# #007: It's Time We Start Thinking Beyond the User - Dan Griner - Director of Design, Innovation, and Strategy at University of Colorado Denver

- Show: [Designing in the Wild](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild)
- Published: 2022-02-07
- Length: 1h 01m
- Episode: 6
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn

## Summary

Dan Griner, Director of Design, Innovation, and Strategy at the University of Colorado Denver, discusses his journey from a high school dropout and pinstriper to a designer focused on social impact and meta-design. He details his work with OtterBox, where he helped develop an innovation method, and his current projects with the Common Sense Institute to map homelessness systems and create PPE through the nonprofit Make for COVID. Griner argues that designers must move beyond user-centric aesthetics to consider the entire lifecycle, supply chain ethics, and planetary impact, citing biomimicry resources like asknature.org and the importance of empathy in solving systemic issues.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=0) Introduction: Dan Griner and the Responsibility of Design
- [2:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=167) Griner's Background: From Pinstriper to Industrial Design
- [9:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=546) International Experience: Seoul, Korea, and Design Councils
- [19:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=1191) Social Impact Work: Homelessness Ecosystem and Make for COVID
- [33:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=2035) Meta-Design: Beyond the User to Planetary Impact
- [44:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=2643) Sustainability, Supply Chains, and Biomimicry
- [49:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2022-02-07-007-its-time-we-start-thinking-beyond-the-user-dan-griner-director-of-design-inn#t=2945) Inspiration: Sci-Fi, Philosophy, and Lived Experience

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- University of Colorado Denver (company)
- OtterBox (company)
- Common Sense Institute (company)
- Make for COVID (product)
- asknature.org (other)
- IDEO (company)
- Yonsei University (company)

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- [S2E14 How Knowing Nothing Can Make You a More Creative Engineer | Phnam Bagley](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-03-19-s2e14-how-knowing-nothing-can-make-you-a-more-creative-engineer-phnam-bagley) (Being an Engineer)
- [Episode 106: The future of intelligent systems - Didem Gurdur Broo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-01-24-episode-106-the-future-of-intelligent-systems-didem-gurdur-broo) (Robot Talk)
- [5 - Brandi Parker from Pearlfisher](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2019-08-13-5-brandi-parker-from-pearlfisher) (People of Packaging)
- [BONUS - iNEMI VP of Technical & Project Operations Grace O'Malley at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-02-22-bonus-inemi-vp-of-technical-project-operations-grace-omalley-at-apex-2023-emsnow) (EMS@C-LEVEL)

## Citing this page

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