Learning and Leading Design for Healthcare + Innovation Teams with Paolo Korre — DT101 E20

Welcome to the Design Thinking podcast! I’m Dawan Stanford, your host. My guest today is Paolo Korre, Director of Service Design and User Insight for SE Health, a not-for-profit healthcare company in Ontario, Canada. We’ll chat today about Paolo’s transition from industrial design to design thinking in the healthcare space, challenges he faces as a designer working in healthcare, and his experience with being the lone designer on an innovation team.

Paolo reached industrial design through a love of fine arts, drawing, painting, and crafts. He did his undergraduate degree in industrial and product design. He assumed he would be working on making furniture or other “stuff,” but soon realized that this isn’t what the world really needs. As he evolved beyond traditional design, he went back to school for further education. Eventually, he was able to bring design thinking back home.

In our conversation today, he’ll dig into how his skills in design relate to his work in healthcare (and how he convinced people to give it a shot!). For example, he explains that he worked on a project around improving the experience of patients receiving private care. As a result, they ended up launching Elizz, a whole brand dedicated to supporting family caregivers.

Paolo has experienced being a lone designer as well as being part of a team of designers and part of an innovation team. It’s all part of a learning journey, he explains, and speaks of trying to figure out how much design method he can apply in these various roles. Whether you’re a solo designer, part of a team, or not sure yet where your design path will take you, don’t miss this informative and insightful episode.

Learn More About Today’s Guest

Paolo Korre on LinkedIn
Paolo Korre on Twitter
Paolo Korre on Facebook
SE Health Futures

In This Episode

[01:50] — Paolo talks about his journey into design, and how he got started.
[07:35] — When Paolo went to design school, what were some of the shifts and transitions in his skillset or or approach that happened as a result?
[09:25] — Dawan shares his perspective on discipline being a gateway to creativity.
[11:46] — Paolo shares some of the experiences that helped him internalize the process as he was studying and training.
[13:57] — When Paolo moved into healthcare, what were some of the methods or skills that he had to adjust or learn?
[16:55] — What helped Paolo persuade people to give design in healthcare a shot?
[22:17] — Dawan draws out one of Paolo’s points around how the stakeholder map changes as we age.
[26:08] — Paolo mentions a trend involving being patient-centered, and the problem with this concept.
[28:07] — How has Paolo explored the different modes of (being a lone designer, part of a team of designers, or being part of an innovation team)?
[32:04] — Dawan mentions the benefits of having a futurist on a team, and his own introduction to being a futurist.
[34:49] — We hear more of Paolo’s thoughts on the “MAYA” (most advanced yet acceptable) option, and how far he can push things.
[38:07] — Paolo responds to Dawan’s point about wishing for a team to bounce ideas off of.
[42:15] — When Paolo thinks about the opportunities to connect with peers, what are his hopes?
[47:31] — Paolo recommends other resources that have been useful for him.
[50:10] — We learn that Paolo has been redefining the boundaries of his practice because he’s constantly encountering new sources of understanding.
[53:07] — How much does Dawan focus on design mindsets?
[54:53] — Paolo talks about where listeners can find him, get in touch, and learn more about his work.
[56:10] — Does Paolo have any insider scoops on Service Design Global Conference Toronto 2019?

Links and Resources

Paolo Korre on LinkedIn
Paolo Korre on Twitter
Paolo Korre on Facebook
SE Health Futures
SE Health
Elizz
Ten Types of Innovation by Larry Keeley et al.
101 Design Methods by Vijay Kumar
Design Thinking at Work by David Dunne
Daniel Kahneman
Service Design Global Conference Toronto 2019