There seems to be an ample amount of conflict in the world right now, which you don't have to look far to see. Not only conflict in the news, but conflict seemingly in our daily lives. Given the amount of conflict that we seem to be experiencing, it is a great time on Experience by Design to talk with Josh Gordon, founder of the Sports Conflict Institute. Josh has a career as a college athlete, and now a career helping athletes, coaches, schools, leagues, and governing bodies achieve acceptable outcomes through mediation. We talk about how to create processes that are equitable, and why the process can be more important than the outcome. We also talk about how expectations going in can help to mitigate resentment and dissatisfaction. Finally, we talk about how experience design can be an important tool to avoid conflict and solve it when it happens.

Life is about trying to mix the right ingredients in the right amounts. I learned this when in my first jobs in restaurants when I was cooking. I also knew it from my grandmother, who would know how much of each ingredient without measuring. Following a recipe by reading it or by memory can create great dishes. But to be a great cook is about more than following a recipe; it is about knowing how to combine different ingredients in new and exciting ways. My guest James Shin knows about cooking, and he knows about cultural ingredients that lead to great designs and outcomes. We talk about his experiences as an industrial engineer and leader in a global company, which lead to his book "The Leader's Soul." We also talk about the styles of leadership in different national contexts, and what can be learned from each. Finally, we talk about the importance of nuance in leadership and design, and how keeping things simple in design projects can be the best way to achieve progress and improve outcomes.

Part of growing up is becoming prepared for the next step and long-term growth. Higher education has long been part of the process. But today, the belief in higher education has been waning. There is a declining trust in higher ed, and well as a belief that the growing cost isn't worth the return. But if not higher ed, then what? Perhaps the skilled trades, which have been seeing an increase and remain a worthwhile pursuit. Finally, there might be enlisting in the military as a pathway to a career. However, only 1% of the US population is in active service, and only about 7% the current population have ever served. Lee Pepper, author of "Never Outmatched: Military Strategies to Lead, Innovate, and Win in the Modern Marketing Battlefield," sees a strong connection between military service and marketing success. As a veteran, he shares those connections, and discusses how he uses those connections to help veterans for the next stages of their life. He also shares how everyone can draw from military history to better create better organizational strategy. Finally, he talks about how innovation doesn't mean throw everything out, but finding ways to use emergent tools and new perspectives to create better outcomes.

While artistic creation is in all of us, it can be an intimidating act. The work it takes to achieve mastery or at least competence. The thought that your ideas and skill aren't up to the task. The question of what are we even doing it for. But in artistic expression lies the key to not only creation, but expression of authentic purpose. This is the message that Laura Patac has for us. On this episode of Experience by Design, we talk about how poetry and artistic expression was vital to her developing a sense of connection with herself and others. We explore how her book Stories with Purpose helps others create their own narrative of choice and change. These stories also can show our strength and resilience, helping us embrace new opportunities and find new paths forward in our lives and careers.

Dr. Alan Gregerman, urban geographer, innovator, and creative thinker, comes to Experience by Design to talk about his new book "The Wisdom of Ignorance." I talked with Alan about climate change, sustainability, and the challenges of higher education, and the value of broad knowledge versus specialization in today's rapidly changing world. We discuss the importance of asset-based community development and how organizations can leverage the unique skills and perspectives of their employees, particularly new hires who bring fresh perspectives. He describes how he sends groups off on undirected missions of discovery in different environments so they can find what is to be uncovered, and use those lessons to embrace play and the wisdom of ignorance. We end with insights on organizational change, customer engagement, and the role of geography in business practices.

Playing on a sports team and being an employee have a lot in common, namely the experience that you have depends on the leadership that is present. Bad leadership invariably means bad experiences. Unfortunately, those who aspire to leadership don't always have the requisite characters to make for a good leader. Also, the leadership pool can be limited by the number of people who see themselves as leaders. If we can expand that number, the outcome will hopefully be better leaders. On this episode of Experience by Design, I welcome Amy Kemp to the podcast. Amy started her career as a teacher, and then shifted to sales. Regardless of where she found herself, she experienced the same phenomenon of women not being appreciated for their leadership potential. In her book "I See You," she talks about how women are underappreciated, misunderstood, and generally not seen. Amy works with clients to help change that. She help the people she works with find their worth to receive pay raises, acquire high-paying clients, and achieve a better work-life balance. In the end, she helps people see the ways that they have qualities to lead, and how those qualities are need now more than ever.

