 In this episode, no one less than Arthur van Ostrom will tell you what you can expect at the Design Thinking Conference 2018. Let the show begin! Hi, I'm Mark and welcome to the Service Design Show. This show is all about helping you to design services that have a positive impact on people and are good for business. And one way to learn how to design and deliver these services is by meeting peers at conferences like the Design Thinking Conference 2018 that will take place on October 11th and 12th in Amsterdam. And I've invited no one less than the conference organizer, Arthur van Ostrom, to tell us a little bit more about what you can expect at this year's conference. So here we go. Welcome to the show once again, Arthur. Well, good to be here. Back after a year, I guess. After a year. I think you're the record holder for being on the show. I think this is the third appearance of you already. Really? Because we did an episode, I don't know, three or four, and then the conference last year. So nice to see you again. Let's dive into the topic of this episode because we're going to talk about the Design Thinking Conference 2018. I'm really curious what's going to happen. The people who are watching are really curious what you have to say. So let me just fire some questions at you and let's see where this goes. Question number one. Anna, this is the second year you're doing the conference. Is there a theme for this year? Yes, absolutely. So we are interested in diving a little deeper into a topic, and so it's not a generic conference about design thinking. It is about empathy, and our topic is always empathy until we don't have to talk about empathy anymore. And that's going to take some time. So our topic, our theme basically is, again, looking through different eyes. And exploring this topic, there's so many interesting directions it can take, and there's so many amazing stories people can tell to really get you to think about all your assumptions about what empathy is and how you use it in your business, what it actually means and how you can apply it to you personally, your personal development, but also in your professional development. And it's such a rich theme and so totally important. So and we're trying to be a little bit stubborn in this sense that I know that conferences always have themes every year. This year it's about connecting the dots. Next year it's about something, something, something. And then you go to the conference and it's like, do you actually recognize the theme seriously? Right, yeah. Yeah. So not being too critical about other conferences, but we just said, well, we talk about empathy and it's super exciting and it's about people and it's about real life and it is about getting you totally out of your comfort zone because it's a journey and we want you to leave the conference different than you entered. Right. That's, of course, my sort of next question because it's called a conference. We talked about this last year. You're sort of hijacking the theme, the concept of a conference. So what does the conference, the design thinking conference, actually have to offer? What can we, how's the experience going to be, what do you hope for? Break the system, that's what we're about. So it's a design thinking conference. So I mean, which means it's not a usual conference because it's about design thinking. It is about turning it upside down. It's about innovation. It's about, you know, it's about rethinking everything. It's about asking really good questions. And the whole idea is about, you know, I explained this last year, obviously, but if, you know, a conference is, you know, what if it was theater, you know, it is actually because it is theater. It is people preparing their script, going on stage, you know, they rehearsed everything and then they go and do their lines and all that, but it's awful theater. It's terrible theater. You know, can you imagine going to theater and looking at people, you know, and say it's like that? Come on, you can do so much better. Obviously, this is where, you know, for instance, Ted has done a really good job, you know, preparing people and understanding how to actually convey stories, how to tell stories, you know, et cetera, et cetera. You know, in that sense, we are kind of also like an anti-Ted in a way because we say, well, that's too quick. That's too, you know, we want to go in a really in depth. And we want to have a theater experience. We want you to be in the story. We want you to be in that flow. We want you to, you know, and so theater is a big sort of influence, specifically immersive theater. So everyone plays a part. Everyone also, the audience is part of the play. So it's not like, so like in theater you have sort of the people on stage and they're doing the lines. Now it's, again, it's an immersive experience, but trying to kind of break that mold and trying to kind of see what a conference could be. And yes, obviously it is a hybrid between open space, you know, the own conference, you know, it's somewhere, it's almost, it's like a workshop and it's a conference and it's theater and it's, you know, it's an experience. It's an experience. Maybe you should rebrand it to the design thinking experience next year or the design thinking theater. Anyway, you said something about it's immersive theater. People sort of have to participate. You are part of the bigger play. Talking about the attendees, you already, last year you've seen what kind of people the conference attracts, who attends this conference or who should attend this conference? Well, it's interesting. So our aim is to provide a different voice for people who have been in design thinking slash the service design slash