Have you ever thought about the similarities between art and science? Or about how math is the language of the universe? No? Welcome to a perspective shift. Ultimately this episode is about making things better, not just different. But how we get there is through a thoughtful and entertaining discussion with the witty and philosophical Erin Weigel.

Erin Weigel wants us to make things better, not just different. But how do we get there?

Lou had a thoughtful and entertaining discussion with Erin, always witty and philosophical—and often funny as hell. Join them on a perspective-shifting conversation that bridges disciplines and challenges conventional thinking, all in the pursuit of genuine improvement.

Erin is the author of the recently published Design for Impact: Your Guide to Designing Effective Product Experiments. She brings a fresh, accessible, and humor-filled take on what may seem like a dry topic: experimentation. Erin digs into the role of experimentation in design, advocating for always defaulting to experiments even if they’re the quick and dirty kind.

Erin and Lou also cover the following:
 - Wonky stuff like normal distributions, the central limit theorem, and what can be learned from outliers
 - The power of experiments to unite multidisciplinary teams by getting away from opinions and finding the truth
 - How professionals can use the principles of experimentation to navigate uncertainties and drive meaningful improvements
 - Discerning the impact of changes made

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
 - How Erin, with a fine arts background, became the principal designer at Booking.com and the Senior Group Product Design Manager at Deliveroo
 - The fundamental similarities between art and science
 - Why you should never skip the experimental phase
 - How experimentation unites people across disciplines
 - The difference between making things different and making them better

Quick Reference Guide:
0:32 - Introduction of Erin; similarities between art and science
4:05 - Barriers between art and science
5:58 - Statistics is fun!
12:37 - Defaulting to experimentation
18:06 - Break - 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse
20:36 - Experimentation as a uniting force
25:49 - Make things better, not just different
28:32 - Erin’s gift for listeners

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Design for Impact: Your Guide to Designing Effective Product Experiments by Erin Weigel: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design-for-impact/
Ologies Podcast with Allie Ward: https://www.alieward.com/ologies
Rosenverse: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/rosenverse/
Factfulness: 10 Reasons We’re Wrong About the World and 10 Reasons  Why Things are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814

Make Things Better, Not Just Different with Erin Weigel

Lou Rosenfeld talks with a LOT of brilliant, interesting changemakers in the UX world and beyond. Subscribe to the Rosenfeld Media podcast for a bird's eye view into what shifts UX faces, and how individuals and teams can respond in ways that drive success.

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