Keynote from Interact 15, London. Therapists, as part of their education, must go through therapy themselves. They are expected to achieve a certain level of insight about themselves – their biases, their discomforts, and so on. While we are not therapists, we go out and study people without that level of self-insight! A lack of self-insight sometimes manifests itself as passion, commitment, or being driven by a mission. While those have their place, it’s easy to become blinded by what we can’t let ourselves see. Sometimes this shows up as discomfort at the micro level, when we react to something a user might tell us about themselves; sometimes it’s a macro issue, when we’re uncomfortable with people who hold different values, preferences, or beliefs than ourselves. And it crescendos as know-it-all douchebaggery, when we think our job is to tell other people what’s best for them – when phrases like “frictionless sharing” fall from our lips as naturally as “what time is dinner?” In this interactive talk we will delve into the concepts of presence and mindfulness and develop an understanding of how this informs how you engage with the world around you, as a designer, a professional, and a person.

1. The Designer Is Present
@steveportigal

2. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title style
Resources, presentations and to purchase
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users/
Interviews with in-house user research leaders
http://portigal.com/series/DollarsToDonuts/
Coming in 2016
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/epic-fail/

3. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title stylePresence
Terminology and meaning
Importance in creative work
Exercises and reflection
How to develop it

4. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title stylePresence
Being aware of and
connected to the
present moment -
and only the
present moment.

5. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title stylePresence
Being aware of
your own thoughts
and feelings…so
you can make
choices about how
to act.
Being aware of and
connected to the
present moment -
and only the
present moment.

6. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title stylePresence and mindfulness are interchangeable(ish)

7. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is one way to develop mindfulness

8. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleExercise: Let’s do a nano-meditation
Meditation is not the absence of thought,
but the presence of awareness. – Irene Au

9. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is not the only way to develop presence

10. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleIn the Zeitgeist

11. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleCultural pressures that challenge presence

12. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleSeven attitudes of mindfulness
Non-judging We bring our own ideas to a situation. We can notice our
own thoughts but not act on them.
Patience Things happen in their own way and in their own time.
Beginner’s Mind Approach a situation having let go of what we already think
we “know.”
Trust Look to yourself – even if you make mistakes – rather than
outside yourself.
Non-striving Not trying to make things different but just allowing them to
be as they are.
Acceptance Seeing things as they are, now.
Letting Go/Non-attachment Not holding on to how you want things to be.
Adapted from Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

13. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleThis is important to us

14. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleValidating is judging; Empathy is not sympathy
http://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw

15. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleRelationship between mindfulness and empathy
No Time to Think – New York Times
Studies suggest that [a lack of presence]
impairs your ability to empathize with others.
“The more in touch with my own feelings and
experiences, the richer and more accurate are
my guesses of what passes through another
person’s mind. Feeling what you feel is an
ability that atrophies if you don’t use it.”
http://nyti.ms/1pzBHFt

16. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleRelationship between mindfulness and empathy
An Appeal to Our Inner Judge – New York Times
Recognize and accept that you have biases.
Develop the capacity to observe yourself in
action and to notice when certain people or
circumstances serve as triggers.
Learning to slow down decision-making,
especially when it affects other people, can help
reduce the impact of bias. This can be particularly
important when we are in circumstances that make
us feel awkward or uncomfortable.
http://nyti.ms/1xZb4vw

17. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleSelf-awareness is a muscle that grows with time
Why Self-Awareness Is the Secret Weapon for
Habit Change – 99U
It’s human nature to first experience and then
explain. Catching ourselves before we engage
in our typical default reactions is one of the
greatest challenges of our lives, but when done
relentlessly and with discipline and moments of
reflection, mindfulness ensues. The pursuit of
self-awareness is difficult and requires
dedication.
http://99u.com/30437

18. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleMind and body

19. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleListening
Yes! Not so much.

20. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleWe are bound by our aspirations/inspirations
We think we know what
the solution is.
We think we know what
other people are about.
We can’t hear them.
We design for our “vision”
not for their needs.

21. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleExercise: It’s Going To Be Okay

22. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleA shaggy-dog story

23. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleCognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – the reframe
How (negative) thinking affects feelings and
behavior
“She was totally furious when I handed her the letter!”
[What else could be the reason for her action?]

24. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleMarina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

25. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleExercise (but we’re probably out of time)
Get into pairs
Sit facing each
other in chairs
Look but no
stares
Don’t talk but be aware
Then we’ll share

26. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleConcluding Thoughts
Being present empowers you to more effectively
• Work collaboratively
• Problem-solve creatively
• Learn about users
Look for personally rewarding ways that you
can practice being present so you can
strengthen that skill!

27. The Designer Is Present ‹#› Portigal
Click to edit Master title styleThank you! Questions?
@steveportigal
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/Interviewing-Users
http:// www.portigal.com/series/WarStories/
@DollrsToDonuts