Episode 10 - Beyond the Tech/IBM

Host: David DesRoches, Quinnipiac University

Guests: Marc Wisniewski, Design Producer at IBM / Martin Misiaszek, Content Designer at IBM / Lauren Ciulla, Visual Designer at IBM

"Select+CT" is a Digital Media Connecticut (DMCT) podcast series dedicated to Connecticut's Digital Media industry!

What goes on within the walls of IBM? Or other digital media based companies for that matter? Design thinking. 

Companies have been integrating the method of design thinking into their workforce. IBM is a good example. Their mission is to  provide solutions and experiences for their fellow IBMers to use everyday with the goal of decreasing friction. Employing nearly 350,000 “IBMers” (people who work at IBM), three of those hundred thousand employees spoke about what they do & what their company has to offer. David DesRoches interviews Marc Winiewski, Design Producer, Martin Misiaszek, Content Designer, and Lauren Ciulla, Visual Designer: All employed by the Chief Information office at IBM.

“Every time you design something like an interface or a physical product, someones going to be using it to complete a goal or a task to make their lives easier,” said Lauren Ciulla, Visual Designer

Takeaways from Marc, Martin, and Lauren:

• Design thinking strives for empathy. Empathizing with users, constantly being thoughtful of them = design thinking. 
• Every time you design something like an interface or a physical product, someones going to be using it to complete a goal or a task to make their lives easier. 
• Design thinking workshops put employees in the shoes of their users to better grasp what they’re experiencing. Enabling designers, engineers, and stakeholders to rally around an idea of what they're looking to create in order to meet their users' needs, these workshops have become popular amongst both IBMers and other digital media based companies.