« How Design Thinking Problem Solving Can Improve - Jon Kolko »

In Chapter 11 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, designer and educator Jon Kolko interprets design thinking. He talks about the rise of "Design Thinking" philosophy, specifically using design methods to solve strategic business and organizational problems. He notes its shortcomings, specifically how design "doing" must complement design "thinking". He notes the "doing" part is often thought of as menial - commoditizing and offshoring product design for mass production overseas. Kolko argues against this, noting overseas designers will solve local design problems. Because design is connected to culture, problems must be locally solved, or at least locally engaged. Kolko is the executive director of design strategy at venture accelerator, Thinktiv (www.thinktiv.com). He is the founder and director of the Austin School for Design (www.ac4d.com). Previously, he worked at frog design and was a professor of Interactive and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He has authored multiple books on design. Kolko earned his Masters in Human Computer Interaction (MHI) and BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University.