Mighty Minds Club — Newsletter #14: The "Hindrances" Edition
Hello! You’re getting the email because you’ve either (1) joined The Mighty Minds Club, (YAY!!) or (2) asked to be notified about The Might Minds Club at launch.
This is the 14th ever Mighty Minds newsletter. Keeping things short(er) this week.
A few quick Mighty Minds updates & announcements:
Salons!
📆 THIS WEEK:
You know what I'm really looking forward to his week? The panel discussion with the Mighty Minds of Jorge Arango, Dan Brown, and Donna Spencer. One, because they're brilliant people. Two, the topic!! "Games and ______". I cannot wait to see what they each share, and then where the conversation goes… Don't forget to register!
📆 NEXT WEEK:
A few newsletters ago, I teased an AMA with a mystery guest. Well… I'm pleased to announce that mystery guest is none other than the indescribable Christina Wodtke! Christina is a Stanford Instructor, author of several books, and an all around amazing human being. Our conversations are always a delight and span all manner of topics, from game design to storytelling to OKRs… teams, visual thinking, and more! While this will be more conversational, Christina will bring a few "simple tools for complex problems." 😉. Again, don't forget to register.
The Future of Mighty Minds?
I'm still exploring the future of ye old Mighty Minds Club. This quote from the Princess Bride keeps popping into my head:
"Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Several of you reached out with feedback and support—thank you! If this is to become more of a club, I've love to hear what you're looking for… Feel free to email me directly: stephen@poetpainter.com
Interesting things I’ve been reading / learning about:
On Uncertainty
Here's an article by Amy Webb explaining "How Futurists Cope With Uncertainty"—it's a good introduction to the 'double uncertainty matrix'. Which, if I recall correctly, is one of the easier activities to sell into organizations because it leads with fears! (Which are always top of mind for execs, right?) Intrigued? Here's a slideshare presentation that offers a more hands-on introduction to this same tool.
On Doubt
I like this distinction that Bryan Zmijewski makes between Self Doubt (which paralyzes) and Idea Doubt (which energizes).
On Storytelling
Please, not "another boring PowerPoint slide!" This presentation from Tanya Snook (@Spydergrrl) explores how to craft a story at work. "Not milk-and-cookies-time-around-the-campfire storytelling, but using storytelling methods to build and deliver messages in a compelling way." Check it out: Storytelling: Building Compelling Stories for Any Audience.
Against Reducing Cognitive Load
There is a small section near the end of Figure It Out where I ask: Do we use technology to off-load understanding, or do we use technology to help us— and others—become better thinkers? It gets to a concern I've had as a designer, which is this: I worry that we’ve conflated making things “user-centered” with always making things easy, and in the process, we risk dumbing down people.
Anyway… This tweet and explanation from Jabe Bloom approaches this same topic from a systems perspective, rolling in the "shaping" of attention and 'Join Actions'. Yeah, exactly what he says!
Speaking of slowing things down…
On Friction
In one of the many great talks from last month's Euro IA conference, Clementina Genitle proposed "4 key guiding principles and skills" for those designing software products. Using the 'H.O.P.E.' acronym, one of the principles is (you guessed it!) friction, only Clementina used the word hindrance. When asked to ‘move fast and break things’ we should be the element of resistance, delay, or obstruction.
Speaking of adding friction…
It looks like twitter is experimenting with asking people to comment on an article before retweeting it. 🤪 Imagine that! And, it seems to having a significant effect on behaviors! (H/T Per Axbom)
Us-ness vs Impact
Here's some to think about: Creating distinct spaces for "affective and effective work."
According to Richard D. Bartlett:
Social movements lose steam due to a confusion between affect and effect.
Feels amazing to find a sense of purpose and belonging, maybe for the first time. But attachment to that feeling gets in the way of effective decision making.
Us-ness becomes more important than impact.
Which reminds me… I need to listen to this BBC program on "radical self-care." Apparently, the self-care movement has overlooked origins in feminist activism and the struggle for civil rights in the 60s and 70s. Interesting… A tight coupling between self-care and activism? 🤔
Personal Musings
This week… I'm going to direct you over to the transcript of my Euro IA 2020 kyenote Hopeful and Powerless? Design in a Crisis. There's at least a dozen newsletters worth of personal musings in there! Enjoy. And don't forget to leave comments and feedback.
Random
- These tattoos look like iron on patches!
- Artisanal Butter
- That look of surprise!
- Food Keyboard
- A giant octopus balloon?!
Quote of the Week
“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”
―St. Augustine
(apparently, a 'faux-tation', but I like the quote nonetheless!)