March 2018: Beyond the Hype: Transformative Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Design

This month, we’re excited to have speaker Karel Vredenburg of IBM Design join us.

From start-ups to large enterprises, everyone is talking about innovation, disruption, transformation, design thinking, iconic branding, signature experiences, as well as things like artificial intelligence, machine learning, audio interfaces, big data, IoT, VR, and AR. There’s a lot of hype, a lot of excitement, and a lot of money being spent but little focus on the fundamentals and what really makes a difference. We’ll briefly review the history of design and the interface to technology from the point of view of a 106 year old startup, IBM, and then explore the common transformation myths, and the key foundational ingredients for effective design transformation by examining entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial companies. We’ll also discuss the design challenges inherent in several new technologies and proposals to address them. We’ll finish up with an open discussion with the session attendees to solicit their ideas, thoughts, and feedback on the topics raised during the session.

Karel’s Bio

Karel has spent his professional career dealing with design, technology, human affect, cognition, and behavior primarily through the human interface to technology. His current interests are in advances in design practice, design-based organizational transformation, the innovation ecosystem (design school, business school, university, entrepreneur, and enterprise), and the ways in which technology can extend, optimize, and improve work, play, relationships, education, health, and overall fulfillment. He is director of design at IBM and responsible for IBM Design’s worldwide client programs and serves as the head of IBM Studios in Canada. He’s also Industry Professor at the DeGroote School of Business, the DeGroote Health Leadership Academy, and McMaster University. Karel joined IBM in 1988 after having done graduate studies, research, and teaching at the University of Toronto. He introduced User-Centered Design at IBM in 1993 and assumed a company-wide role in 1995 leading IBM’s community of designers, leading the development of design methods, languages, and technologies, and leading the design of the commercialization of the IBM Watson. In 2013, he introduced IBM Design Thinking to IBM product development laboratories worldwide and introduced a tailored version of it to IBM consulting services and technology services organizations worldwide in 2014 through 2016. Karel now leads the development and activation of IBM Design Thinking for client facing professionals worldwide in addition to providing leadership to IBM’s Canadian design studios. Karel is based in Toronto, blogs at karelvredenburg.com, hosts a podcast called Life Habits, and his social media coordinates include @karelvredenburg on Twitter and LinkedIn and @karelveganburg on Instagram.

Pizza and drinks will be served at the event.

Please register for this free event

Thursday March 15, 2018
5:30pm to 7:00pm
3rd Floor Theatre, Roddenberry, Communitech
151 Charles Street West
Kitchener, Ontario