Events

Dan Bullis, Design Concepts’ principal and director of prototype development was an invited speaker at the Univeristy of Wisconsin – Madison, Wisconsin School of Business Executive Education course exploring new product development. The two-day course held 11/15 – 11/17 at the UW-Madison Fluno Center was developed and led by Linda Gorchels and attended by 28 industry leaders responsible for the development of new products.

Bullis spoke on the value prototypes can bring to product development efforts all throughout the interative design process. In particular, Dan shared his perspective, developed over a 30-year career in product design, on the value of proof-of-principle models, form studies and user experience models as key tools in exploring and developing a concept.

Those enrolled in the course shared their own professional expriences giving new concepts shape through the use of prototyping.

For more information on the course, visit the Wisconsin School of Business Executive Education Web site.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Southwest Wisconsin Chapter hosts The Wright Design Series: My Favorite Things PechaKucha, November 10, 2011. The evening features ten designers including Dave Franchino, president and principal of Design Concepts.

Stefanie Norvaisas, principal and director of strategy and research at Design Concepts, will present, “Design Thinking for Business,” at a private reception hosted by Johnson Bank, October 25th at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The invitation-only event brings together business leaders from diverse fields who share a common passion for innovation. The evening is an opportunity for key leaders to learn more about changing business as usual. As the featured guest speaker, Norvaisas will share her experience using the tools, methods and processes of design thinking to develop innovative business solutions.

Dave Franchino, president of Design Concepts, was the invited speaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Lindbergh Lecture Series, on Thursday, September 22nd.

The Lindbergh Lecture Series is organized and hosted by the Mechanical Engineering department. The Series features individuals from business, government and academia presenting their insights and experiences in a wide variety of industries and fields. The series is named after aviator Charles Lindbergh, who studied mechanical engineering at UW-Madison.

Dave spoke to a group of about 75 students interested in hearing more about the evolving role of mechanical engineers in product design. His presentation focused on the “renaissance engineer” as a multidisciplinary individual who drives product innovation.

It was a terrific discussion and a great opportunity for us to meet the next generation of designers that will be transforming ideas into remarkable products and services.

Stefanie Norvaisas, principal and director of strategy & research, and Lucas McCann, senior design strategist, are heading to Boulder, Colorado for the 2011 Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC). They’ve been selected to present a half-day workshop “More Meaningful Mapping: The How and Why of Diagramming Experiences,” September 20, 2011.

The three-day EPIC 2011 features presentations, workshops and numerous collaborative opportunities. The conference brings together strategists and researchers from around the world to discuss the theory and practice of ethnography in industry. This year’s conference theme is “Evolution/Revolution: Change and Ethnographic Work.”

“More Meaningful Mapping,” tasks a closer look at the power of visual mapping tools – tools that help researchers understand people and processes. The workshop challenges participants to move beyond using maps as merely descriptive tools and use experience maps as catalysts that create strategies and facilitate decisions.

It’s a fast-paced, rapid-fire team challenge for all the participants as they take part in discussions and hands-on opportunities to learn why and how to map and diagram experiences.

Learn more about EPIC 2011