“Comfortable with Uncertainty” with Geke Van Dijk (UX Hong Kong 2023)

We often face complexity in projects and, when working on them, this can create doubt and fear in how to get a handle on the topic and the approach, and how to fully dive into it.

We need to create space in such projects to help each other with navigating this complexity, to spot the value of it, and to be calm in gradually orienting ourselves.

This implies developing an approachable language and opening up conversations. It also implies reflecting on the higher level of a project in conjunction with the more practical details to identify a more clear direction.

This is an ongoing process of orienting and reorienting for the ‘me’, ‘us’ and ‘we’ involved in a project. The passage through complexity never reveals itself in one go, it is inherently a step by step process that you need to get comfortable with,

Goals & Benefits

This session will help you to:

• Identity why orienting and reorienting is important
• Create the space to confront uncertainty and to lower the fear in doing so
• Providing paths so people do not get lost in the noise
• Encouraging meaningful conversations using approachable language
• Building confidence to connect to the larger project purpose and outcomes

Practice Outcomes

This session will outline the following practices to:

• Orienting and reorienting to better navigate complexity
• Proactive sharing to encourage transparency and ensure everyone is on the same page

Speaker - Geke Van Dijk

Geke (Pronounced “Hey-kuh”) is STBY’s jetpack. As STBY’s Strategy Director, she is well versed in steering research projects on challenging topics and leading us to explore fresh contexts with new clients. She is a pioneer in Service Design since she published her PhD on co-producing service experiences in 2007. Geke loves setting the right circumstances for highly collaborative teamwork with colleagues, clients and international partners, while also making sure to maintain a shared focus on meaningful change.

Geke clicks to focus on the big social and ecological issues of our time, and tries to make a difference by contributing to systemic change processes that are ultimately the focus of our projects at STBY. As a pioneer and seasoned design researcher, Geke is keen to help others flourish through mentoring and coaching. Developing toolkits and playbooks is also a way she likes to combine her pioneering spirit and passion for capacity building and knowledge sharing.

When she is not driving the team forward, you can find Geke surging ahead in the swimming pool. If she wasn’t a design researcher, Geke would be a Gardener or a Ninja.