Generative Cognition and Building Creative Capacity
From smartphones to social media, many new devices and services drain our cognitive capacity. Mickey McManus and Neta Tamir share a few ideas for how to maintain a fresh mind and shape a future that can make us all more creative and capable.
Cognitive capacity—that’s how much information you can process at a given time. Cognitive load—that’s how much information-processing a given task requires. Finding a way to bring the maximum cognition to the tasks that matter most? That’s only becoming more challenging as smart phones, social media, and other devices and services try to grab as much attention as they can. Mickey McManus and Neta Tamir of Autodesk show us why cognition matters and how we might regulate cognitive drain in the future. They also share a few tips for keeping your mind fresh every day.
About the speakers
Mickey McManus is an emeritus research fellow at Autodesk and a pioneer in the fields of collaborative innovation, pervasive computing, and human-centered design. He holds patents for 10 products and co-authored the book, Trillions: Thriving in the Emerging Information Ecology. Formerly CEO of design firm MAYA, he is currently a senior advisor and executive coach at the Boston Consulting Group.
Neta Tamir has been a Future of Work and Future of Learning intern at Autodesk. A former WiTNY Fellow, she is currently finishing her PhD at Cornell University focusing on Human-Computer Interaction, where she works with Professor Susan Fussell to design tools to help manage cognitive resources and support learning.
Related learning
Want to learn more? Check out this related AU content:
Design Thinking with Fusion 360
Finding a solution to a problem—that’s just a cognitive process. Learn how to take a human-centered approach and follow along as teams in this AU Las Vegas 2019 hands-on lab develop product solutions to the assigned design problem. And learn a lot about Fusion 360 along the way.
Creating Units from Memory: From University Design Studio to Manufacturer Using Fusion 360
Learn how Fusion 360 bridged the gap between design students, their faculty, and a high-production manufacturer. Together they designed and fabricated the MO:KI, a mobile kitchen that can be flexibly organized to suit the needs of the individual chef. How can design methods, education, and production address human-centered challenges? This session shows you the way.
Pick Your Own Adventure—Fusion 360
What does the best workflow look like? Watch as attendees of this AU Las Vegas 2019 instructional demo vote live on what steps the instructors should take next, then step back and review the pros and cons of each choice. Gather insight and gain confidence for your own design process.