Summary
The speaker opens by reflecting on the pandemic's accelerated impact on remote collaboration tools, a field they've studied since 2006, highlighting a 'Told You So' moment as these tools became essential. Brendan Jarvis represents both the crash of investment dreams and the emergence of a soulful UX podcast. Amy Stewart emphasizes how crises empower global communities and advance practitioner equity. Emily Dalton coaches on applying redesigned skills in real disaster response, reframing designers as first responders. The sector of global retail, described by Sepa Rivaala, showed remarkable overnight digital transformations, illustrating design’s frontline role during the pandemic. Nicole Office Location shares IBM’s pivot from in-person to online design education programs, offering lessons on building resilient and scalable education for designers. The overarching message is that crises present a choice to see loss or opportunity, and the answer to 'Can we?' is always 'Yes, we can,' regardless of circumstances.
Key Insights
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Remote collaboration tools, developed since 2006, became pandemic essentials, proving long-term design foresight.
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Brendan Jarvis faced investment crushes but transformed adversity into creating a soulful UX podcast.
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Designers can be trained as first responders in real-world disaster scenarios, expanding the role of design.
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Global crises can empower design communities and promote practitioner equity, as Amy Stewart showed.
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Global retail turned into digital frontline workers, pivoting overnight under extreme change management pressure.
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MasterCard designers found growth opportunities amidst uncertainty, balancing business needs and personal development.
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IBM successfully pivoted its design education program from in-person to online using BBM's example as a model.
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Design education programs can be rapidly transformed during crises to serve evolving designer needs.
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Crisis situations force a choice between seeing loss or opportunity, and adopting the latter drives transformation.
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The talk emphasizes hope, inspiration, and practical tips to leverage crisis as a catalyst for meaningful change.
Notable Quotes
"When the pandemic struck, what did you see? A disaster or an opportunity."
"I’ve been designing remote collaboration tools since 2006 – it was a Told You So moment when they became daily essentials."
"Designers can be first responders in real physical disaster response, and we should be ready for that."
"Brendan Jarvis experienced a crash of dreams and investments but found inspiration to create a soulful UX podcast."
"Amy Stewart showed how crisis can empower global communities and bring equity to practitioners worldwide."
"Our retail colleagues became the digital frontline workers of the pandemic, pivoting overnight."
"At MasterCard, designers found meaningful growth opportunities balancing people and business during uncertainty."
"Nicole Office shared IBM’s pivot of their design education program from in-person to online as a model."
"We have a choice during a crisis: see loss or see opportunity."
"The answer to Can we? is always yes we can, no matter the circumstances."
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