Teaching Team: George Kembel, Scott Doorley, David Baggeroer, Corey Ford, Erica Estrada, Joel Sadler, Scott Witthoft
Time: Monday, Wednesday 1:15-3:05PM, Lab Friday 1:15-3:05
Location: Building 524, 451 Panama Mall
Enrollment Limit: 2 sections, 24 students per section
Grading: Letter Grade
Applications: Available on the d.school website September 15, they are due by midnight September 22 (the first day of class). Decisions will be made by September 24.
Plus, check out some of the other classes we'll be teaching this year in Winter and Spring Quarters...
Congratulations go out to d.school regular David Baggeroer, whose thesis-work in the Joint Program in Design, a glorious innovation on triathlon handlebars, won a BusinessWeek 2008 International Design Excellence Award (IDEA). Fantastic work among fantastic competition!
Our friends at d.light design are reporting great news in the News; a great article in Forbes Magazine. Plus articles in greentechmedia.com, the Industry Standard, and Venture Beat. Go d.light!
On Friday May 30, the d.school hosted Chef Ben Roche, of Moto Restauraunt in Chicago, for an interactive design exchange. He showed us the edible balloon technique, and aliens landing on our plates. The participants responded with levitating food, popsicle dinner, marshmallow-cayenne surprise, and a brand new take on the prairie oyster, among other nouveau eats. Chef Ben kept telling us he wasn't a designer. We beg to differ. Stay tuned for more Design Exchanges from the d.school.
