Cultivating the Magic of Ideas – Fraîche Design Thinking

Cultivating the Magic of Ideas

Sector

Social creativity

Offer

Product innovation

Client

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It's flagship gathering, the Aspen Ideas Festival, was founded on the belief that ideas should not exist in isolation, even if such a thing were possible. Since 2005, the Aspen Ideas Festival has gathered the most incisive, paradigm-shifting bits of insight, and has enabled them to be presented by (and to) the most active, engaged thinkers in the world.

Our approach

Design question

The summertime festival brings together brilliant leaders and thinkers from around the globe to discuss the ideas that will not only shape the future but deepen understanding of the present. For one intimate week, from sunup to sundown, attendees explore critical current issues and discover ideas that spark wonder. But how does that venerable tradition evolve over time?

Design response

Organizational psychology has a massive impact on design processes and outcomes of any kind, but especially service design. When the material of design is not atoms or pixels per se but emergent human behavior, the culture and tacit assumptions operated upon by the delivering organization has an outsize influence on ultimate designed experiences. Attendee feedback is important for iterative responsiveness of course—and understanding the emotional and functional needs of the operational team itself is equally important. By walking alongside the Institute in its post-flight analysis through deep qualitative research, we shed light on opportunities for improvement and innovation alike.

Testimonial

“I've been involved with the Aspen Ideas Festival for years in supporting producing roles. When I took over as Executive Director, I reached out to Lisa to conduct a post-flight in order to get a third-party perspective on team dynamics and a clearer sense of how key staff were looking towards the future. Lisa came to the event, was present at all-staff stand-ups, then did in-depth interviews with the team in the weeks following the event. Lisa's qualitative study really helped me learn alongside the team as it uncovered several insights that have been key to planning for next year's Festival. Her study was thoughtful, as was her availability to talk through it and clarify certain points. The study documented some things that were already suspected, validated or nullified some other hypotheses, and went in depth on several additional insights that have already been key to future Festival growth. She approached the project with professionalism and a deep respect for the history of the gathering and the importance of the people who make it happen.”

Graham Veysey

Executive Director, Aspen Ideas Festival