Brad Smith's presentation at UX STRAT 2013

1. What Designers and Strategists
Can Learn from Dick Fosbury
Brad Smith // #WebVisions

2. Who the heck is Dick
Fosbury?

3. Here’s Dick setting an Olympic high
jump record with a height of 2.24
meters (7’ 4.25”) at the 1968 summer
Olympics in Mexico City.

4. His technique became
famously known as the
“Fosbury flop”

5. “The Straddle Technique”

6. But how does any of this
relate to Designers and
Strategists?

7. Fosbury’s success had a lot to
do with innovation.

8. Dick’s coach replaced the
sawdust with foam rubber.

9. By cushioning his landing,
Fosbury could radically
change his approach and
movement over the bar.

10. Within a few years, almost every
high jumper had adopted his style.
His innovative approach to a sport
that seemed to have reached its
limits was ridiculed at first.
”…Fosbury is the world's Laziest High
Jumper."
”…he looks like a fish flopping in a
boat."

11. As designers and strategists, it’s
our role to follow trends and
innovations, and to ask questions.

12. Evolution Happens.

15. 1996

16. 2013

17. 1996

18. 2013

19. Future Challenges

20. Video/Motion

21. Voice

22. Gesture and Position

23. Geolocation

24. Ambient systems

25. How will we reinvent
digital and analog
interfaces and
experiences?

26. The changing webs.

27. Change factors.

29. Guess what?
A UX Designer and
Strategist’s work is
gonnaget a lot more
complicated.

30. But here’s the
good news:
Anticipating
and adapting to
change equals
job security.

31. Don’t accept
“what is.”
Ask “what if…”