Design thinking methodologies often give the impression that design is something that happens linearly. Start here, move through these steps, innovation will pop out on the other side. But reality is much more nonlinear. 

That's exactly what recent Design Better guest, Kevin Bethune, lays out in his new book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction, which emphasizes that to achieve real innovation, teams must be willing to venture into the “proverbial forest of ambiguity.” 

Design and collaboration can be a messy business. Join us for a conversation with Kevin about how we can shakeup our workflows to embrace ambiguity and exploration. 

Kevin Bethune is a design and innovation executive, entrepreneur, best-selling author and keynote speaker based in Redondo Beach, California. He serves as the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank that delivers design and innovation services using a human-centered approach.  His background spans engineering, business and design in equal proportion over 25+ years of in-depth product experiences.

His first book, Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation (The MIT Press) released with notable acclaim under the Simplicity: Design, Business, Technology, Life Series in March 2022. His second book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction (The MIT Press), just released on February 4, 2025.  He also serves as a Board Trustee for ArtCenter College of Design and a Board Director for the Design Management Institute (DMI).

AMA: Kevin Bethune on nonlinear thinking