428: Vice President of SCADpro, Paul Stonick. The Business Value of Design and The Cost of Not Innovating
Mar 4, 2024
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Discover the business value of design and innovation as Vice President of SCADpro, Paul Stonick, shares insights on creating augmented reality graphics for Super Bowl LVIII. Learn about aligning design with strategy, analyzing customer behavior at Home Depot, and the evolution of website design with AI tools. Explore success stories of cultural transformation at Home Depot and the innovative network Punks & Pinstripes. Connect with Paul on LinkedIn for more on SCAD and SCAD Pro.
Innovation at Home Depot during the pandemic showcased the value of adapting quickly to customer needs with leadership support.
Implementing design thinking at Home Depot led to a cultural shift prioritizing problem-solving over hierarchy, resulting in significant value creation.
The Punks and Pinstripes network emphasizes prioritizing outcomes, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, and the role of an executive evangelist in driving innovation.
Deep dives
Pioneering Curbside Pickup at Home Depot during the Pandemic
During the pandemic, Home Depot swiftly adapted to offer curbside pickup. Starting with a grassroots effort and testing in five stores, they rapidly scaled the service across all 2,000 stores. Leadership supported this innovation, despite initial resistance, recognizing the value of addressing customer needs promptly.
Transforming Behaviors at Home Depot through Design Thinking
Implementing design thinking at Home Depot sparked a cultural shift where problem-solving was emphasized over hierarchy. By incorporating design sprints into various departments, design thinking became a strategic tool. This approach, while disruptive, resulted in significant value creation and changed mindsets within a traditionally merchant-led organization.
Key Principles of Punks and Pinstripes Network
The Punks and Pinstripes network focuses on prioritizing outcomes over mere output and encourages creating a team of missionaries and mercenaries for executing ideas. An executive evangelist, akin to a 'Godfather' or 'Godmother,' plays a critical role in driving innovation and navigating obstacles. The network's ethos is rooted in entrepreneurial spirit and fostering a culture of transformation.
Connecting with Paul Stonit
To learn more about Paul Stonit and explore potential partnerships with SCAD, contact him via LinkedIn or email at pstonic@scad.edu. Visit scad.edu/scadpro for further information. Paul welcomes networking opportunities and looks forward to engaging with professionals interested in strategy, design, and innovation.
Final Thoughts and Gratitude
Paul expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share insights and experiences. Highlighting the success stories at Home Depot and the impact of design thinking, he underscores the importance of adaptation, innovation, and fostering a culture that supports creativity and problem-solving. Paul extends an invitation to connect for those interested in strategic collaborations and ongoing learning.
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 427, an interview with Paul Stonick, the Vice President of SCADpro—Savannah College of Art and Design’s in-house design, research, and innovation studio—which is generating innovative designs and products for the world's most influential brands, including Google, Amazon, and Apple.
From sketches to on-screen visuals, SCADpro students conceptualized and created augmented reality graphics ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Their game-changing use of Augmented Reality was an epic viewing experience like never before!
Prior to SCAD, Paul spent 25 years in the corporate world leading world-class digital and user experience design teams primarily in e-commerce, most notably with The Home Depot. His work has been featured in multiple news outlets, research organizations like Forrester and L2 Gartner, national television spots, and multiple Apple WWDC keynotes.
Paul also coaches and mentors the next generation of design leaders in his work with Amazing Design People (adplist.org). ADPList inspires powerful conversations and collaborations among designers worldwide so together we can change the world with creativity. In addition, Paul is a founding cohort member of Punks & Pinstripes -- a private network of badass transformation executives. Because it takes a rebel to change a company. Find us at punksandpinstripes.com