052: Building shared understanding with Steven Garcia

In this episode of A76, I talk with Steven Garcia, an Executive Strategy Director at Instrument, about building shared understanding in the early stages of a project. Steven reflects on his non-linear career that started in account management at an independent Texas agency, ran through Huge, Meta, Digitas and Razorfish before landing at Instrument. + We discuss how we all should look beyond the brief to what a client is really trying to solve+ His framework for aligning groups with misaligned agendas+ Making sure the quieter voices aren’t drowned out by the biggest title in the room + And despite all the AI hype, the need to immerse and understand the end user has not changed It’s a smart conversation with a remarkable strategist that just gets it. Hope you enjoy 🎧~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

We're back! We continue exploring a designer's mindset in this season of A76, called Walk Your Dog. In this episode, I sit down with Tom Quish, Executive Creative Director at Oh Hi, Hello, to unpack the cognitive habit of living in questions before chasing answers. Tom traces his path from animation and letterpress to UX and customer experience leadership and shares how that hands-on, exploratory instinct shaped his approach to design strategy. We dig into what premature solutioning looks like, why critique is one of the most powerful rituals for staying curious, how he navigates stakeholder pressure to move fast, and what AI is really changing (and not changing) about how designers find truth. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.Keep designing. Keep growing. Keep making a positive impact.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

Welcome to season 5 of A76 called Walk Your Dog. This season I'm exploring designer's cognitive habits and in the season opener, I chat with David Kazaryan, a Senior Manager leading the revenue product team at United Airlines about a core habit often underrated—an iteration mindset. David traces his roots for iterating back to how he was raised, discusses his design education and the move from agency life into product design teams. We chat about perfectionism and setting expectations as a design leader. Plus why greyscale prototyping is surprisingly impactful. And finally we end it by welcoming AI agents to our design teams.In our volatile age of automation where designer's roles are quickly changing, this seasons going to be very poignant. Hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did. We're just getting started. Keep designing. Keep growing. Keep making a positive impact.~ Noel A76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

In the new season of A76, I go beyond the industry noise to explore the designer’s mindset and why the ways designers see, question and make sense of the world are their most valuable skills. Drawing on over thirty years of experience and conversations with working designers, this season digs into the cognitive habits within design—the ways of thinking that turn noticing into understanding, understanding into action and that action into meaningful change. In an industry wrestling with AI and shifting roles, this season takes a different approach. Less jargon and more real talk about how designers actually think and how those habits can be learned and applied by anyone who’s looking to solve real problems. Coming soon.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

In the final episode of A76 Season 4, The Human Spark, friend and mentor Frank Grubich flips the script and interviews me using the same questions I’ve been asking guests all season with a few surprises along the way. We talk about my origin story as a designer, where ideas come from, why I design, and what I’d tell my 20-something self. Thanks FEEG, it was a lot of fun.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

We’re in the back arc of A76’s season exploring The Human Spark and I was fortunate to sit down with Gavin Lew, Managing Partner at Bold Insight, to discuss how deep behavioral observation helps move ideas forward. Throughout the season I’ve challenged my guests to reflect on how they know when an idea is truly worth pursuing, and Gavin offers a thoughtful perspective on that question. We explore how actionable insights from real people, empathy, and courage are forces that can push ideas ahead and shape better experiences—and why design doesn’t start with ideas, but with understanding. It’s a profound conversation, and one I hope you enjoy.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

Friend of the pod Casey Hudetz, Senior Manager of Product Design at DocuSign and co-host of A76’s season one comes back on the pod to talk with me about the moment an idea grabs you and won’t let go. He shares a powerful example from his grandparents that compelled a creative project, including a talk and film. And our conversation explores how ideas often emerge through convergence and the subconscious. If you’ve ever felt haunted by an idea you couldn’t shake, this is the episode for you. I always appreciate my conversations with Casey. They always inspire new branches of thinking and this one’s no different. Hope you enjoy.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

In the latest episode of A76 The Human Spark, I chat with Dustin Coleman—Writer, Senior Content Strategist and Co-founder of 12 Acres Creative—about the importance of storytelling as a human craft in an increasingly automated world. With a lifelong love of narrative, Dustin shares how curiosity, observation, and conversation fuel his ideas and why real stories matter more than ever. We explore how Dustin evaluates ideas, why emotional response is his north star and how persistence not convenience leads to the most meaningful stories. This episode is a reminder that the best ideas come from listening deeply, persistently asking questions and staying relentlessly curious. Hope you enjoy. Happy holidays!Plus, continue to listen to our season 4 ideation playlist here.~ Noel"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” – Muriel RukeyserA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

This is a Patreon previewIn the current season of A76, The Human Spark, I’m stepping away from tools and trends to focus on the people behind the ideas. The conversations have been really refreshing and focused on where ideas come from, what everyone does to get unstuck, and how they decide which ideas are worth pursuing. So far, I’ve spoken with researchers, designers, creatives, journalists, artists, and brand leaders—and there’s much more still to come in the second half of the season.Now I’m opening up my process for Season 5. Check out my preview episode and if you’re an A76 Patreon member, you can:Hear my working ideas for next seasonSubmit your own idea for the themeVote on which direction the podcast should take nextIf you’ve been listening and thinking, “I’d love to influence where this goes,” this is your moment. The A76 community will help shape the show’s future. Enjoy the holidays & I hope you have some time off. If you have a moment, catch up on Episodes 36–43 in the current season, check out the evolving ideation playlist on Spotify and consider joining the A76 Patreon to support the show. Thanks for being part of the conversation 🎧A76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]

Frank EE Grubich co-founder and brand director of CX&V is back on the pod to talk Fun, Foam and other F-word frivolity. Among many topics, we chat about what it really takes to generate great ideas while battling time, constraints and real-world complexity. Frank shares how he starts by defining the box before thinking outside of it, why emotion matters as much as intellect and the three filters he uses to choose what to pursue. It's a great conversation as always. Hope you enjoy it.Plus check out our ongoing ideation soundtrack on Spotify.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsAnd is executive produced & hosted by Noel ChildsSeason 5: Walk Your Dog is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 4: The Human Spark is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 3: The Art and Science of Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2: Managing Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1: AI and the Double Diamond Model was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonIf you like what you hear, please give us a rating and become a member of A76's Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email [email protected]