Date: July 13, 2011
Speaker: Will Reese — White Horse
Game-changing innovation is accomplished not by mastering devices, but by understanding how the present is already transforming our lives in ways we don’t yet comprehend. “The future is already here,” said novelist William Gibson. “It’s just not very evenly distributed.”
This talk will reveal local agency White Horse’s strategy for understanding and defining digital futures through the formation of a human-computer interaction lab. Will will discuss White Horse’s early vision for this venture, successes and roadblocks, and ultimately how it’s evolved into a physical space and an intellectual forum that stimulates new ways of thinking and makes sense of new conversations emerging between people and brands.
About the Speaker
Will Reese is a strategic anthropologist specializing in ethnographic and trends research for the design of interactive experiences. He has been working in the area for over 11 years and has a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California. Will previously led a Consumer Insights and Trends group at Ziba Design, where his and his team’s discoveries drove the design of experiences that won awards such as the Red Dot Design Award, the AIGI Design Award, and the IDSA Gold Medal. Prior to that he was the head of ethnographic research at Design Science, helping global businesses develop new products and services in consumer, medical, and retail. He has worked with clients such as Baxter, Citi, GE, Kohler, Heinz, Honda, Intel, Johnson and Johnson, Logitech, Motorola, Nike, Nokia, Philips, Proctor & Gamble, RIM, T-Mobile, and Tektronix, to name a few. Will has helped design a vast array of products and services, from devices for robotic surgery, cardiac therapy, and emergency medical systems to home appliances, games, and retail environments. At White Horse, Will runs the Digital Future Group, which helps pioneering businesses to assess, select, and apply appropriate new technologies to their marketing initiatives to deepen their connection with consumers.
Will’s articles have appeared recently in The Journal of the Design Management Institute, Proceedings of The Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference, and the book Creating Breakthrough Ideas: The Collaboration of Anthropologists and Designers in the Product Development Industry.