Increase your influence with a simple question / Karen Baker / Episode #160

Having a seat at the table... That's what we often talk about in the service design field. And I would say rightfully so.

Because when you do get involved early, you have the opportunity to influence the direction of a project.

On the flip side, you could end up making the perfect solution for the wrong problem when you get involved late. But how do you get your business stakeholder to see and appreciate the strategic value you can bring early on?

That was the question Karen Baker and I explored in our recent conversation. Karen has a marketing background, and she looks at the challenges in our field from a slightly different perspective. As you'll hear, our conversation started by discussing design inclusivity, but...

We eventually landed upon one simple question that brings everything together. This simple question acts like your north star, compass, and light in the dark. This question is so good that it deserves its own t-shirt.

So want to get a seat at the table? Want to influence projects early? Want to make your design practice more inclusive? The clue to all of this is in this episode.

Enjoy the conversation, and keep making a positive impact!

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to episode 160
03:45 Who is Karen
05:30 lightning round
07:30 Defining design for inclusivity
09:30 When did it start
13:00 Where do we need it
15:45 Including the community
17:30 Why now
19:45 Two examples
24:30 Guiding principles
27:00 Example from Lego
29:00 How do clients respond
32:30 What's surprising
35:00 Accelerating adoption
36:15 Getting leadership engaged
38:15 The question people aren't asking
41:00 Where is this heading
42:45 Lesson learned
45:30 Remember this one thing
46:45 Final thoughts

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/krbaker/

- https://www.weforum.org/press/2022/05/new-initiative-to-build-an-equitable-interoperable-and-safe-metaverse/

- https://www.marketingdive.com/news/degree-deodorant-inclusivity-metaverse-virtual-marathon/622609/

- https://designjustice.org

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

https://servicedesignshow.com/circle