Surya Vanka, IDSA, WDO

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) was formed in 1965 by the merger of the Industrial Designers Institute (IDI), the American Society of Industrial Design (ASID), and the Industrial Design Education Association (IDEA). In doing so, the strengths, purposes and varied philosophies of its predecessors combined to become the single voice of industrial design in the U.S. IDSA now has active 2,500 members around the world. The Board of Directors is the IDSA’s highest elected officers,… Show more

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) was formed in 1965 by the merger of the Industrial Designers Institute (IDI), the American Society of Industrial Design (ASID), and the Industrial Design Education Association (IDEA). In doing so, the strengths, purposes and varied philosophies of its predecessors combined to become the single voice of industrial design in the U.S. IDSA now has active 2,500 members around the world. The Board of Directors is the IDSA’s highest elected officers, who envision the future of the organization and secure the present. Show less

I am Co-chair of Interaction Week 2019, a week long event for community for those interested in the practice of interaction design. It is the main annual event of IXDA which is the largest Interaction Design community, with over 200 local groups and more than 100,000 individuals globally. It is driven by a passion for design, and a belief that our practice of interaction design can make the world a better place.

Design in Public believes in a future Seattle—recognized as a world design capital—where citizens, designers and leaders work together to create their shared best city. Design in Public celebrates all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle. We nurture relationships among designers, citizens, city leaders, and future-thinking business innovators. We catalyze change by supporting imagination, vision and participation in the creation of the place we all want to live.

IDSA 50th Aniversary Conference: Future of the Future celebrated the achievements of the design community in the last half century and hlped accelerate reinvention of the profession to ensure its relevance in the 21st century. ”This is possibly the most important conference in our history,” said IDSA Board of Directors Chair Emeritus, Charles Austen Angell. “Surya Vanka has the right vision, maturity of thought and perspective on the industry to lead this conference.”

We know quite well the value of Design to business, and Design Thinking to problem solving. But what remains a bit fuzzy for many organizations is the distance between thinking and doing—the proverbial gap between strategic intent and execution. Or, how to make it happen. This year’s design thinking conference will focus on closing the gap—and moving from design thinking to design doing. We will explore key methods, strategies and successful techniques to embed design thinking in the corporate… Show more

We know quite well the value of Design to business, and Design Thinking to problem solving. But what remains a bit fuzzy for many organizations is the distance between thinking and doing—the proverbial gap between strategic intent and execution. Or, how to make it happen. This year’s design thinking conference will focus on closing the gap—and moving from design thinking to design doing. We will explore key methods, strategies and successful techniques to embed design thinking in the corporate culture, drive change in behaviors, and integrate the customer experience to help organizations achieve new growth. This will be supported by a blend of proven methods and case studies, and by a blend of consultant teams, in-house leaders and forward thinking educators. All with one result in mind: Make it happen. “Making it happen” requires several key competencies. We will look at this challenge from a sense-making point of view, with a focus on what actually to do. Show less