Tom & Corissa talk about how understanding and tackling problems requires more than just a linear approach, like is often inferred through something like the Double Diamond. A bunch of metaphors, real world examples and other fun in this one. We also offer practical tips for engaging with solution-oriented colleagues and suggest some methods and recipes to see and solve more problems differently. Plus: a somewhat tortured supermarket metaphor.00:00 Welcome to Trigger Strategy Podcast00:11 Dental adventures00:31 Exploring problems and solutions02:09 The arrogance of designers02:54 The horse poo problem06:12 The Double Diamond design process13:32 The Iron Triangle and trade-offs14:37 Abductive logic and interconnected systems19:49 The over-reach of the Enlightenment20:13 The secret life of trees21:12 Complex vs. complicated problems22:33 Problem "validation"24:16 The supermarket metaphor28:34 Be more Cal Newport by putting solution recipes first? 33:25 What to do with solutionizing colleagues38:34 Wrapping up in utopia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the paradox of stress as both a hindrance and a catalyst for growth. Discover how reframing stress can improve performance, especially in parenting. Delve into the brain's predictive nature and its influence on our emotions. Examine the surprising link between stress and creativity, revealing how it can spark innovative thinking. Learn lessons from resilient companies and cities, showcasing how they navigate challenges together. Uncover the importance of experience in learning, emphasizing stress as a vehicle for development.

We explore the story of a classic zombie project: where the team had the evidence they needed to know that a project was doomed, but carried on with it for 6 months anyway. These happen all the time, and we spend a few minutes unpacking the dynamics behind the trap. We also share some thoughts for how to ease open the jaws of the trap.We also reference Annie Duke's book QuitAnd Set Your First Pivot Triggers, available via a link here: https://pivot-triggers.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dive into challenging traditional vision and strategy approaches in organizations, sharing stories of triumphs and failures. Explore the complexities of bridging the gap between vision and execution, highlighting the importance of adapting to industry trends. Discuss the evolution of a team's vision towards customer-driven strategies, emphasizing flexibility and experimentation. Delve into the differences between vision, strategy, and tactics, and the challenges of operationalizing strategies within organizations. Explore the double-edged nature of having a clear vision, advocating for multiple visions and small actionable steps.

Today, we talk about the appendix, fences, SaaS for lawyers, putting Shoggoth in a box ... and more.Some links we mentioned:Why aren't smart people happier and how that relates to well-defined problems: https://www.experimental-history.com/p/why-arent-smart-people-happierExplainer on LLMs and why they probably won't take your job: https://cyberneticforests.substack.com/p/a-hallucinogenic-compendium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one's quite focused on business and building products ... OR IS IT?In this one we respond to a question that Tom's received from several people recently. We'll call one of them Dave. Dave has a friend who has a big product idea they want to build, or big business project they want to do. The plan Dave's friend has landed on is to do the whole thing (how hard can it be anyway?) and then receive the (as yet unspecified) rewards. And Dave wants to know: how can I help them see that's not the only way, that they'll probably fail, and that there's a better way ... without being preachy or lecturing them?We talk about the impossibility of reasoning someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into, and share a few ideas for thought exercises that can help Dave figure out what flavour of situation he's dealing with.For example, the "I'm going to A even if it means I never B" exercise and the Time Machine selling manoeuvre.We also talk about "the inherent bigness of ideas", about dogfooding when you're not actually a dog, and the shocking distribution of returns for start up entrepreneurs.Beans and noses: https://articles.centercentre.com/beans-and-noses/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is kind of a follow-up to our previous episode that was recorded before the UX London conference. With the whirlwind of travel and baby-care, this was the first chance Tom & Corissa have really had to talk about the conference, and we captured it for the podcast too.In our longest episode yet, we touch on Pitch Provocations, Multiverse Mapping, Zenko Mapping, rewilding, research repositories, behavioural design, regulations, stories, metaphor, communication, collaboration, validation, information architecture, design systems AND MORE. Whew.Also lots of shout outs and thanks to folks who gave talks and workshops, including Serena Verdenicci, Luke Hay, Emma Boulton, Dr Harry Brignull, Ben Sauer, John V Willshire, Tshili Ndou, Alicia Calderón, Stéphanie Walter, Peter Boersma and Brad Frost ... and the folks who curated, helmed and scaffolded a great few days: Jeremy Keith, Louise Ash, and many other awesome folk from Clearleft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is one of those where you walk along with Tom and Corissa while we're trying to figure something out. This time, Tom's giving a conference talk next week (which is last week from the podcast's perspective). He knows what he's talking about, but there's TOO MUCH of it! We try to figure out the one point he wants to make and why someone should care. Do we manage to tame this unruly topic or does it get away from us? You be the judge ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom saw a discussion on LinkedIn about why Cynefin hasn't caught on in some scenes. One take was that it's the "academic, technical" language that puts people off. Corissa has lots of experience of the power of simplifying your language from her background in copywriting, and especially usability testing her copy. On the other hand, weird new words can provoke weird new ways of thinking ... but it's also easier to dismiss weird things if you don't like their implications. Perhaps there's no right answer.We talk about our experiences getting to grips with ideas like Cynefin, our experiences sharing such ideas with others, and we even talk about a dance class to explain the idea of the disposition of a complex adaptive system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spoiler alert: when I shipped an idea in an hour it did not meet the pivot triggers I'd set for the probe. That was one of a whole array of probes we've been putting out into the world here at Trigger Strategy Group. The general sense we've been picking up is that we haven't nailed our positioning yet. That's normal for a business in the early days like ours, but figuring this stuff out is emotionally challenging. We talk through some of the journey we've been on, an epiphany we've had, and where we're thinking of probing next. For more on the original idea, check out:the podcast episode: https://shows.acast.com/triggerstrategy/episodes/663109cbcff31b0012ae9311and the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Kma97f9v4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.