Design doesn't happen inside a vacuum. It happens inside teams, inside the context of relationships, inside physical spaces, inside organizations with very particular cultures. Ignore that intricate ecosystem, and you might as well give your project a death sentence.
Teresa and Kate will draw from their experience bringing this holistic outlook to the design process. Pulling from methods used in filmmaking, fine art, design research, facilitation, improv, and UX design, they craft "intentional environments" for their teams and clients. These literal and figurative environments cultivate work that is actionable, co-created, co-owned, and much more likely to succeed in the world.
They'll discuss the benefits of intentional environments and walk you through how to design them and methods for keeping them activated throughout the design process. You'll walk away understanding how to cultivate intentionality, co-create without compromising output, and inspire teams and clients along the way. But more importantly, you'll have a powerful new framework that will enrich your entire design process.
Bio
Kate Rutter is an experience designer with a passion for participatory design and creative cultures. During her 15+ years in the web industry, she's honed her talent for bringing companies and customers closer together through smart strategies and inventive design. She actively embraces the term "specialized generalist".
Kate currently works with early-stage companies, helping to accelerate the development of customer-centered products and services. Kate is also doing independent research on creative organizational cultures.
Kate's diverse and intense interests are constantly taking her, her clients and her co-collaborators to new places — her background spans technology, marketing, interactive media, and business management. She's worked with corporations, startups, and nonprofit organizations to help them grow, change and successfully chart new paths in ambiguous times and shifting markets.
Kate was at Adaptive Path for seven years, working with clients on digital product strategy and design. Prior to that, she was the Director of Business and Operations for The Crucible, a landmark nonprofit arts organization in the East Bay creative scene. During the bubble, Kate was Senior Director of E-business Development and Operations at Epicentric in San Francisco.
Kate attended Wellesley College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in studio art. She finds inspiration in a wide variety of subjects: Semiotics, textile arts, origami, code, urban design, fire, and other dangerous things. She is an active community leader and an addicted sketcher.
