Advertise on podcast: Undisciplined By Design

In this episode of Undisciplined By Design, we sit down with YC Sun, Senior Portfolio Director of Healthcare at IDEO, to explore the human side of health tech and what it takes to design technology around real human needs.YC shares how work spanning digital health, medical devices, behavioral health, AI, and emerging technologies, can stay grounded in one core principle: technology should solve a meaningful problem for people, not become a solution searching for one.The conversation touches on patient dignity, behavior change, tiny habits, trust in health technology, and the growing role of AI in healthcare. Together, Aaron and YC unpack what human-centered innovation looks like in practice and why the future of health tech will depend as much on understanding people as it does on building better technology.

In this episode of Undisciplined By Design, Aaron Bradley sits down with Lisa K. Solomon, Futurist in Residence for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (the d.school), to explore how design, foresight, and imagination can help people feel more agency in uncertain times. Lisa shares her journey from design strategy to futures education, why future-thinking skills should be taught and practiced before moments of crisis, and how tools like scenario planning, civic design, and “beautiful questions” can help students, leaders, and communities shape more hopeful futures.

We sit down with Lyn Jeffrey of Institute for the Future to unpack why foresight is becoming a must-have skill in a world defined by uncertainty. From spotting subtle signals of change in everyday life to rethinking how innovation actually happens, this conversation challenges the idea that the future is something you wait for and instead positions it as something you actively shape. We explore why predictions are the wrong goal, how to train your imagination to think ten years ahead, and how organizations are using foresight to unlock new possibilities.

Hans Heim and Roxy Lo of Ibis Cycles explore the delicate balance between driving innovation to stay ahead of trends while staying grounded in what customers are actually ready for – the MAYA principle of “Most Advanced Yet Acceptable”.  We also discuss the value of thoughtful, deliberate risks and playing the innovation long-game when building a company in the shadow of Silicon Valley.

Today we’re joined by Dennis Boyle, Partner Emeritus and one of the original founders of groundbreaking design and innovation consultancy IDEO. In this unprecedented look at the story behind some of the most significant innovations of our modern era, Dennis shares insights from the early days of building IDEO's impressive catalog of game-changing product innovations. Among others, we'll talk about working with Steve Jobs to create the first Apple mouse, redesigning insulin pens to reduce user error, and designing the modern-day defibrillator to ensure anyone could use it at a moment’s notice: a human-centered innovation that's saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He also shares the story of bringing design thinking practices to the mainstream - a spark that went on to transform the field of innovation.

In today's episode Lauren Meadow, Principal Strategist at Forum for the Future, explains how plants, animals, and systems in nature can translate to innovation opportunities for products, services, and human-designed systems. We'll also discuss why moving toward sustainable products and practices is not just ethical, but also a smart business strategy.

Season 3 opens with Ryan Baum, partner at Jump Associates, a Silicon Valley based consultancy that regularly advises Fortune 100 companies on large-scale innovation projects and strategy. Ryan highlights the importance of keeping a future-focused mindset in times of uncertainty, and offers practical ways to make vision-driven business decisions that rise above the chaos.

In part 2 of our conversation with Fortune 150 Duke Energy Design Strategy Lead Ben Kimmerle, Ben discusses the importance of taking an incremental approach to innovation and staying agile when leading change in large organizations and industries where moving fast and breaking things isn't an option.

Today's episode is part 1 of our 2 part conversation with Fortune 150 energy company Duke Energy Design Strategy Lead Ben Kimmerle. Ben shares insights on bringing a designer's approach to innovating in a field where user experience and customer journeys are not the norm. He'll also share stories about the power of incorporating customer feedback in unique ways.

In today's episode, futurist and innovation pioneer Michael Arent discusses his 40+ year career working at the forefront of human-computer interaction and innovation. Michael led innovation and design teams at companies like Apple and Sun Microsystems at a time when technology was evolving faster than anyone thought was possible and early visions of modern human-computer interaction were still in their infancy.

This episode features the marketing mind behind some of today’s most disruptive companies, including Impossible Foods and 23&Me. Silicon Valley-based product marketer Christa Olsen shares her perspective on taking a human centered approach to product marketing and why asking questions like  “just because we can build it, should we?” is a crucial step in the innovation process.

Today's episode features Marshal Pursley, Director of the Technical Specialist Team at Microsoft. He shares insights and stories on the power of field observations and starting with human behaviors when innovating in the tech space. We also learn more about the 4 P’s of effective storytelling.

Today's episode goes deep with senior design leaders at Instagram, sharing insights on the power of translating physical habits and behaviors to digital platforms and features. We’ll also discuss Instagram’s approach to inviting users into the co-creation of product features, and giving people the tools to express themselves in a digital world.  Featuring special guests Jasmine Probst - Head of Central Design, Brett Westervelt - VP and Global Head of Design, and Product Designer Vivian Wang.

Today's guest is Dan Harden, visionary designer, inventor, and the CEO and founder of Whipsaw - a design and strategy consultancy with over 700 patents and 1,000 projects to their name - including the Owala FreeSip, Nike FuelBand, and Google's Chromecast. Dan shares insights from his 25+ year career, including a strategic framework to approach new-to-market ideas and adopting the mindset of "becoming a baby" to create some of the most innovative products in the market today.

Today's episode discusses the concept of facilitative leadership as a tool to bring out the best in cross disciplinary teams, and insights on taking a human-centered approach to planning cities of the future. Our guest Daniel Iacofano is the CEO, Founder, and President of MIG - a global firm with 14 locations and more than 40 years of planning, designing, and sustaining environments that support human development. Daniel is an author, researcher, and internationally recognized innovator in urban planning and design, strategic planning, and organizational development.