Leadership, like life, is about finding balance. Experience design is about achieving some kind of balance through the integration of all the elements that we have available to use. So, to be successful in experience design, as leaders, and in life, we need to find some kind of balance. In this episode of Experience by Design, Livia Bernardini (CEO of Future Platforms) about balance in her life and work. She describes her experience living around the world and what she takes from each spot. She talks about balancing clients wishes with innovative approaches. We explore the balance of new technology with sustainability and ethics. Liv describes the importance of balancing perspectives in design, especially incorporating diversity in design teams. Finally we talk about balance in life overall.

One of the ironies of living in a more technological age is that we also are experience greater loneliness and disconnection. Additionally, there can be a paralyzing sense of performance and judgement as people continuously put their lives out into the world through the posts that they share. As a result, the more we get pulled into the online world, the most we could use getting back to being offline. Howard Lewis is spearheading this movement through his Offline Dinner Parties and his book The Joy of Offline. We talk about what prompted this book, and how his offline parties helped to create great connection, curiosity, and risk taking. He describes how his hands-off approach helps to create an inner momentum that carry these event forward. He also discusses why it is important to have people from diverse backgrounds and interest to help break barriers and boundaries. Finally, we talk about his life in finance and the art world, and what lessons he carries from those into trying to break the grip of online.

The times might be changing, but that doesn't mean brands new to. When legacy brands launch a new image, it can be met with backlash and questions around what where they thinking. At the same time, times do change and brands often need to keep up with those shifts. It can be a tough balancing act as seen in episodes like Jaguar and Cracker Barrel. On this episode of Experience by Design, we welcome Matt Powell, Creative Director of Great State. Matt and Great State have worked with many legacy brands (and newer brands) to rethink traditional approaches and retain core features of brand trust. We talk a lot about how the ways that you breed brand loyalty has changed because media consumption has changed. Social media means that agencies and clients need to be fluid and fluent when thinking about changes. Additionally, younger generations create unique challenges and opportunities as consumers and creators of this content. We also explore the importance of creating integrated experiences, tying customer, user, digital, and brand experiences together. Finally we talk about the importance of sustainability in web design.

Back to school means a lot of things, including getting the kids out of the house after managing them all summer. It also means educators and administrators wrestling with many competing forces and demands while trying to teach their subjects. Lasada Pippen works with schools, as well as corporations, on how to create environments where leadership inspires growth and resilience. We talk about his journey from Burger King to a career in engineering despite having no vision of what he wanted to do. Then he decided to align his dreams with opportunity and embark on bringing the opportunity for change to others. We talk about how reach those in the middle to inspire impact. We explore the challenges of education today no matter what part of the country you're in. We discuss how to combat burnout in high stress and high turnover environments. Finally, LP shares how to turn something you love into something you can get paid for all while helping others.

Navigating the law and legal environments can be tricky, no matter what you are trying to accomplish. As more and more people are trying to represent themselves, they are coming up against a system that was design by lawyers for lawyers. If you are not a lawyer, the problems become apparent very quickly. And even if you have representation, it can still be a challenging environment. Professor Demetrios Karis joins us on Experience by Design to talk about how to create a more user-friendly legal system. He has done a lot of research on the topic, working with students in actual court settings to identify what can be improved, and then providing recommendations on how to do it. We also discuss how he got involved in user experience work, what he learned from the various companies he has worked for, and what he sees as the future of UX as well as human civilization.

Growing up isn't easy, whether you are a teenager or a whole profession. On this episode of Experience by Design, Andrew Carothers talks about how CX needs to be parented in order to reach maturity. Andrew helped to usher customer experience into Cisco, and has seen the growing pains first hand. Andrew dispenses some 'tough love' in terms of what he sees as needing to change. We talk about how CX has to better communicate its value, and that starts with its metrics. Andrew provides his predictions of what he sees as the contribution and limit of AI for digital experiences. And we talk about the need for CX to move from an accessory to a central part of strategy. Finally, we talk about what type of furniture CX is most like, and how its needs to be the centerpiece of the organizational home.

