Presentations
Talks and conference presentations on product strategy, user experience, organizational design, and applied anthropology.
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Women Talk Design
I had the opportunity to serve on a panel in Chicago with some other talented women in design, including Kathi Kaiser of Centralis, Tanarra Schneider of Accenture, and Mick Champagne of Digitas. We answered questions from our moderator and also from the audience. It was a fun and engaging way to meet others from the… Read More ->
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Collaboration by Design
In the opening keynote for UX Camp Chicago, I spoke integration and amplification. How do we deepen our focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, in order to deliver better experiences and – ultimately – better business outcomes. Read More ->
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Humanizing Business with Stories
During the first week of April, I had the opportunity visit Smith College, where I did my undergraduate degree. I was there to talk to Anthropology majors, speak to a Methods class (Anthropology with a sprinkling of Design Thinking), and deliver a public lecture. It was great to be back on campus and interact with the… Read More ->
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AAA16 – Design Anthropology
This year, the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropology Association was held in Minneapolis, MN. Our session on Design Anthropology was organized by Christine Miller and Emilie Hitch, and sponsored by the National Association for Practicing Anthropology (NAPA). Innovation, Human Understanding, and Design in the Software Industry Presentation Abstract The software industry today is still largely imagined and… Read More ->
Podcasts & Press
Podcast appearances and interviews on building product organizations, the anthropologist-as-operator, and what it takes to scale.
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TagTalkTribe interview
It’s clear Natalie’s “build-it-from-scratch” spirit never took a coffee break. From steering engineering teams and scaling organizations from zero to 300 people (not a typo) to pioneering new paradigms in women’s health – she’s made a habit of leaving legacies, not just LinkedIn endorsements. Read More ->
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Interview with Brave UX
This blog post is the transcription of a podcast I did with Brendan Jarvis in early February. He’s done a number of interview with senior folks in the field, and they are definitely worth a listen! You can find Brave UX on all the major podcasting platforms, and also on YouTube. I’ve done many of… Read More ->
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Fairygodboss interview
Who better to lead User Experience than an anthropologist? Meet Natalie Hanson. She’s a Principal at ZS, where she provides human-centered strategy, research and design for clients. In addition to a master’s and Ph.D. in Anthropology, she also has a master’s in Whole Systems Design. She’s the sponsor of Pride@ZS, the company’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource… Read More ->
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Research as a Vehicle for Organizational Transformation
A week or so ago I had the opportunity to speak with Lou Rosenfeld about my career and our second Advancing Research conference, for which I am the lead curator. Introduction After abandoning the world of academia, Natalie Hanson found an innovative way to connect with other ethnographers: she founded a new community (Anthrodesign)!. This… Read More ->
Podcasts & Press
Podcast appearances and interviews on building product organizations, the anthropologist-as-operator, and what it takes to scale.
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Contentment
I love the idea of being content with the world around me, but that’s not the reality. Furthermore, my lens is broad enough that my own well being isn’t enough. Here are a few reflections on a piece entitled Is Contentment an Underrated Goal in Life? Read More ->
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Make Your Luck
If you aren’t following behavioral designer Nir Eyal, I highly recommend you do. He has written several books, and blogs regularly at ” the intersection of psychology, technology, and business”, which he calls behavioral design. I have found his material accessible and informative for my work projects and for my personal efforts to form healthier… Read More ->
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Farsighted
Recent publications in behavioral economics (Blink, How We Decide, Thinking Fast and Slow) are largely lab-based studies. But reality is messier – key business decisions often have multiple complex considerations, and they are made by a small or medium-sized multi-disciplinary group. Johnson argues that we are better at considering the consequences of our actions than… Read More ->