Rapt Studio

The Power of Dedicated Co-Innovation Spaces: Lessons from the GE Design Center In 2014, as the Chief Experience Officer for GE Digital, I helped lead the creation of the GE Design Center in San Ramon, California. This space was designed to foster co-creation, collaboration, and exploration between GE businesses and their customers, aiding GE's digital transformation. The GE Design Center was designed in partnership with San Francisco based architecture practice #RaptStudio. Key features of the Design Center: - Intentional layout promoting focus and creativity - Flexible "machine" space with movable walls - Analog and digital collaboration tools - Decompression areas for informal discussions - High-tech briefing center for stakeholder engagement - Immersive digital experience room Guests at the center were intentionally led through different rooms and experiences that were choreographed to drive collaboration and transformative thinking. The Design Center was the place where GE designers met with customers and GE business teams to initiate product discovery and explore potential software outcomes. The center facilitated breakthrough moments. For instance, we brought together GE Aviation and a major airline to address long-standing trust issues. Through structured activities examining information flow and communication, we uncovered opportunities to build transparency and efficiency, leading to the design of a tool that benefited both parties. This experience and many others brought to life in the Center highlighted the power of dedicated innovation spaces in fostering trust, alignment, and concrete outcomes. In our post-pandemic, remote-work world, we need to recreate these high-engagement environments in new ways. As we navigate the impact of AI on work, these collaborative spaces may be crucial in building trust and identifying opportunities across different stakeholders. The GE Design Center was a cornerstone of GE Digital's early success in the IoT era. Today, as we face new challenges, the need for such spaces - physical and virtual - remain critical for driving innovation and transformation. If you want to know how we did it, reach out! (Edited with assistance from Claude, an AI assistant developed by Anthropic)

I'm happy to help try to push Duolingo to the next level of workplace experience and operations, especially when it comes to neurodiversity. I spoke to American Builders Quarterly about our design goals and plans - how are you thinking about your Workplace Experience aiding Return to Office or Hybrid work? Are you ensuring that you are reflecting the needs of all generations in the workplace? https://lnkd.in/ega6JR9M “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” — Nelson Mandela

DYK → I author a Substack (it's a best-seller*) called FOR SCALE, on the "supreme potential of the domestic space" (i.e. it's about décor). It's just *rocketed* past 6,000 subscribers, and maybe you'd like it, too? You'd be joining senior editors and creative leads at The New York Times, The New Yorker, Pinterest, Apple, The Modern House, Artek, Hem, Rarify, Herman Miller, Architectural Digest, Cassina, Apartamento, Nike, LACMA, and so many more who also read weekly. Just wanted to celebrate a bit here – both FOR SCALE and its milestone, but also all the very good new writing that platforms like Substack are fostering, and which so many mainstream publications are missing out on. for-scale.com