Christian Lachel knows the importance that storytelling can have to creating shared experiences. He also knows that telling stories involves integrating different points of views concerning the story being told. We talk about the responsibility of story telling when you are talking about an entire country (like his work on the USA Pavilion in the World Expo) or about individuals (like Herbert Hoover) or places (like the River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan). We also chat about his time in the US Navy, and how to tell the story of military conflicts, you have to incorporate the perspectives of all parties involved. Finally, he discusses how when people work in collaborative ways, great and meaningful experiences can be made.

On this episode of Experience by Design, I welcome Dr. Ashley Guajardo, Assistant Professor of Arts at New York University, faculty at the NYU Games Center, Higher Education Videogame Alliance Fellow, and President of the Digital Games Research Association. Professor Guajardo also is a sociologist who practices what she preaches. We talk about being a female content creator on Twitch and YouTube, gender and video game design, applying sociology to industry, and her new effort "The Research Left Behind Podcast." We finally talk about how academics need to make their content more accessible to broader audiences and disseminating our findings for positive impact.

On this episode of Experience by Design, we welcome Diane Kahn of Humans of San Quentin to the show. Diane went from a background in education and into the San Quentin prison, where she has worked with inmates to bring their stories forward. This program has now grown to over 100 prisons in the United States and more worldwide. We talk about the importance of story telling as a way of healing and being seen. We explore her experiences teaching in a prison, helping prisoners come together through education, restorative justice, and inmate experiences. Finally we talk about bringing these stories to the outside world, and what we can learn from prison recipes of cooking in cells.

On this episode of Experience by Design, I welcome Josee Tremblay to the show. Josee's career as an engineer spans the renewable and energy space. But more fundamentally, her work is about making a different in a way that improves people's lives. Her experiences as an female engineer in a male-dominated space led to her book "Us and Yet and Yet", an exploration of gender and nontraditional work roles. In that book, she provides practical tips for navigating tough conversations across differences, resolving conflicts constructively, and fostering a participative decision-making environment that values everyone’s voice . We talk about this work, as well as how to make better industry and academic partnerships to turn ideas into action.

We welcome Chad Lefevre to the Experience by Design studios to talk about how important conservations can lead to substantial change. Chad has been part of a lot of different design efforts small and large. From trying to increase giving amount younger people, to using gamification to increasing collaboration in workplaces, to trying to address some of the world's biggest challenges, he has been involved of design work. Through the Design Studio, he has traveled the world working with groups to unleash creativity toward creating improved outcomes and new relationships. We explore all of this, along with how emergent technology is going to transform society, and how we can design a better future for everyone.

On this episode of Experience by Design, we welcome master direct marketer Brian Kurtz. Brian's career spans more than 40 years, and he's seen many changes happen in the world of marketing. Despite these changes, there is a lot that still stays the same since all marketing efforts come down to connecting with people. We talk about how building relationships is more important than just increasing revenue. We explore how the spirit of experimentation and embracing failure is key to long-term success. We also talk about how his career as a film critic and baseball umpire have contributed to his marketing success.

We welcome Rikki West to Experience by Design to talk about her new book "The Empty Bowl: Pursuing Truth in a Messy World." Rikki takes us on a personal journey that started in a Chicago suburb and through UC Berkeley and into the beginnings of Silicon Valley and tech start-ups. Her background in science comes to odds with her spiritual searching, resulting in a void that led to alcoholism and negative self-worth. Through recovery, she was able to start a new journey that began with how she viewed herself as a gateway to become reacquainted with the world and her relationships.

Everyone could use a little help with style, but few people can afford their own personal stylist. This is what led Anya Cheng to co-found Taelor, a subscription-based style service that combines human style agents and AI to help customers redefine their look and improve their confidence. I talk to Anya about her start as a journalist, and what she learned from telling stories and standing around. We explore digital transformations in companies like Sears, Ebay, Meta, Target, and McDonalds. We talk about the challenges of venture capitalism, and the balance of short-term payoffs to long-term strategy. We also talk about how fashion sense can change around the world, and how to cater style to a global customer base.