Episode 20 - Designing Workplaces That Evolve

Episode 20 - Designing Workplaces That Evolve

Every office is designed for a future that doesn't exist yet. By the time a workplace opens, the organization has already begun to change. Teams evolve. Technology advances. Business priorities shift. So why do we still design workplaces as if they were finished products? In this episode of Design Office Hours, I speak with workplace strategist and author Sam Sahni, whose new book, Destination 2.0: The Playbook Every Executive Needs to Master Hybrid Work, challenges organizations to think differently about the workplace. Rather than seeing the office as a one-time capital project, Sam argues that it should be treated as a living system that continuously learns and adapts alongside the people who use it. In this conversation, we discuss: * Why workplace strategy begins long before floor plans and furniture. * Why designing for the "average employee" no longer works. * The relationship between culture, leadership, and workplace adoption. * Why experimentation should continue long after move-in. * How organizations can build workplaces that remain relevant as work continues to evolve. If there is one takeaway from this conversation, it is this: A workplace is never truly finished. The best ones are designed to evolve. Head over to worktransformers.ai [http://worktransformers.ai/] to learn more about Sam's work and find an 'agentified' version of the book itself. Got a question for a future topic you want me to talk about? Connect Website: dohpodcast.com [http://dohpodcast.com/] Email: hello@dohpodcast.com [hello@dohpodcast.com] Instagram: @designofficehours YouTube: @designofficehours

Episode 20 - Sean Duffy, Leaving Design

How do we know when a design career is no longer the right path? When the past thrill doesn't feel like the future thrill? In this conversation, I sit down with Sean Duffy, a former member of the Intuitive UX Design Team. Sean left his successful career as a designer at the company after many years, and while doing so, also left the field of design altogether. At least most of it. We unpack what happens when the work still matters, but the role no longer fits. * Passion fatigue versus burnout * Identity beyond being a designer * What skills carry into a new field * Why slower thinking still matters This episode is about leaving design without leaving behind what design taught us. I hope it helps you rethink potential change with less fear and more clarity. Sean's Book recommendations: 'Thinking, Fast And Slow' by Daniel Kahneman Get in touch with Sean: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-duffy-is-a-designer/] or for direct inquiries: dufflebag@gmail.com [dufflebag@gmail.com] Paper costumes: Sean is one of three partners who make up Foraday. [http://foraday.com/] A little company that makes delightful, easy-to-assemble paper costumes. Human-created, no AI involved. Got a question for a future Q&A? Connect Website: dohpodcast.com [http://dohpodcast.com/] Email: hello@dohpodcast.com [hello@dohpodcast.com] Instagram: @designofficehours YouTube: @designofficehours

Episode 19 - Network Smarter

How many people have you actively networked with lately—and why does it matter? In this episode, I answer a question on a very common topic: Networking. And the question is: How do you successfully network? I break down networking as a skill you can train, not a personality trait you either have or don't. We reset what networking actually is, why it's critical early in your career, and how to approach it without awkwardness or transactional pressure. I share a simple, repeatable playbook you can start using immediately. * Build relationships before you need them * Use curiosity, not asks, to open conversations * Run better coffee chats with clear intent * Leave something valuable behind every time * Follow up without being performative Networking compounds when done consistently. Start small, get your reps in, and let relationships do the long-term work. Got a question for a future Q&A? Connect Website: dohpodcast.com [http://dohpodcast.com/] Email: hello@dohpodcast.com [hello@dohpodcast.com] Instagram: @designofficehours YouTube: @designofficehours

