During the recent mediaX 2017 Conference at Stanford University, titled Sense-Making & Making Sense, I was struck by the significant shift in navigating 21st century technologies and commerce. mediaX is a forum and incubator of ideas with a multi-disciplinary approach to exploring how “… understanding people can improve the design of technologies in the areas of learning, mobility, collaboration, entertainment and commerce.”
Recently, a client stated that one of their workplace goals was to design for bisociation— a context-crossing association of individuals and work groups normally regarded as separate or unrelated. The term was coined and first explored by Arthur Koestler in his book The Act of Creation. Re-shuffling ideas that come from seemingly unrelated information can lead to creative discoveries that re-frame outcomes. In the past, we’ve worked with software engineers who candidly spoke of the importance in maintaining a playful mindset in order to excel at their jobs. Within this context, game rooms and other similar amenities associated with tech companies are re-defined as business assets that encourage a playful, creative mindset.