UX, something human-centric innovation, something, something for a long time. And they are experienced. They know the case studies and they know the theory behind all that. They've practiced it. They've done it. So these people, to provide them with something that goes a little deeper. And also to have a platform for these professionals to meet each other, obviously, because that's a big part of a conference, right, this networking event. But it's experienced professionals and I think that, and that's what we see happening. Obviously, there's also, I mean, I get angry students as well saying, it's too expensive. And it's not that we don't want students in the audience. It's not that we don't want people who just started. Obviously, I mean, everyone's welcome. But I just think that if you expect us to explain what design thinking is, if you expect us to tell you like, there's no, we don't use PowerPoint, there's no slides, for instance. So if you expect someone to show you nice pictures of just a majority maps, for instance, you're at the wrong conference because this is for people who've seen those. And also for people who know that the case studies that you are shown at a conference are only the nice polished story that they're allowed to share. And we want to be talking about real life and real problems. We want to have the war stories. And we want to have stories from people who are not, you know, they are our speakers. I think, you know, you know, it's a couple of them are, you know, like and Stan Russo or whatever, you know, she was on the show and yeah. So I mean, she's amazing lady, lots of experience. She can talk about design and design thinking and serve design and all that from from experience, obviously. We also have people who haven't, you never heard of design thinking before I asked them, you know, we have a lady and she, her job is to negotiate in armed conflicts. You know, she negotiates with groups that we would call terrorists or rebels or, you know, she talks, she tries to talk them out of their guns basically, you know. She knows something about empathy and about how hard it is to, to, to understand people who are so, you know, totally different, you know, so empathy is the bridge and we want to explore that bridge and that bridge, you know, it's not, empathy is not the realm of the designer or the design thinker or the service designer or what have you. Absolutely not. It's, you know, so we want to people, we want people who are neuroscientists, which we have, we want people who are psychologists, we want people who do this stuff, but we'll kind of take you outside of your bubble and show you a world where they're, you know, they have so much experience and so many exciting stories that, so at least to me, I mean, just the amazing opportunity you have, like you have, for instance, if you have a platform like a conference or like this show that you can just invite people to come on your show or you're in your conference and just to hear their stories, it's like, you know, it's amazing and, and especially when you kind of go outside of your, you know, your little bubble, then all of a sudden, there's this whole world is like, wow, you know, like this, this lady who goes into this armed conflict, I'm so amazed and, you know, I'm so proud to have her, but it's so inspirational to talk to these people because they teach you something. And, and I, I, I like that, so I know. Yeah, and I think you talked about platforms. I think we're creating stages, right? The show is a stage, the conference is a stage and getting, anyway, crossover, something like that. I'm really curious. This is the second year. So how has the conference evolved? How does it compare to last year? Is it different? Well, yeah, well, yes, because, I mean, we ask all our speakers to do experiments. So all our speakers are, we call them our main actors and our workshop leaders. We ask them to do something they have never done before, which is really exciting, also for them. So the energy is, in that sense, will be the same. And we don't often, I mean, I don't know what they're going to do. So it is an experiment for everyone. But these are extremely experienced people. So I'm kind of confident. And, and, and we work with them. So before, you know, up until the conference, we work with them and we have them work together because one big difference between this conference and most conferences is that it is a storyline. So everyone plays a part. It's not, they don't come and to, and to kind of talk about, you know, their, you know, share the same story that they share at other conferences, et cetera. They need to kind of fit their story. It's a new play. In my play here, which is, which is a, which is a challenge for them. But so they have to work together and they have to create a story. And it's, and it's, and they have to do an experiment that involves the audience. They have to do something to, to translate their kind of their ideas and their vision or whatever they're trying to convey to an activity that the audience needs to participate in. So they can feel it, they experience it. You have to feel it. So that's their challenge. And that, and it has to be some kind of experiment. That's a really interesting criteria to actually get speakers or actors participating in the conference. It requires a certain kind of speaker. Right? Facilitated. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. So some people are shocked. Yeah. So people like, well, I don't know. They get really nervous. And it's, and I love that because it's, it's, it's about being out of your comfort zone. That kind of all of a sudden, you know, you, you get this new energy. You see it in their eyes. Oh, and, and, and, but most of them are, they're second thought is like, well, that's pretty cool. All right. Yeah. So I can, can I can do anything I want? Yeah, yeah, go. Because we want to, it's about you. I don't know. We ask people who are amazing. And we want to see them work. We don't want to see their policy. We don't want to see the thing that they were, we want to see them work. We want to see real life. We want to see them, you know, in the real flesh there. And we want to see them sweat. Madam, maybe not. But no, but we, you know, it's, it is, it is inspirational. And it, and it puts also emphasis on the audience. It also makes so everyone's involved in this. So the audience will play a part of it. And, and so you can't hide. This is not a conference that you can see. They sit in the back and have coffee and just wander around and just, you know, watch one speaker and then maybe not the other. And, you know, it's you will be, you know, you have to really get your hands dirty. And I kind of, that's like, so the difference between last year and this year, not as a regression, actually, is that we've learned so much from last year. So their, their, their, their organizational differences to get stuff more smoothly for, for, for our team. So we made a few things a little bit too complicated. So we simplified a few things. There's going to be sort of, it's basically, it's going to run smoother. And I think it went really well last year, but it's just more, more in the organizational kind of way. But on the front stage, I will experience a more fluid story. Is that, is that? I don't know if people will notice. So I be interested if so there's, so there's people obviously who attended last year, who are coming back this year, which is I'm very, you know, that's, I think that's a really good point. Yeah, absolutely. People come back. So there's a lot of people who actually return. So we're good question to them, like, did you notice? Because, you know, when you're like, it's, it's in theater. It's the same. So I, you know, I used to do some theater myself. And if I, you know, sometimes I thought I was screwed up totally. And then you're always like, no, you know, my mother would be in the audience is like, Oh, you're terrible. When all wrong. And you know, how it should be, or how it should be in your head, right? Right. So so it's more that we knew how way we actually wanted to be and some things didn't really work out. And so it made us run really fast, a lot faster. And you know, stuff like that. And the team was under stress a little bit. But they're amazing. And so I'm totally comfortable with with our team and our conference and the way it's organized. But so anyway, I'll, I don't know. But on, but the speakers are totally different people. Yeah, we so their stories are different. Their experiments are going to be different. So try kind of so like you said, you know, we create a platform. And, and the platform is then filled with these people who turn it into something else. So it's it's a co it's a co creative co design kind of way that happens in the moment, because I love this idea of serendipity stuff happening. So one thing that, for instance, is happens and happened last year, as well as will happen again, is that because all our figures will be there, you know, our workshop leaders will be there. It can change during the two days. We can we can we can change it because we see the audience respond in a certain way. We see sort of something have because we don't know the experiments that are going to happen. We can change it during during the So you get you get to be in the moment much more than you would be if you have a fixed slide deck. Yeah, but it's funny, because it creates this amazing energy. And people who've been at the conference last year can can can share this that there's this totally, I mean, I can I can share you when there's we had one person last year that walked out angry already. And yes. And we were like, what happened anyway? He said, so after actually, after the first day, so during the second day, he walked out, he said, what is this conference? You know, everyone's happy. They're happy on stage. They're happy in your audience. What that's kind of what is this kind of a religion or something? We should talk about this. We should talk about what design thinking is and what it can do. And now I can use it. Like, oh, you're at the totally you're at the wrong conference. So we actually, we made up so we gave him back his money. Oh, really? Yeah, is it come have a coffee? We'll talk about it because it's about it's not about case it's not about explanation. And it creates it. And because everyone's like, you know, it's such an experimental experience that there's this energy. And for people who kind of just wandered in, just like, it's about designing, I don't know. I didn't read really well. He didn't really read what it was about. He just wanted to know what's this design thinking and I want to know. And he's like, why am I you know, what is this? What do you have to manage expectations from the people who sign up? And I can imagine that it's easier for the second time. Yeah. I know what is the thing that you that you're looking forward to do the most yourself this year? So I, you know, so the speakers that we have are people that inspire me so much. And, and they're so powerful. And the work they do is so much that, you know, there's so many things I don't know about their profession and how they do this and because they're not from my bubble. So I'm really looking forward to having them, you know, in one place, because I, you know, we had meetings with everyone on Skype and all that, but just having