In Defense of The Top Twenty Design Thinking Minds

An Open letter to Bruce Nussbaum

Initially, I wanted to write about a different subject, but three Twitter RT’s from our distinguished Design Thinking illuminati, Bruce Nussbaum from BusinessWeek, derailed my thought process. Instead, I decided to respond to his remarks in an open letter.

Dear Bruce,

This is regarding your eloquent comments, and triple RT’s on Twitter, about my list of the Top Twenty Design Thinkers Quote:

1. “Truly Stupid” “
   
2. “Truly Nutts”  “
   
3. “Maeda? No”
   

I will not to take it personal. Hell, you have dismissed way smarter people before me. People with serious credentials, people like; Alice Rawstohrn, critic for the NY Times, Rick Poynor, one of the most respected British design critics, and even  “Designers” in general, with the same arrogant: “They don’t get it’.

I would expect a comment like “truly stupid” from a pubescent Youtube viewer, but not from a journalist, covering a discipline whose main mantra for generating creative output includes: “defer judgment”, build on ideas of others”, “encourage new ideas”.

To be perfectly honest, somehow, I expected it. I have noticed for quite a while that unless ideas originate from members of your inner council, they are unceremoniously discarded to the DT Ghetto of your blog. I, for one, am no longer going to take a passive role in the DT community.

I give you credit for your commitment to Design Thinking and your efforts in promoting the discipline. However, in the last couple of years, I have watched how your inflammatory and insensitive remarks, instead of uniting design and design thinking, they have alienated a large, highly influential design community. But what’s worst is that, instead of presenting different views, finding new content, being constructively critical and focusing your journalistic skills on creating understanding, you used your blog more like a PR service for a handful of people and companies.

You have actually Fox-yfied Design Thinking; if we don’t speak your BrNu-DT language, we are  “stupid”, or we “ just don’t get it”.

Fortunately for BusinessWeek, and many of us, there is Helen Walters, a brilliant, well-prepared , open-minded design journalist, who keeps things “fair and balanced”.

But things, they are a-changing. There are more and more people who are ready to participate in enlightened, informative discussions on the subject. The media is listening. Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Design Observer are just a few of the credible, and established outlets, that feature stories on Design Thinking. And by the way, their bloggers make that extra effort to engage and monitor their discussions. (hint…hint)

About the Top Twenty Design Thinkers

One of the main issues that Design Thinking has been dealing with,  is the problem of UNDERSTANDING. Design Thinking is stealthy. Most people have a hard time figuring out what it is, what it does, how it works, or where it belongs.

In order for people to understand, they need to reference. If one provides a variety of sources that have a common denominator imbedded in their content, people will be able to find commonalities, identify, isolate, and cross-reference.

The challenge for me was to find a diverse group of highly influential thinkers who, without any embellishment, provide an authentic, panoramic view of the DT domain. In order to create contextual clarity I had to identify, edit, and highlight in a couple of sentences, the components that carry the Design Thinking DNA.

The list is personal, and maybe to some provocative, but it is designed to support, question, and solidify the existing parameters of DT, as well as elicit additional informational on other thinkers and projects.

If you think the list is “truly stupid”… you are of course entitled to your opinion. If you would like to put AG Laffley at the top of the list, I don’t have a problem. If you want to challenge my inclusion of Brad Pitt, it’s ok too.But before you do, take a little journalistic “deep dive” into the Ninth Ward project In New Orleans. Pitt was instrumental in the entire development; from concept, to implementation and execution. Study the project and look for DT characteristics. I call the process DT- Forensics. I make it easy on you…instead of looking for DT footprints, try to find things that don’t belong to Design Thinking…you will have a hard time finding any.

Regarding your comment “Maeda? NO”, questioning John Maeda’s inclusion in the Top Twenty DT list, I am puzzled…I don’t know what to say.

But here is what I would like to say; since you have already made a list of the top Design & DT programs, why not compile your own list of the Top Twenty Design Thinkers?  It would give everybody some serious food for thought, but more importantly the entire DT community would benefit. And ultimately that should be both our objective.

In closing, I think you are truly a nice guy. I met you long ago, and you are partially responsible for my passion for DT. I have tried numerous times to get in contact with you but you have never responded to any of my requests.

I have talked to David Kelly a few times, Roger Martin Invited me to Toronto to discuss my work, and recently I met with Fred Collopy, from Case Western. Some agreed with my ideas, some did not. Personally, I subscribe to some of their work and some I disagree with completely. 

Design Thinking’s main assets are based on an open exchange of thought and the inter-linking of seemingly “stupid ideas” in order to create, what my friend Marcel Wanders calls,  “The Unexpected Welcome”.

Regards,

Nicolae