What Designers and Strategists Can Learn from Dick Fosbury

Brad Smith // #WebVisions

Who the heck is Dick Fosbury?

Here’s Dick setting an Olympic high jump record with a height of 2.24 meters (7’ 4.25”) at the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City.

His technique became famously known as the “Fosbury flop”

“The Straddle Technique”

But how does any of this relate to Designers and Strategists?

Fosbury’s success had a lot to do with innovation.

Dick’s coach replaced the sawdust with foam rubber.

By cushioning his landing, Fosbury could radically change his approach and movement over the bar.

Within a few years, almost every high jumper had adopted his style.

His innovative approach to a sport that seemed to have reached its limits was ridiculed at first.

”…Fosbury is the world's Laziest High Jumper."

”…he looks like a fish flopping in a boat."

As designers and strategists, it’s our role to follow trends and innovations, and to ask questions.

Evolution Happens.

1996

2013

1996

2013

Future Challenges

Video/Motion

Voice

Gesture and Position

Geolocation

Ambient systems

How will we reinventdigital and analog

interfaces and experiences?

The changing webs.

Change factors.

Guess what?

A UX Designer and Strategist’s work is

gonna get a lot more complicated.

But here’s the good news:

Anticipating and adapting to change equals job security.

Don’t accept “what is.”

Ask “what if…”