them in the one room. And with this audience, and I, you know, because we know who's coming, you know, and, and it's such an amazing group of people. There's so many people that also in the audience that I would like, ah, love them, you know, meet that person and, you know, engage with them and just do this experiment to see what's going to happen. So I'm like, I'm so curious what, you know, it's just one thing that, you know, you don't know what's going to happen. I'm so excited about to see what's what will come out of this. And I love being sort of at the conference last year. It's a bit silly to say that by German conference, obviously. But, but because I, you know, I'm not I'm not on this sounds really silly, maybe, but I'm not on stage, right? So I'm there. But, you know, Lauren, Lauren Curry is our emcee and, you know, Adam, obviously is there. You know, there's there's to be your kind of our interrupter and also partly emcee. And, you know, we have all we have this, this, you know, this team is everything's taken care of have these amazing people. So my part is to be there, and to really also experience sort of the, the whole conference and to really experience. And I kind of love that them to meet people and talk and to be part of this. So I really, really enjoy doing that. And so I'm looking forward to that mostly just to be there. And just to kind of be it feels for me like you're sort of describing a sports match, either hockey or soccer, like, if you're not there, if you're not playing in the game, it's not like you can take the slides and then and then afterwards, you know, experience the same experience, you have to actually be in the team, participate, and then after 90 minutes, it's over. That's that's the experience. And then next week, the experience will be different. But there is no way to relive that experience. Yeah, absolutely. And you want to be part of you want to play? That's what I'm hearing. You want to be part? Yeah, you want to get out of the pitch? Yeah, I wouldn't kind of dive. It feels like you're going to dive in. You know, it's like this, this, this crowd of people and every stuff is happening. And, and I kind of, you know, it's, and so, you know, if you just wander in, and you haven't been part of this community, because, you know, it is, I, and, you know, I really feel that the community that, you know, started this whole movement, this whole service design, and doing the movement. This community, community of people have been around for a while. And it's, you know, it's evolved, and, you know, and it changed, and etc, etc. But, you know, one of the reasons why I started this conference is obviously to kind of, you know, you know, to get these people together, but to challenge them, you know, to really, really challenge them again. And I think that it takes a little bit more effort to challenge these people. So if you need to inspire them. And so having them in one room, just, I mean, you know, with all these people are, you know, because they are all experienced and they, this is a tough crowd. These are these are people who've been at all the conferences and they've done works of their all facilitators. And, you know, they all, you know, they know their stuff. So it's a tough crowd, which I, and that makes me super excited, because like, I'll, you know, I'll get that, you know, we've become too comfortable sort of. And that this is like our excuse to search for the boundaries. Is there is there is there still a way people can sign up for the conference this year? Yeah, so it is, it is pretty full. So I am, and I am guessing that by the time that, you know, people actually want to sign up now, it's how it might be, it might be full, might be so loud. So we have maybe just a few tickets left. So I would just check the conference website if there's any just go to code website just I mean, there will be there's always maybe people who will, you know, not, you know, some people signed up might not come and so on. So so you there's enough there's there's a chance to come. I think a good I don't know when we when we take sort of we recorded this interview last year last time. But I think in the evolution of the conference, because I mean, I can, you know, tickets are, you know, they sold out quite quickly, which is, again, it's good. Obviously, as a sign first that we actually made it something that people are actually interested in, which is great, an honor, a big honor. But yeah, so I, you know, I hear the my colleagues sort of in the back of my head saying, Arna, Arna, it's full. It's full. It's full. But I want everyone to come. It's a big it's the party. It's our it's our party of the year, basically. And so, yeah, but if you're lucky, check the website, maybe there are still a few seats, probably check LinkedIn. But basically, it's full. Next year, you need to be on time if you want to participate in the in this party. Arna, cool, it sounds really amazing. I wish you a lot of fun. And you're doing great stuff challenging these people. So make it make it an experience worthwhile for for the attendees for the facilitators, but also for yourself, man. Yeah, thank you so much. All right. See you soon. So if you are excited about the conference and want to learn more, head over to design thinking conference.com. And I'll also make sure to include all the links in the show notes of this episode. If this is your first time here, and you'd like to learn about all the major service design conferences that will take place this year, make sure you subscribe to the channel and hit the bell icon so you'll be notified when new videos are up. Thanks so much for watching and I look forward to see you in the next episode.