Part 1 of the special two part Design Concepts, Inc. webcast series: Design Thinking:  Changing Business as Usual

 Design thinking brings an iterative, qualitative approach to product development and strikes a balance between empathy, creativity and rationality.  The series explores design thinking as a strategic direction as well as a practical approach to extracting and leveraging value from product development teams.

You will:

-Learn new ways of doing business
-Foster innovation - un-stick a tired company culture
-Extract and leverage value from your existing staff
-Understand the benefits of design thinking
-Learn practical tools and techniques to begin implementation of design thinking within an organization or team

This two-part series explores the “what,” “why,” and the “how” of design thinking.  Stefanie Norvaisas, director of strategy & research and a Design Concepts principal, and Ami Verhalen, director of industrial design and a Design Concepts principal, lead the series and discuss this valuable approach that’s changing business as usual.   

Session one: Design Thinking – the “what” and “why” 

The session articulates what design thinking is all about, and what make it unique from approaches typically used in traditional companies.   Norvaisas and Verhalen demystify design thinking and explain why it is a powerful approach to innovation and product development.  They discuss the pillars of design thinking and examine important attributes to implementation.   They offer a strategic view of design thinking and a discussion of the benefits it provides to corporate culture. 
 

Who should attend?

Managers, designers and engineers who want to infuse new energy into their innovation teams will benefit from this introduction to design thinking.  Individuals who are new to the idea of design thinking, or thosewho are facing challenges in their existing approach, will gain insights into ways to challenge “business as usual”  through design thinking.

Don't forget to view part 2 -

Design Thinking – the “how”

*PDMA members, make sure to log in to receive your discounted member price of $25. 

Meet Your Presenters:

 Stefanie Norvaisas
Stefanie Norvaisas is the director of strategy and research and a principal for Design Concepts, Inc., an innovation consultancy helping clients build brands and business through product strategy, research, design, engineering and prototyping.  

Norvaisas designs and leads strategy and research initiatives that inform new brands, experiences and product strategies for clients worldwide.  She creates and develops methods for gathering information about customer experiences and converts that data into relevant and actionable strategies. 

Stefanie holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology and has extensive experience in applying methods from the social sciences to support the business of innovation.   

She is a frequent speaker on the topic of design thinking.  She developed and team-teaches Design Thinking for Business, a graduate course of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Business School.

Ami Verhalen
Ami Verhalen is the director of industrial design and a principal for Design Concepts, Inc., an innovation consultancy helping clients build brands and business through product strategy, research, design, engineering and prototyping.

Verhalen and her team create solutions to support client brands and compelling user experiences.  They address business opportunities by acting as the conduit between user needs and implementation.

The Industrial Design team uses visual tools and methodologies to bring creative ideas to life in order to communicate and validate concepts.  Ami’s team facilitates the creative process in order to gain alignment and buy-in from within a clients’ organization, across varied disciplines and from among user types to ensure profitable and delightful solutions.

Ami developed and team-teaches Design Thinking for Business, a graduate course of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Business School.