Curiosity is powerful. Research tells us it has the power to enhance intelligence and increase perseverance. Being curious propels us to deeper engagement, superior performance, and more meaningful goals.

Curiosity is a necessary—although often tacit—element in the design process. In many design processes, empathy is the first step. In order to understand others, we have to be curious about what life might be like outside our own experiences.

How can we be more curious? Is it possible to invite others to be curious as well? We will explore a framework for designing curiosity.

This talk will give you an orientation to the strange, fascinating, and fragile phenomenon of being curious. Together, we will tackle these three topics:

• Defining curiosity: What is curiosity, and how does it manifest? We will learn the five faces of curiosity and—more importantly—what kind of curious you are.
• Producing curiosity: Humans can naturally produce curiosity—the question is, how? We discover the emotions that yield the by-product of curiosity and learn the ways in which curiosity may germinate.
• Inviting curiosity: How might we design ways to invite curiosity? We’ll look at a framework for inviting curiosity in your next design effort.