Episode 20: Purpose and Ongoing Self-Education
Dillah Zakbah is Creative Technology and Innovation Director at BBH USA. She shares her pillars for success, the role of design thinking and how she keeps up-to-date with technology.
Design Thinking
As a student of Communication Design at Lasalle in Singapore, a Master of Technology and Computer Science at Stanford, and Communication Design at RMIT, Dillah believes design thinking is the bridge that links these disciplines. But more than that, she has defined her own set of KPIs.
“When it comes to evaluating an idea what I have learnt throughout these three different schools is you ask yourself beyond whether this looks good or not. Is it purposeful? Is it meaningful? Or is it entertaining?”
“From the three different schools, I learnt how to unlock my right and left brain that I think helps a lot in what I do.”
Nike Hyper Court
One of the projects Dillah is most proud of, because it ticked the three pillars of purpose, meaning and entertainment.
“We discovered basketball training wasn't democratic, it was just reserved for the boys in an elite school or the rich, but never for the girls.”
Creative Habits
Dillah shares her disciplined habit of learning one new thing everyday.
“It's a rule that I learn at least one new thing a day. And in the face of technology, it's a must for me now.”
“Like today, I learnt about how we can use recycled plastic to create prosthetic limbs and arms, and I am thinking why aren't people doing more of this? I'm already thinking about which clients of mine can do this.”
“A big part of my job is educating myself.”
Dillah also shares how she records and tags all her learnings to dig into when the time and opportunity arises.
Technology Trends
Dillah shares the trends she is most excited about. Including AI, mixed reality and the Metaverse.
“People don't trust AI and but how we live, work and play now are all using AI.”
“It's about keeping your eyes peeled. That's the thing that AI doesn't have, like, the sense of wonder, and to just look around and find opportunities in everything.”
Book Recommendations
More from Dillah Zakbah
