Nimble: thinking creatively in the digital age

161 Pages·2015·40.42 MB·English

by  Landa, Robin

N I M B L E

N I M B L E
Thinking Creatively in the Digital Age
R O B I N L A N D A
Adams Media
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Copyright © 2015 by Robin Landa
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ISBN 978-1-4403-3757-4
ISBN 978-1-5072-0464-1 (ebook)
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Cover designed by Max Friedman
Interior designed by Claudean Wheeler
Dedication
For Hayley, my favorite nimble thinker.
Acknowledgments
I humbly thank and am indebted to Denise Anderson, Mark Avnet, Liz
Blazer, Paula Bosco, Stefan G. Bucher, Kill Cooper, Kaila Edmondson,
Dave Glass, Dr. Peter Gray, Scott Francis, Max Friedman, Rei Inamoto,
Dr. Mizuko Ito, Sarah Nelson Jackson, Jean-Marc Joseph, Matt Lyon,
Denyse Mitterhofer, Mariko Oda, Amy Owen, Josh Owen, Payam, PJ
Pereira, Tish Scolnik, Jennifer Sterling, Ashley Stewart, Brian Storm,
Patrick Sutherland, Dr. Jeffrey H. Toney, Ria R. Venturina, Steve Vranakis,
Jessica Walsh, John Weigele, and Claudean Wheeler for their excellent
and generous contributions to this book.
At Kean University, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Dawood
Farahi, President; Dr. Jeffrey H. Toney, Provost and Vice President of
Academic Affairs; Prof. Rose Gonnella, Executive Director of the Robert
Busch School of Design; Dr. Susan Gannon, Office for Research and
Sponsored Programs; the Release Time for Research committee for the re-
search grant; and all of my other esteemed colleagues.
I would also like to thank my dear Robert Busch School of Design stu-
dents, who deserve nothing less than nimble pedagogy. I hope I have in-
spired and provided the tools for lifelong learning.
And finally—loving thanks to my husband Dr. Harry Gruenspan and
our darling daughter Hayley.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
EMBRACING THE NEW CHALLENGES..............................................1
CHAPTER 01.
THINKING CREATIVELY...........................................................................6
THE CHALLENGE......................................................................................6
DELIVERABLES.........................................................................................9
CHAPTER 02.
THE NEW CREATIVITY PREP SCHOOL...........................................14
WORKING BACKWARDS THROUGH PROBLEM FINDING AND
DECONSTRUCTION................................................................................14
PROBLEM-FINDING PROMPTS..............................................................15
CHAPTER 03.
THINKING ACTIVELY................................................................................29
CRITICAL THINKING...............................................................................29
SOLVING PROBLEMS..............................................................................33
CHAPTER 04.
STORY: CRAFTING NARRATIVE EXPERIENCES
IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL CONTENT................................................39
THE NEW CHALLENGE...........................................................................39
STORYTELLING BY DESIGN....................................................................42
CHAPTER 05.
STAYING NIMBLE.......................................................................................57
FAST AND FEARLESS...............................................................................57
LET’S PLAY..............................................................................................58
CHAPTER 06.
INTERVIEWS .................................................................................................75
MARK AVNET...........................................................................................76
LIZ BLAZER.............................................................................................82
DR. PETER GRAY.....................................................................................87
DAVE GLASS AND KILL COOPER...........................................................92
REI INAMOTO..........................................................................................97
DR. MIZUKO ITO....................................................................................101
SARAH NELSON JACKSON....................................................................108
JOSH OWEN............................................................................................114
PJ PEREIRA..............................................................................................119
TISH SCOLNIK........................................................................................124
BRIAN STORM.........................................................................................127
STEVE VRANAKIS...................................................................................135
JESSICA WALSH.....................................................................................140

INTRODUCTION
EMBRACING THE NEW
CHALLENGES
“Complacency is the number one killer of creativity. Keep moving.”
—STEVE VRANAKIS, Executive Creative Director, Creative Lab, Google
How does one flourish in design today? How does one avoid becoming a
person who is out of place, an anachronistic thinker, a fogy—or perhaps
worse, someone with limited scope or capabilities?
Technology is progressing rapidly. That’s not a qualitative statement—
it’s a fact. Very soon cars that drive themselves will transport us and most
of us will be sporting wearable computers. All the rapid technological
changes have altered the nature of work, people’s habits and consequent-
ly what designers need to be able to do. In the ages past, life was short and
art was long. Today, life is long and tech is short.
Employers want to hire nimble thinkers: people who are not only con-
tent experts but who also are agile in adapting to new technology and new
directions in their fields. With rapid technological changes and globaliza-
tion, the ability to think creatively and strategically is crucial.
These nimble thinkers not only keep up, but they also better serve
people by sharpening their thinking. Steve Vranakis, Executive Creative
Director, Creative Lab, Google, believes that “technology combined with
creativity can be used as a force for good and allow for people to come up
with ideas that change the world.”
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