Episode 18 - 10 Essentials Designers Should Know
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
10x Essentials for Designers In this episode of Design Office Hours, I revisit Michael Sorkin’s 250 Things an Architect Should Know (which Curtis Mikkelsen introduced me to in episode #18 of DOH) and reframe a set of Sorkin’s “statements-as-wisdom” for designers and innovators. Rather than a checklist, this is more a way of passing down lived experience—more about judgment and humanity than rules and technique. Curtis and I started this exercise together but didn’t finish our picks. I wanted to come back and run through mine in a more holistic way—what I think they mean,...
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Episode 17 - TALK Curtis Michelson
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
Innovation, Design Fiction & Team Fine-Tuningwith Curtis Michelson In this episode of Design Office Hours, I’m joined by Curtis Michelson—innovation strategist and facilitator—for a wide-ranging conversation on how real innovation happens inside organizations. We trace Curtis’s journey from early environmental activism and the dot-com boom to his current work helping mid-sized companies unlock internal capacity for change. We talk about what it means to lead innovation efforts when the pressure is real, resources are limited, and the solution isn’t another chatbot. We...
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Episode 16 - TALK Tim Hulford
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I speak with Tim Hulford, designer, leader, and former Director of Industrial Design, VR Accessories at Meta. We talk about: Navigating early design roles and finding your footing under pressure Building and leading design inside engineering-heavy environments like Intuitive The transition from engineering-led to design-led organizations—and what that actually changes How to sustain motivation during long product cycles or after a project is sunset What shifts when you lead in times of crisis, not calm Tim shares lessons from building surgical...
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Episode 15 - Q&A No Portfolio Assets?
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I respond to a question that comes up more often than you’d think: “How do I show released work in my portfolio if I don’t have any assets from the project?” There are many reasons this might happen—NDAs, unreleased products, or simply not having access to the final materials. It can be especially frustrating if it was your best or most recent work. In this episode, I cover: – What to consider when leaving a job without approved portfolio assets – How to reflect your role without overstepping confidentiality – What matters more than...
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Episode 14 - Q&A AI in Portfolios
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I take a practical look at a question about AI in portfolios. In this episode of Design Office Hours, I reflect on one of the most practical and uncomfortable questions designers are facing: Should we use AI to cover for the skills we don’t have? We explore: – Why using AI isn’t cheating—it’s adapting – What your AI use says about your values and process – The difference between “organized creativity” and true creative insight – How AI is lowering the threshold of skill—and what that means for designers – What happens when the...
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Episode 13 - TALK Blair Hasty
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I sit down with Blair Hasty—founder of Crafted By—to unpack the disconnect many designers are feeling in the field today. Blair has spoken to over 300 designers—from students to senior leads—and a recurring theme emerges: designers are being pushed away from what they trained for and into roles that feel misaligned. This episode dives into what’s missing in design education, the impact of shifting industry expectations, and why communication is now the most critical design skill. We explore: – Why many designers still self-identify as...
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Episode 12 - Q&A Managing Imposter Syndrome
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
Have you ever felt like a fraud, despite clear proof of your success? You’re not alone. In this episode of Design Office Hours, I explore imposter syndrome—what it is, why it shows up so often in creative careers, and how to manage it. We’ll cover: – The root causes of imposter syndrome and how it shows up – The link between perfectionism, burnout, and self-doubt – Three practical categories of support: cognitive, behavioral, and long-term strategies – Why designers need to reframe “good enough” and avoid perfection traps – How to build confidence with achievement logs...
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Episode 11 - Q&A Critical Thinking
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I dive deep into a question I hear often—especially from hiring managers, educators, and design leads: How do you assess if a designer can apply critical thinking on a project? We talk a lot about “thinking like a designer,” but what does that really look like in practice? In this episode, I break it down into clear, observable traits—and how to spot them. We cover: Why critical thinking shows up more in process than in outcomes How to frame vague problems and ask the right questions What design decisions say about a person’s reasoning ...
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Episode 10 - Q&A with the YDOI community
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I join Sushant Vohra and his community Young Designers of India (YDOI) for a live Q&A covering everything from skill mastery in the age of AI to how we reshape design education for the future. This one’s full of bold questions and even bolder takes. We cover: What makes someone great at facilitating creative collaboration Why lifelong learning is a designer’s most important skill How to navigate large organizations with fragmented design teams The real value (and limits) of design thinking workshops Why mastering a skill will never...
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Episode 9 - Q&A Workplace Fit
Design Office Hours with Peter Boeckel
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I answer a deceptively simple question with very real consequences: How do you choose the right workplace when you have options? From evaluating team culture to listening to your gut, this episode walks through what to pay attention to—especially when two jobs look equally good on paper. Here’s what I cover: How to go beyond the job title and assess team dynamics Smart questions to ask in interviews (hint: think about culture and conflict) Why the comfortable job may not be where you grow the most How to trust your gut—without losing...
info_outlineInnovation, Design Fiction & Team Fine-Tuning
with Curtis Michelson
In this episode of Design Office Hours, I’m joined by Curtis Michelson—innovation strategist and facilitator—for a wide-ranging conversation on how real innovation happens inside organizations.
We trace Curtis’s journey from early environmental activism and the dot-com boom to his current work helping mid-sized companies unlock internal capacity for change. We talk about what it means to lead innovation efforts when the pressure is real, resources are limited, and the solution isn’t another chatbot.
We cover:
– Designing corporate innovation beyond trend-chasing
– Using AI tools in workshops—when to accelerate, when to hold back
– A gamified approach to mapping value networks and future ecosystems
– Meta-prompting and fine-tuning teams instead of models
– Small gestures that spark big cultural shifts
– And reflections on creative restraint, analog experience, and boundaries
Whether you’re navigating change from the inside, running strategy sessions, or simply curious about how to design better futures—this one’s for you.
For the DOH Library, Curtis recommends the 3x reads below:
We might have touched on 'BANI' (brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible) in our conversation. This book is an exploration of that state of affairs and how we can cope and respond to it.
Sangeet Choudary's latest, which penetrates the cheap, easy arguments on AI and gets into how AI will radically reorient business models and organizations. In other words, the world will not be cheaper, faster, but very different.
Rob Walker's book on how to 'pay attention' - a nice echo of our riff on Sorkin's 250 observations.'
And as mentioned in the episode: Two Hundred Fifty Things An Architext Should Know
https://www.readingdesign.org/250-things
🎧 Listen now, and send me your takeaways.
Got a question or a topic for a future episode?
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