Overlap: More Interesting Moments

by June 2, 2006

Following up on my previous set of interesting moments at Overlap, here’s a few more of the concepts that stuck with me.

Richard Farson, Is Design a Profession or a Business?

Tom Mulhern, What unique contribution does the Overlap’ make to business success?

  • Design has gained in importance in direct proportion to information overload.
  • Just as design has been vital in simplifying the consumer's life, it can help simplify, accelerate, and focus the life of the corporation.
  • Grease, Grit, and Grout are practical products of the Overlap in action.
  • Grease is the power of design to align: shared pictures means shared minds; Synthesis as a participative exercise
  • Grit is the power of design to make things tangible: visualization, scenarios, prototyping; with real humans at the center.
  • Grout is the power of design to make whole: holistic, systems thinking.
  • Tom’s complete slides (PDF).

Kristian Simsarian, IDEO

  • What’s after human-centered design? Social responsible & sustainability.
  • The next big thing is helping companies become more heart-centered rather than just human-centered.