Talk / Ethics
From Prawn-star to PhD: Designing successful interactions for better human connections
Peter Mandeno
Creative entrepreneur turned academic Peter Mandeno shares the design principles that turn
interactions into meaningful human connections
One of the most valuable outcomes of designing effective interactions is improved human connectivity – relevant, meaningful connections between people. Human Connectivity is one of the most important social challenges affecting individuals, communities, institutions and organisations worldwide. Despite volumes of literature making a compelling case for the benefits of being better connected and the detrimental effects of being poorly connected, comparably little work explains how successful human connectivity outcomes might consistently be achieved. This talk explores years of global field experience, design and academic research dedicated to tackling this challenge and resulting in a set of design principles that may guide the design of more effective and valuable interactions.
About the speaker
Peter Mandeno
I am a creative entrepreneur turned design researcher on a mission to create a better-connected world. Meaningful, authentic, human connections – not just digital ones.
My career spans the travel industry, graphic design, digital technology, entertainment, experience design and animation in New Zealand, the United States, Denmark, The Netherlands and the UK. I am currently based in London (UK) where I am completing a PhD in Design Engineering within the Interaction Foundry research group at Imperial College London.
My research focus is ‘human connectivity’ and, specifically, how more thoughtful design of experiences, services and products can consistently deliver improved connectivity outcomes in both our personal and professional lives. My particular area of interest is where unfamiliar people seek to connect in unfamiliar settings such as coworking spaces, innovation labs and multidisciplinary conferences.
My fascination with human connectivity was inspired by the global success of Wok+Wine, a social experience I launched in New York in 2010. I went on to successfully test the concept in 12 countries and it has featured in the likes of the Washington Post and Harvard Business Review who described Wok+Wine as a global ‘experiment in social chemistry’.
Through my animation label ‘Simply Does It’, I continue to help clients like KPMG, Vodafone, AstraZeneca and the State of New York to tell more compelling and engaging stories.