Design Thinking | Thoughts by Tim Brown

When Big Data Gets Local

Tim Brown — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:33:35 +0000

Now that government data is becoming more readily available, there are lots of interesting uses. Here’s one that we worked on with the Sunlight Foundation. Sitegeist is a mobile app that helps you access US Census data and other public details about a neighborhood. This means you can check on everything from average rent prices to how people [...]

A Design Thinking Conversation with Yves Behar

Tim Brown — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:39:28 +0000

Last month I had the good fortune to join Yves Behar, founder of fuseproject, in conversation at the Commonwealth Club for a wide-ranging discussion about how design thinking can help leaders collaborate and tackle the world’s smallest and greatest problems. To listen to audio of the event, tune in here at KALW 91.7 FM.

Designing a Freelance Life Part 1: The Brief

Tim Brown — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:52:57 +0000

A recent article on the freelance workplace refers to an Intuit study that predicts 40% of the workforce will be freelance by 2020. To many, this is an exciting idea where talented and creative individuals get to leverage their skills free from the tyranny of the “boss.” To others, it is a scary proposition where individuals work crazy long [...]

The Power of the Powers of Ten

Tim Brown — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:42:40 +0000

One of my all time favorite design films is Powers of Ten by Charles and Ray Eames. Apart from being beautiful and technically ingenious, it is a wonderful reminder of one of the most important principles in design—reframing the question. Often the quickest route to new insight is to take a step back and look at the problem [...]

Inspiration for Innovators: OpenIDEO and Grameen

Tim Brown — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:25:27 +0000

In 2011, OpenIDEO launched a social business challenge focused on improving the lives of people living in places like Caldas, Colombia, where one in four people live in extreme poverty. During the challenge, The Grameen Creative Lab provided local insights by interviewing the community on the ground, and the global OpenIDEO community shared innovative lessons and examples from the [...]