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Wor(l)dsmith

We rarely have the occasion to witness History unfolding before our eyes. We may realize afterwards that something extraordinary happened. Or someone. Last week, on January the 20th, the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration took place. This day marked the end of four years of chaos and insanity. This only can be seen as an historic event, even if eventually nothing comes out this presidency. We reached a point that low that common decency is remarkable. But something absolutely unexpected, and beautiful, happened. We witnessed the birth of a giant. It is remarkable, for me as an European, to discover that poetry is still cool in the US. And there is an inaugural poet picked to recite poetry for the occasion. So amazingly refreshing to see. I truly envy this smart elegance. The great Amanda Gorman delivered “The hill we climb“, a poetry written for the occasion and adapted after…

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About moving on

Earlier this week, I sent my resignation and I am feeling a bit dizzy. If I am exciting for this new adventure to come, a part of me cannot help but thinking of all the cool things of this last chapter of my work life. And I am also worried because we never know what can happen next. I will start by this. The very same day I had to give a call to warn I was about to resign, we learned that a dear friend passed away of cancer, our son’s best friend has been tested positive with COVID-19 and there has been a reshuffle of the board of my partner’s company. That’s quite a lot a bad signs. The day was not going to be the best one. Was it really a good time to resign and add even a bit more uncertainty to that? Or could there…

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When you know better, you do better

I am one of those people haunted by all the mistakes they made, however big or small. I cannot stop thinking of that stupid thing I said 15 years ago at 3AM in that kitchen. You get the idea. Yet, I am getting more and more used to the way American people are considering failures. You either win or learn. And this is quite a cultural shift from the French way of life. However, going back to the design core principles can be really helpful to help us thrive while failing. The work of a designer is never done. It’s a never ending iterating process having you collect data, explore and implement solutions, monitoring them, then collecting even more data … and improving them a bit more each time until they fit perfectly. There are so many things I really love about this slow and passionate way of working. Above…

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Reboo(s)t

It may just have been a way too long and harsh winter. All of this. The pandemic, the buffoons elected here and there, this crazy habit of denying facts and making up alternative truths. As it turns out, the stronger the winter, the more beautiful the plants will grow in the spring. I am glad this may come to an end. It’s time to rise and shine, again. Let’s try to do everything we can to bring a bit of light to this healing world. I also went through a bit of internal turmoil, feeling the conflicts and the cognitive dissonances. My vow, as a designer, is to bring beauty to the world. And how long since I did anything creative? I have been stuck by quite an imposter syndrome. I am a designer with no academic training in design. I came to design from the mechanical engineering. And I…

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1. S’éveiller à l’effondrement

Aussi loin que je me souvienne, j’ai toujours voulu être designer. J’ai mis un temps certain à définir ainsi ce que je voulais apporter au monde. J’ai toujours été animé par l’envie de comprendre toujours plus finement le fonctionnement des objets et systèmes avec lesquels j’interagis. Il ne s’agit pas d’une simple volonté de savoir académique, voire encyclopédique. Cette démarche de déconstruction est le préalable obligatoire à un travail de reconstruction visant à améliorer la capacité d’interaction entre des usagers et des dispositifs. Par le design, je souhaite apporter de la beauté au monde. Celle-ci peut être plastique, sensible. Elle peut être une élégance ou une discrétion, une attention invisible qui illumine le quotidien de l’usager sans qu’il en prenne réellement conscience. Cette démarche de déconstruction m’amène toujours plus loin dans les profondeurs des fonctionnements des matériaux, techniques ou organisations. Cela a le double mérite d’accroître ma compréhension des sujets…

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