Join our monthly innovation event in Charlotte

Forward Faster is a monthly event series in which we explore how Human-Centered Design can fuel business, civic, and social innovation. The one-hour sessions are typically a mix of brief presentations and/or discussions with innovation practitioners followed by small group conversations. Now in its fifth year, Forward Faster has morphed into a virtual forum where people from a wide variety of backgrounds "collide and connect" with others who share an interest in creativity, innovation, and design. If this sounds like your kind of tribe, make plans to join us at an upcoming event. 

Driving Innovation Through Diversity

Friday, February 19th, 2021

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM ET

Virtual Event via Zoom

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$10 General Admission*

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*Discounted tickets available for Education, Non-Profit, and Government professionals

The term "diversity" often brings to mind human attributes that we can see, such as ethnicity, gender, and age. As we continue to wrestle with challenges related to equity and inclusion in our companies, communities, and country, these attributes are understandably in the spotlight.

But when it comes to innovation, we should look at diversity much more broadly. Why? Because diversity of perspective influences what we see and how we respond. Someone who regularly interacts with customers in a Call Center has different insights about a company's products than someone in the C-suite. Left-handed people have a point of view about usability that righties might never consider. And women have endless stories about experiences with products and services that clearly were designed by men, for men. Not with malicious intent, mind you, but no less frustrating.

So what can we do differently?

In this session of Forward Faster by Design, we'll share simple tools, such as "Exclusion Lens" and "Diversity Grid", that organizations can use to intentionally seek out diverse perspectives to guide the development of innovative and inclusive solutions.. We'll also look at the immediate and long-term benefits of "designing with, not for" key stakeholders. We hope you'll be able to join us!

We are currently developing the lineup for the rest of 2021 and plan to cover topics such as:

• Designing for Adoption: "Nudging" Behavior Change

• Beyond COVID-19: The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

• The Art of Adapting

• The Risks of Thinking Small

• How Designing for Safety Can Lead to Failure