Design Thinking

Stanford professors have written a helpful book called Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life.

You're at a 2-star hotel. You know, the kind that still has a boxy TV set, Internet via an Ethernet cable, and the faint smell of cigarette smoke.

You're tired. You feel dirty. You need a shower. You're about to wash your hair, and you realize you didn't bring shampoo. Fortunately, the hotel has provided not only soap in a vial so small it looks like it belongs in your child's toy house, but also some shampoo.

The shampoo is in a little plastic packet. Not a bottle. A packet, or bladder. You can see the gel which is the color of Quaker State motor oil. The package is neatly sealed. All you have to do now is open this hermetically sealed pouch with your soapy fingers to produce a hole or cut, and then squeeze the shampoo onto your head or into the palm of your hand.

How's it working for you?

Not good. The wet, plastic pouch slips around in your hands and fingers. You can't get purchase. You can't hold onto it tight enough. You try putting it in your teeth, but you still have to tug at...