Episode 18 - 10 Essentials Designers Should Know

10x Essentials for Designers In this episode of Design Office Hours, I revisit Michael Sorkin's 250 Things an Architect Should Know (which Curtis Mikkelsen introduced me to in episode #18 of DOH) and reframe a set of Sorkin's "statements-as-wisdom" for designers and innovators. Rather than a checklist, this is more a way of passing down lived experience—more about judgment and humanity than rules and technique. Curtis and I started this exercise together but didn't finish our picks. I wanted to come back and run through mine in a more holistic way—what I think they mean, and why they feel especially relevant right now. My picks (and what I think designers should take from them) 1. The feel of cool marble on bare feet I think we over-glorify the virtual. I'm trying to remind myself (and you) that we're analog beings shaped by physical sensation. 2. The distance of a whisper Ideas start fragile. I've seen too many good ones get stamped out because they don't sound rational fast enough. I think designers have to protect the whisper. 3. Something about Vastu (or Feng Shui) I trust the body's read on a space. When the energy is off, we usually know immediately—then we talk ourselves out of it. 4. The color wheel I think we're becoming afraid of color. I want us to relearn its emotional and energetic power—especially in a product world that's getting increasingly bland. 5. What the brick really wants (material intelligence) I care deeply about material intelligence—what a material wants and doesn't want. Just because we can manufacture something doesn't mean we should. 6. Why I try to stay connected to "why" because it changes. If I can notice when I've drifted, I can pivot earlier and with less pain. 7. The reason for your tenacity This one reminds me to ask: am I persisting out of courage—or ego? Not every hill is worth dying on. 8. The need for freaks I believe design needs to be weirder again. And teams need antibodies—diversity of mind, temperament, culture, and background. 9. It is possible to begin designing anywhere I love this because it gives permission. I don't think there's a single correct starting point. You can begin with a detail, a hunch, a sketch, a whisper. 10. How to ride a bicycle I see the bicycle as a near-perfect system: simple, efficient, elegant, joyful. It's a great metaphor for what good design can feel like. 11. The thrill of the ride I've learned that the process matters. If I can access play, I get access to better ideas—especially in high-pressure environments. 12. Several other artistic media Some of the best designers I've worked with create beyond design. I think working in other media expands taste, questions, and range. 13. What to refuse to do even for the money This one is personal. I've watched people stay for the paycheck while everything else in them says "leave." I think knowing when to say no is a core life skill. 14. The golden (and other) ratios I don't think we should worship proportions as dogma—but I do think we should learn them, challenge them intelligently, and break them on purpose. References: 250 Things an Architect Should Know — Michael Sorkin [https://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Fifty-Things-Architect-Should/dp/1648960804] The online "250 Things…" list [https://www.readingdesign.org/250-things] Got a question for a future Q&A? Connect Website: dohpodcast.com [http://dohpodcast.com/] Email: hello@dohpodcast.com [hello@dohpodcast.com] Instagram: @designofficehours YouTube: @designofficehours

Episode 17 - Curtis Michelson: Innovation, Design Fiction & Team Fine-Tuning

Innovation, Design Fiction & Team Fine-Tuningwith Curtis Michelson In this episode of Design Office Hours, I'm joined by Curtis Michelson—innovation strategist and facilitator—for a wide-ranging conversation on how real innovation happens inside organizations. We trace Curtis's journey from early environmental activism and the dot-com boom to his current work helping mid-sized companies unlock internal capacity for change. We talk about what it means to lead innovation efforts when the pressure is real, resources are limited, and the solution isn't another chatbot. We cover: – Designing corporate innovation beyond trend-chasing – Using AI tools in workshops—when to accelerate, when to hold back – A gamified approach to mapping value networks and future ecosystems – Meta-prompting and fine-tuning teams instead of models – Small gestures that spark big cultural shifts – And reflections on creative restraint, analog experience, and boundaries Whether you're navigating change from the inside, running strategy sessions, or simply curious about how to design better futures—this one's for you. For the DOH Library, Curtis recommends the 3x reads below: 'Navigating The Age of Chaos [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/800209/navigating-the-age-of-chaos-by-jamais-cascio-bob-johansen-and-angela-f-williams/] We might have touched on 'BANI' (brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible) in our conversation. This book is an exploration of that state of affairs and how we can cope and respond to it. Reshuffle [https://www.amazon.com/Reshuffle-wins-restacks-knowledge-economy-ebook/dp/B0DTKW6NQV] Sangeet Choudary's latest, which penetrates the cheap, easy arguments on AI and gets into how AI will radically reorient business models and organizations. In other words, the world will not be cheaper, faster, but very different. The Art of Noticing [https://www.amazon.com/Art-Noticing-Creativity-Inspiration-Discover/dp/0525521240] Rob Walker's book on how to 'pay attention' - a nice echo of our riff on Sorkin's 250 observations.' And as mentioned in the episode: Two Hundred Fifty Things An Architext Should Know https://www.readingdesign.org/250-things [https://www.readingdesign.org/250-things] 🎧 Listen now, and send me your takeaways. Got a question for a future Q&A? Connect Website: dohpodcast.com [http://dohpodcast.com/] Email: hello@dohpodcast.com [hello@dohpodcast.com] Instagram: @designofficehours YouTube: @designofficehours