This Is Not Precious: How I use Design Thinking to Create Bestselling Games

*This is an in-person event*

Most people hold their ideas too tightly. They refine too early, hesitate to share half-formed concepts, and wait for “perfect” before putting anything in front of a user. Frankie Abralind works the opposite way and that mindset is a big part of why his projects succeed.

In this session, Frankie walks you through his real creative process: messy drafts, discarded versions, surprising user reactions, and the moments when he threw out something he loved because the evidence pushed him in a new direction. You’ll see firsthand how treating ideas as disposable, not precious accelerates learning and leads to better outcomes.

You’ll also get to examine real artifacts from the development of his games BrainSpin, DIEKY, and eckso. Explore prototypes, dive into design dilemmas, and hear candid stories of iteration, failure, and breakthrough that have earned former DT:DC director Frankie Abralind a reputation as an “entrepreneur who ships.”

What you'll learn
• What you need to test an idea quickly
• Where to find real users (beyond friends and family)
• How to ask non-leading, non-biasing questions
• User-testing methods that uncover meaningful insights
• Best practices for rapid iteration
• How to log feedback, share modifications, and track updates
• How to receive feedback with openness and use it productively
• How to build, and reward, a network of testers and supporters

Agenda
6:00pm – Snacks & connection
6:30pm – Case Study 1: BrainSpin — finding user testers
6:50pm – Case Study 2: DIEKY — play tester appreciation
7:10pm – Case Study 3: eckso — rapid prototyping
7:30pm – Zenmo — live user testing
8:00pm – Debrief & questions
8:30pm – Adjourn

About our presenter
Frankie Abralind is an experience designer, artist, and neurodiversity advocate. He earned his MBA from the University of Maryland, where he has taught “Innovative Thinking” to graduate students since 2014. He also served as co-director of the Innovation Hub at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital.

In 2018, Frankie co-founded The Good Listening Project, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening psychological safety in healthcare. He is the inventor of the bestselling game BrainSpin, which showcases the power of divergent thinking and collaboration. Today, he leads the stealth startup Zenmo, which helps people connect through color.

He’s Autistic (and proud!)