The world has only one Steve Jobs.  Apple is one of the only companies in the world that designs what it thinks the world wants (which it somehow divines through mysterious religious rituals), then sells it to the world knowing it will eat it up. 

For most companies, though, design is not so easy.  Good, useful design results from thoughtful research into user needs and behaviors, and then from extensive collaboration among different people through prototyping and iteration.  That is, for most of the world, effective design is a collaborative, team sport.

Enter InnovationCamp

Earlier today Bandit made the announcement that InnovationCamp in Austin is on (Saturday June 28 at GSD&M/Idea City).  The remit for InnovationCamp is broad.  We invite people from ALL walks of life- business, government, education, sustainable architecture, slow food, smart energy- to come together to collaboratively address (and try to spark solutions for) hairy problems. 

Public Design? 

Sparking collaboration across disciplines and industries is the goal.  Collectively we are more capable of designing meaningful products, services, and solutions to our shared problems than we are as individuals.  Think of it as public design.  Applying design thinking to solving wicked (social, business, environmental) problems can only be a good thing.

Then again, maybe Steve Jobs will show up and tell us all what to do?

The Butcher