Public Lecture: Kevin Henry - Visualizing Futures

Kevin Henry

Sketches ‘externalize thought’ according to cognitive scientist and author, Barbara Tversky (Mind in Motion), “…it’s true for graphics of all forms, sketches, charts, graphs, diagrams, models, pebbles, cocktail napkins.” While the material of sketching remains consistent across artifacts: lines, shapes, position, line weights, and so on, the tools for generating sketches have rapidly evolved to include tablets, VR headsets, and now artificial intelligence.

So how does this externalization process work and why is it important to creativity, problem-solving, and, well, thinking? In this visual presentation, Henry will share insights gleaned from 20+ years of researching, writing, practicing, workshopping, and interviewing a range of designers, technologists, computer and cognitive scientists, and more. Henry will explore how and why sketching works, what it potentially tells us about ourselves, and the many possible roles it might play in a future that has to be visualized.

Kevin Henry is an associate professor of design and a visiting professor in the Fashion Studies program where he teaches in the product development track. He is a product and interaction designer and author. The second edition of his book Drawing for Product Designers should be released in 2019 and his lynda.com course Sketching for Product Design was released in 2015. Kevin is the recipient of numerous design awards including an IDEA from the Industrial Design Society of America, and a Good Design Award. He is currently working on a series of interactive books designed for the iPad for the learning company The Fourth Teacher L.L.C. which he set up in 2017. He has an MFA in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MFA in time-based media from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas focused on painting, printmaking, and sculpture.