In this Keynote at IxDA’s ILA 2018, Katja Forbes argues that since multidisciplinary team members are all using the tools of design means you aren’t just a designer, you’ve got to be a great coach too! As the tools we use every day as a designer are being democratised and made more accessible through Design Thinking, our roles as Designers are changing to include an unexpected soft skill, Design Coaching. The diversity of the teams we bring to our challenges frames the solutions we come up with but not everyone knows how to best utilise our wonderful box of Design tools and techniques to their best advantage.
This talk includes practical ways to coach your colleagues and stakeholders to be effective when they pick up design tools and get great outcomes. It also includes way to re-orientate your own perception of your role as a designer so you can stay relevant and contribute positively in this rapidly changing world. By sharing our expertise with those trying to use the tools of design to solve problems, we lift everyone up.
You are not a Designer, You are a Coach
About Katja Forbes
Katja Forbes is a founder of Syfte, a specialist in research and experience design, Thinking Design and Interaction Design at the University of Sydney. She has been director of the Global IxDA Council and has worked with digital media since the mid-1990s. She was recently listed among Australia’s 100 most influential women.
Katja holds a BA Communications (broadcast journalism) a Master of Multimedia Design and a Master of science (Human Centred Systems). She has been working in digital media since the mid 1990’s back when everyone had blue hair and rode razor scooters around the office. Such a long tenure in the industry has afforded her with invaluable experience and perspective which I love to share.
Source: Interaction Latin America 2018
