#43 | Rob Harrigan | Driving AI potentials and visions.

Rob Harrigan

“Cross-pollination is the best thing for creativity.” - Rob on his creative process.

In episode 43, we chat with Rob Harrigan, Lead Designer at Y Media Labs and former Design Principle at IBM within the Data & AI organisation.

In the episodes he shares how designers can see, explore and visualise potentials and visions of technology - making ideas tangible and tell stories that make people see potentials and drive believe in new technologies. In his personal experience he was driving multiple design initiatives at IBM focusing on explaining AI and exploring long term visions and opportunities - by crafting and design great stories.

From art school to AR, Rob has over sixteen years of experience as a creative in a multitude of forms, from advertising to technology. Prior to his role at IBM that was the Associative Creative Director at advertising agency Ogilvy, gaining many experiences in the New York Design scene.

Rob discusses how he moved into the field of design and technology from his education background as a fine art graduate, and how his background strengthens his skillset in his work.

With so many years of design experience, Rob gives insights into the three design principles he has learned throughout the years and why that is relevant and important for designers nowadays.

On the role and impact of design in business, besides designers simply ‘having a seat at the table’, Rob posits that designers can be a voice of reason for businesses and in early-stage technology developments.

About Interaction 20:

Interaction 20 is the annual Interaction Design conference organized by IxDA - the largest community dedicated to interaction design - and in 2020 hosted by the IxDA Milan & Turin local group. Interaction Week 2020 brought together the brightest minds in design, as well as science, philosophy, psychology and business.

Interaction 2021 will happen fully online. You can get more details here: https://interaction21.ixda.org