By Elliott Hedman

For every day I’ve spent researching, I’ve had to spend 30 days trying to act on what I found. This was the underlying issue of my sold-out talk at SXSW this year, “The Death of Curiosity and Innovation.”

If you are a design researcher, you’ve likely had similar experiences. Most of the individuals who hire me (design researchers themselves), confide that their job is frustrating and ineffective. Over the years, I see my clients predictably quit or be fired as the innovation strategy didn’t work for the larger company. My client’s drive for innovation is underappreciated and viewed as a thorn. Often times, they will ask if I’m hiring; they want to work in a place that enables and appreciates curiosity. I tell them it’s not just their company, it’s a cultural problem.