Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone With Human-Centered Design

Human-Centered Design (HCD) has changed the way I think. Four years ago, Uptown Studios took on training in HCD as a process to better develop campaigns for our client base. In creating empathy for the end-user, not always just the clients, we are better equipped to achieve all the goals set for a project. All of the Uptown Studios teams are …

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Human Centered Design for Social Change

Our tagline, “Designs for Social Change,” defines how we work as a studio. Not only do we make a point of working with non-profit organizations, donating our time, and resources, but we also make every single project we work on a “social change” project. To create social change in everything we do, we use our …

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Creating a Culture of Great Service

When I first meet with potential clients, they always ask “What sets Uptown Studios apart from other firms?” Now, we offer competitive pricing and work really hard to give you the biggest bang for your buck. However, the biggest compliment we get from our clients is that we offer great customer service.   Since the …

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Using Observations to Find Solutions

The teenager behind the counter smiled at me as I stood in the corner waiting for my food order. Is there anything I can do to assist you? Asked another teen as he walked by with a cloth to clean the tables. I'm good. Thanks.  I looked around.  The restaurant was packed -- not a ...

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Design Thinking – Making Connections Where Previously There Were None

Last week I found myself inside in a 10’X20’ windowless room. The walls were covered in post-it notes — each containing a thought, quote, or idea more intriguing than the next. We were looking for themes. Design Thinking – Making connections where previously there were none. We had just completed over 120 hours of ethnographic …

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Challenge Yourself – Read Something New

How often do you read a recently published business journal article? Or the summary document of some new research? How often do you buy a magazine that isn’t part of your normal reading selection? How many of you have an agreement with your friends or colleagues to share interesting factoids/articles/stories with you? And you with them? Reading …

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Use Design Thinking to Find the Solution

Work-a-round (noun) is defined by Webster as: “a method for overcoming a problem or limitation in a program or system”.  It is further defined in Wikipedia as: …”a bypass of a recognized problem in a system”.  A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed.  But workarounds …

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Get Into A Design Thinking State of Mind 

Creating change is never easy. When looking to introduce new ideas or strategies to your team, it is important to not rush into it, or implement from the top down. Here at Uptown Studios, we practice and recommend the Human-Centered, also known as “Design Thinking,” method for creating change. Design Thinking starts by identifying the overarching challenge …

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