Let’s start here, I love branding. I always have, it’s a practice that has been about getting people to know you, and the better they know you, the more likely they are to empathize and react positively to your goals. This means, in a business sense, the more likely they are to purchase your product, or service.

I also have no problem saying that of brands, Apple is my favorite, in fact they are the reason I got into branding and design. There was something about the feeling I got when I used my Mac that just felt different, in-fact it almost felt like, as crazy as it may sound, my Mac was made with care and consideration toward me. The “Think Different.” campaign also resonated, I was always a kid who many would describe (politely) as “a bit left-of-center”—I later learned that the concise, albeit less polite, term for that was “weird”—so seeing an ad campaign that represented the weird people caught my attention.

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Design is a broad specification with many disciplines, and naturally, with such an expansive set of tools, practices and thought processes, it can feel seemingly impossible to define. As a result, some have sought to create tightly controlled representations of what “design actually is”. However, this line of thinking is … quite frankly, BS, and can be to our detriment in the ever evolving design landscape; leaving design out of some rather important and influential conversations, when it could (should) have a bigger role in general. Why? Because design plays a role in pretty much everything we do.

This post was original posted at: https://www.unleashed-technologies.com/blog/2017/08/31/design-thinking

As companies seek more authentic, and meaningful relationships with their customers and employees — while also fostering better communication at all levels — design professionals find themselves in a key position to help bridge the gap. Heck, according to Inc., Designers Are the Next Generation of CEOs. Why? Well, because Designers are at the heart empathy dealers.

In-fact, if you spend enough time in design circles you’ll hear the word “empathy” quite frequently, as it’s possibly the most foundational portion of what we do. When you consider that the majority of our work is with someone else’s voice in mind and intended for someone else’s consideration, you’ll realize empathy plays a major part. However, how do you get those who are not designers and not used to working from such abstract starting points, to use those skills to solve problems large or small… without ego, bias, or preconception?

In this Design Thinking Session, hosted by the ASAE Tech 2017 Conference, attendees were led through a series of human centered design exercises that helped them understand the core needs and competencies within the practice of human centered design. Participants were also introduced to the concept of micro interactions and saw just how common these are in their daily lives. From our brief introduction, participants gained an understanding of how micro interactions form part of the base foundation of human centered design theory.