I'm addicted to a number of things on the internet, some pleasures being guiltier than others, but one particularly guiltless pleasure of the world wide web is my access the videos of the TED conference.

A friend of mine recently directed me to a very interesting video from this conference by Paula Scher which, I not only found enlightening, but also reminded me of a book from my senior seminar by Daniel Pink entitled A Whole New Mind. The book is postured as a sort of career guide / business management text but don't let that turn you off from its message.

The thesis of Pink's book iss that the successful people in the coming “Conceptual Age” will need to be able to think in highly abstract forms and have a high capacity for human interaction, something computers have a great deal of difficulty with. Pink dedicates several chapters to outlining how right brain functions can be utilized to make a more significant impact; he outlines the importance of Design, Story, Symphony -being able to see the big picture and make connections- Empathy, and Play - drawing people in by making things attractive as well as embracing our innate curiosity. These things are products of right brain functions, and therefore uniquely human, that make a person more valuable.

One of the points Pink makes in his book is that humans are the only species to “play with” or tinker with their environment. Being able to "play with" new ideas and new things is a very big part of human satisfaction. It is this "curious nature" if you will, that has driven the progress of the human race. That curiosity is a distinctly human trait and the fact that we find it pleasurable is intrinsically linked to the concept of play.

Being able to innovate requires that you think creatively and understand that, in the end, people are what is important so design ability is much more valuable than manufacturing ability. Pink offers the definition of design as utility enhanced by significance; it leverages the pre-existing conditions. A device that is intuitive is far more effective than one that requires training,; feedback is immediately relevant to the user. Good design can enhance meaning beyond the straight content of the message and, because it is targeted at the emotional part of people, makes a deeper and more lasting impact. Better design makes something more useful, but in order to do this understanding the context and positioning yourself in that context is very important and that context, the history and interrelation of things, exists on such a deeper level than numbers can convey.