9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
In response to a manager’s query about how to plan products, Alan Kay famously remarked “the best way to predict the future is to invent it.” His answer invokes a paradox at the heart of design: We can’t know the future, yet it’s what we design for. If we hope to practice design successfully in an era of rapid change, we must get better at planning. To start, we must let go of “the plan” and embrace a dynamic way of planning that’s social, tangible, agile, and reflective. Engaging our colleagues and communities to align use cases, prototypes, and road maps with culture, governance, and process is critical, so in order to design sustainable programs, services, software, and experiences, we also need to design the context. Topics discussed include the relationships between planning, information architecture, and libraries; integrating planning with agile, lean, and design thinking practices; tools and methods for individuals, teams, and cross-functional collaborations; roles involved; and how to plan while implementing, improvising, and learning. This interactive workshop shares a collaborative series of dynamic “planning together” exercises that invite us all to share stories, solve problems, and invent better pathways for strategic design.
