Increase your influence with a simple question / Karen Baker / Episode #160

Having a seat at the table... That's what we often talk about in the service design field. And I would say rightfully so. Because when you do get involved early, you have the opportunity to influence the direction of a project. On the flip side, you could end up making the perfect solution for the wrong problem when you get involved late. But how do you get your business stakeholder to see and appreciate the strategic value you can bring early on? That was the question Karen Baker and I explored in our recent conversation. Karen has a marketing background, and she looks at the challenges in our field from a slightly different perspective. As you'll hear, our conversation started by discussing design inclusivity, but... We eventually landed upon one simple question that brings everything together. This simple question acts like your north star, compass, and light in the dark. This question is so good that it deserves its own t-shirt. So want to get a seat at the table? Want to influence projects early? Want to make your design practice more inclusive? The clue to all of this is in this episode. Enjoy the conversation, and keep making a positive impact! --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 160 03:45 Who is Karen 05:30 lightning round 07:30 Defining design for inclusivity 09:30 When did it start 13:00 Where do we need it 15:45 Including the community 17:30 Why now 19:45 Two examples 24:30 Guiding principles 27:00 Example from Lego 29:00 How do clients respond 32:30 What's surprising 35:00 Accelerating adoption 36:15 Getting leadership engaged 38:15 The question people aren't asking 41:00 Where is this heading 42:45 Lesson learned 45:30 Remember this one thing 46:45 Final thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krbaker/ - https://www.weforum.org/press/2022/05/new-initiative-to-build-an-equitable-interoperable-and-safe-metaverse/ - https://www.marketingdive.com/news/degree-deodorant-inclusivity-metaverse-virtual-marathon/622609/ - https://designjustice.org --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle