Rethinking Users, a new book and card set for innovation
Rethinking Users introduces a radical new approach that we call "user ecosystem thinking."
Rethinking Users questions some of our most fundamental ideas about the nature of user experience and points toward opportunities to create products and services that approach users in radically new ways. This toolkit includes a book, a deck of User Archetype Cards, and step-by-step team activities for unlocking new user-centered design inspiration. For designers, design researchers, strategists, innovators, product managers and entrepreneurs in any field. By Mike Youngblood, Benjamin Chesluk, and Nadeem Haidary.
“This work is one of those that is disarmingly simple, important and something whose time has come! Bravo!”
– Melissa Cefkin, Senior Staff Researcher, Waymo
“We highly recommend this book—it not only shows us WHY we should stop thinking of users as individuals and instead see them as networked beings, it shows us HOW to do it.”
– Erin B. Taylor, Finthropology, The Hague, Netherlands
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all product and system designers!”
– Annalie Killian, VP Strategic Partnerships, sparks & honey, Dijon, France
“A tool for sophisticated concepts and all-round satisfactory UX design.”
– PAGE design magazine, Germany
Recent writing on design and society
Cultivating Community, a book about social change
Mike's award-winning study of a mass movement in India explores how and why people fight for change
"Wonderful, exciting book ... Reads like a voyage into a social movement."
– New Books Network
"The book brims with such fascinating insights ... This is an excellent and important book."
– Symbolic Interaction
"Rich and insightful study ... Its analysis and description will remain relevant for quite some time in the future."
– The Journal of Peasant Studies
"Youngblood's book is a tremendous pleasure to read ... I would deeply recommend this thoughtful and well-written book for an audience interested in rural and agrarian studies, global social movements and their underlying strategies of action for empowerment."
– Asian Ethnology
Available at Amazon, Powell's, or ask for it at your local bookstore
The free guide to observational research
This short guide, published by Mike Youngblood and innovation consultancy gravitytank, is a great introduction to observational research techniques. It can add rigor and focus to qualitative research and provide a critical foundation for any social design project.
It's a small taste of Mike's classes and workshops on the subject.
In the comics! Amplifying micro innovation in healthcare
A story about working with frontline healthcare providers to promote peer-to-peer innovation sharing
