What we’re about
Design Thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation and solving complex problems – it’s as much about doing as thinking.
The vision for the meetup is to build a community and ecosystem of people from a diverse range of design practices, industries, contexts and roles… to learn and share. To find their tribe. To get exposed to what others are doing and be inspired. We have a strong focus on using design to have a positive impact on people, our planet, and business.
We’re proud to see this in our community – our members are anthropologists, experience designers, chemists, architects, researchers, engineers, service designers, mathematicians, consultants, app developers, project managers, medicos, startup founders and many other roles.
We keep it pretty casual with plenty of time for networking, talks and panels on a broad range of topics, and a healthy Q&A that often turns into a group discussion. You can read a bit about the history and journey of our community and events here.
New members are welcome! If you’re not a member already, feel free to join our community. Each meetup audience is curated to a degree to make sure we have a mix of new people, as well as the committed regulars.
We’d love to hear from you if you’re keen to speak – or if there’s someone you think we should invite to speak.
Thanks
Ben Pecotich, Zoe Rosen, Kate Linton, Kylie Mageropoulos & Lucas Mara
Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT) Organising Team
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- SydDT #86: World Interaction Design Day 2023: Ethics, Equity, +ResponsibilityThe Commons George Street, Sydney, NSA$10.00
We've teamed up with our friends from IxDA Sydney to put on a meetup for World Interaction Design Day 2023: Ethics, Equity, +Responsibility. This is IxDA's annual event where we come together as a united global community to show how interaction design improves the human condition.
WE'RE NOT TAKING RSVPS ON THIS PAGE. PLEASE GO TO:
https://bit.ly/ixdd-2023-09This year’s theme encompasses areas such as ethics in design, designing for accessibility, inclusive and responsible design, and anti-capitalist design. It focuses on the need to consider design’s impact on society and to create work that is equitable and responsible, all in service of advancing IxDA’s mission: improving the human condition by advancing the practice of Interaction Design.
Ben Pecotich from Dynamic4 will be talking about Regenerative Design & Innovation… for Happier Communities. The purpose of his talk is to help people who design, build, launch, and run product, service, and business ideas - and lead these teams - to design for regeneration, be financially successful, and increase our wellbeing while we do it.
Sara Cave and Will Farrier from WAVE will lead an activity on the importance of ethics, equity, and responsibility in design - drawing on Will’s reflections on how to put people first in community care settings.
SPEAKER
Ben Pecotich
Design & Innovation Director, Dynamic4
Ben Pecotich is a designer, coach, and the founder of Dynamic4 - a social enterprise and B Corp focused on design and innovation for happier communities. He plays at the place where design, regenerative innovation, and wellbeing meet... and spends his time coaching leaders to solve problems that matter in more empathic and innovative ways to create great outcomes for people and our planet while being financially successful and increasing their wellbeing.Since starting in financial services in 1993, he's been focused on taking a human-centred approach to designing and leading strategic change in Australia, NZ, the UK, and Europe. He co-founded his first startup in 1994, and has been working on startups and social enterprises ever since.
Ben's also the author of Solve Problems That Matter: Design, Build & Launch Your Social Enterprise Idea, co-founder of the Sydney Design Thinking meetup, and was a founding board member of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT (SECNA).
EVENT SPONSORS
Thanks to Wave Design for sponsoring this event. - SydDT #87: Good Design Awards Highlights with Ben Crothers & Irma del MundoThinkPlace Sydney, Surry Hills, NS
Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people keen on design thinking. Ben Crothers & Irma del Mundo will be sharing their reflections as a couple of the judges for the 2023 Good Design Awards.
Good Design Australia has a proud history that dates back to 1958 and they're passionately committed to recognising, rewarding, and promoting the importance of design to business, industry, government and the general public... and the critical role it plays in creating a better, safer, and a more sustainable and prosperous future.
SPEAKERS
Principal Facilitator, Bright Pilots. Good Design Ambassador
Ben has been a designer since before Netscape ruled the www, and is currently a facilitator and design strategist at Bright Pilots (his online training and facilitation business), where he teaches teams of all sorts about design and facilitation methods, running strategic workshops, and generally helping teams get un-stuck. Previous to Bright Pilots, Ben was Principal Designer at Atlassian, a Design Director at Second Road (a strategic innovation consultancy), plus some assorted startups, agencies, and government departments.
Above all, Ben wants everyone to be just as good at the whiteboard as they are at the keyboard, to be better at thinking, communicating, and solving problems together visually. He's the author of a few books, including Presto Sketching: Simple Drawing for Brilliant Product Thinking and Design.
Oh, and he hasn't quite been able to give up some lockdown-friendly activities such as veggie gardening, baking, and making Nordic bird sculptures.
Founder & Lead Strategist, Brandkind Community. Good Design Ambassador
Brands and People are what have driven Irma in her more than 30 year career as a brand strategist across regional roles, industries and geographies. A classic (some say old school!) marketer trained in bluechip branding at Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson in various roles in Asia-Pacific, she has led innovation teams and launched household brands. Moving to Australia in 2000, she joined Kantar, Futurebrand, Landor and Hulsbosch, working with the industry’s best creative and design directors to transform ideas into products, services, packs and experiences.
She has recently rebranded herself as a ‘talent philanthropist’ and founded a social enterprise with her mission to bridge the world of 'for profits' with 'for purpose' organisations and to use the power of branding for positive outcomes. Brandkind taps into branding and design professionals’ talent, time and generosity to support social enterprises - the businesses of the future! They work with enterprises across the disability, environment, refugee, First Nations and youth sectors, including a Good Design award recipient. She wants to show the world that Good Brands Deserve to Succeed.
EVENT SPONSORS
Thanks to ThinkPlace for sponsoring this event.
- SydDT #89: What's It Like To Be Your Customer?Hotel CBD Fourth Floor, Sydney, AL
Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in the design thinking community. More details coming soon. RSVP here now to save the date and we'll contact you with the official registration page soon...
SydDT is all about helping build a connected community of people from a diverse range of design practices, industries, contexts and roles… to learn and share. To get exposed to what others are doing and be inspired. We also have a strong focus on using design to have a positive impact on people, our planet, and business. New members are welcome!
SPEAKERS
Speakers will be announced soon.
EVENT STRATEGIC PARTNER
This event is proudly co-organised with UserTesting and they're making it free for everyone to attend!
