Dale Fahnstrom is a Professor and former director of the Institute of Design, where he has been on faculty since 1966. He has designed products for such diverse corporate clients as Knoll International, Philips Electronics, Steelcase, NEC, and ACCO Brands. His "Bulldog" chair, co-designed with Michael McCoy and introduced in 1990 by Knoll, is currently the largest-selling seating product in the manufacturer's line. Recently he has been principal co-investigator on "Thinkering Spaces" at the Institute of Design, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, which explores the design of physical, interactive environments in libraries, museums and other public spaces where kids can explore, learn, tinker, and think.
More information: id.iit.edu/ThinkeringSpaces/

The IIT Institute of Design Strategy Conference is an international executive forum addressing how businesses can use design to explore emerging opportunities, solve complex problems, and achieve lasting strategic advantage.

Global businesses increasingly appreciate how design and design thinking can provide them with high-level, strategic value and competitive advantage. In an intensely competitive market, with ever more diverse and demanding customers, executives are often left unsure of exactly what products, communications and services to create for what segments of the market. Design, with its ability to understand users, redefine problems and create systemic, human-centered solutions, can help companies better understand their customer's daily lives, and lead directly to valuable (and valued) offerings that are effectively tailored to their market.