Harry West Podcast

As Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at design consultancy Continuum, Harry West has probably been in your business, your house and maybe even in your car.

Have you picked up a Swiffer lately? Seen the slick dashboard interface on a BMW? Or how about locked something up with one of those titanium Master Locks?  West and his teams at Continuum have an impressive record conceiving innovations and delivering them to market.

Design according to Harry is a set of principles and ways of thinking that help us to manage and create in the material world. But what happens when the material world is uprooted?

In this podcast interview, BIF research director Chris Flanagan talks to Harry about the state of design in today’s troubled economy and the role it still plays in a burgeoning era of non-consumption.  They also get into the differences between customer-fueled and customer-created innovation. What role does each play in a design-thinking approach to innovation?

As a member of BIF’s research advisory council Harry has been a staunch supporter of BIF's mission of enabling collaborative innovation. Chris and Harry's conversation wraps up with a discussion about the importance of experimentation in the development of new ideas. Proof is in the attempt Harry says and the only way you can really make change and find new solutions is to experiment. Embracing “I don’t know” is his mantra for driving change.

Podcasts are made available for listening here via the embedded Flash player. This recording is also available as a downloadable MP3 file. Comments are below. Read more about Harry West.