Conference Talk

Designers are problem solvers and world builders, not feature iterators

Jun 03, 2023

Good design imbues the object or digital product with cues guiding the user in how it works. Even better design studies the context the object/product will be used in, and designs the product for that context. Even more thoughtful design understands the diverse humans and their needs who are using the object/product and designs it accordingly to meet or surpass their needs and expectations. The most responsible design redesigns the entire system based on planetary needs, sometimes eliminating the need for the first product entirely.

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Cal Thompson

VP of End to End Design, Headspace

Cal Thompson (they/them) runs the End to End Design team at Headspace. Cal is a service designer, design researcher, interaction designer and artist. Cal works towards technology treating the precious commodity of human attention with reverence and care and seeks to evolve society and culture to more active, honest efforts to better the world. Previously, they were a Design Director at Fjord/Accenture, delivering human-centered digital transformation projects on everything from the baggage handler experience in airlines to the service design of digitally enabled cruise ships and AI-powered personalised healthcare platforms. Outside of work, Cal has been a licensed mindfulness teacher since 2006 and is a visual artist: callenthompson.com.