Exposing The Magic of Design with Jon Kolko

What is it that makes ideas so effortless? The process of design appears magical, as designers are able to connect disparate ideas in order to create new and exciting innovations. But design isn't magic -- it's a rigorous and methodical process. Design synthesis, the act of translation, can be taught and learned.

In this talk, Jon Kolko will present the theory, methods, and techniques of design synthesis in an easy to understand format. He'll describe why synthesis works, and provide examples to illustrate the power of a rigorous design process.

About the Speaker:

Jon Kolko is the Executive Director of Design Strategy at Thinktiv, a venture accelerator in Austin, Texas. Jon is also the Founder and Director of Austin Center for Design, an educational institution teaching interaction design and social entrepreneurship. He has worked extensively in the professional world of interaction design, solving the problems of Fortune 500 clients. His work has extended into the genres of consumer electronics, mobile, web, supply chain management, demand planning, and customer-relationship management, and he has worked with clients such as AT&T, HP, Nielsen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ford, IBM, Palm and other leaders of the Global 2000. Prior to joining Thinktiv, Jon has held positions of Principal Designer and Associate Creative Director at frog design, a global innovation firm. He was also a Professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he was instrumental in shaping the Interaction and Industrial Design undergraduate and graduate programs. Jon has also held the role of Director for the Interaction Design Association (IxDA), and Editor-in-Chief of interactions magazine, published by the ACM.