Building a Continuous Learning Team

ITX Beyond the Pixels 2019 | Fri Nov 8 | Kate Rutter | @katerutter
Chunky Learning 
& Slender Timelines
Building a Continuous
Learning Team

Hello.
Raise your hand…

…if you believe any of these
will impact your company
within the next 5 years:
• IoT • AI • Voice Assistants • Machine Learning •
• Crypto Currency • AR • VR • Drones • Chatbots •
• Biometrics • Gene Therapy • Blockchain •  
• CRISPr • 3D Printing • Robotics •  
• Spacial Computing •

…if you are actively
designing for (or with)
any of these technologies.
• IoT • AI • Voice Assistants • Machine Learning •  
• Crypto Currency • AR • VR • Drones • Chatbots •
• Biometrics • Gene Therapy • Blockchain •  
• CRISPr • 3D Printing • Robotics •  
• Spacial Computing •

…if you believe that
the job you are doing
today will be the
same in 5 years?

…if you have plans to go
back to school full time
for a program related 
to your work.

@katerutter

#trending
digitization
automation
ongoing
reskilling
engagement
Millennials

Digitalization & Automation
The Work Ahead - Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership
in the Twenty-First Century
Council on Foreign Relations, 2018
Skill Shift - Automation and the Future of
the Workforce - Discussion Paper
McKinsey Global Institute, May 2018

v
Digitalization & Automation
The next era of human|machine Partnerships : Emerging
Technologies’ Impact on Society & Work in 2030
Institute for the Future + DELL Technologies Report, 2017

Coming of Age Digitally: Learning, Leadership, and Legacy
MIT Sloan Management Review Deloitte 2018 Global Study - Summary
Fall 2017
Ongoing Reskilling

Ongoing Reskilling
The Global Learner Survey
Pearson, September 2019
3rd Annual 2019 Workplace Learning Report
Why 2019 is the breakout year for the talent developer
LinkedIn Learning, 2018

Engagement
2016 Udemy Workplace Boredom Study
Battling Boredom Blues: How to Engage Today’s Workers
Udemy for Business, 2016
2016 Udemy Workplace Boredom Study
Battling Boredom Blues: How to Engage Today’s Workers
Udemy, 2018

Engagement
Why 2019 is the breakout year for the talent developer

Engagement
v
v v
v
The rise of the social enterprise
2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends

* Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages
23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial.
Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/
2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
Millennials*
Performance-adjacent learning
O'Reilly, 2014

“Individuals report needing to continually
develop their skills but say they get little to
no support from their organization to do so.”
“Many employees are also willing to do it
themselves, given the right support.”
Coming of Age Digitally: Learning, Leadership, and Legacy
MIT Sloan Management Review Deloitte 2018 Global Study
Fall 2017

Product work 
dances to the
tempo of digital
invention.

We have a challenge

We have an
opportunity

A way to learn 
that actually 
works for work.

continuous learning
a framework
tools & tactics

continuous learning
attributes
a learning mindset
chunky learning

continuous learning
✓ Not a “one and done”…ongoing, iterative 
& thrives on feedback
✓ Self-directed, autonomous & personal
✓ Peer-to peer & social
✓ Opportunities to experiment, take risks 
& learn from failure

“ ~ Carol Dweck
When people...change to a
growth mindset, they change
from a judge-and-be-judged
framework to a learn-and-
help-learn framework.
Author of Mindset
a learning mindset

“I’m not good
at this.”
“I’m not good at
this…YET”M O R E
L E S S
“I am an expert.” “I have expertise”
“I’m your mentor”
- - - -
“You’re my
teacher”
“We are learning
partners”
a learning mindset

slabchunkyliquid
on-the-job school
chunky learning

a framework
du-mu-rel-com
learning practice

Tradecraft

• UX Designer at Mercedes-Benz
Research & Development North
America, Inc.
• Product Designer at Lyft
• Player Lab Manager at Riot Games
• UX Design and Product Management at  
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Service Designer at Designit
• Co-Founder & CEO at Together10
• Product Designer, Asana
• Senior Product Designer at Grovo
• UX Designer at HotSchedules
• Product Designer at Teachable
• Experience Designer at Havas
• Senior Product Strategist at Invoke Co.
• Head of Product at Traﬁ
in 2018…
Jan 2014 - April 2015
• 15 months
• 12 cohorts
• 57 designers

“It depends.”

Partner’sRole
via Perry, Belenky, Baxter-Magolda
with some Rutter interpretation
guide
• Quest for evidence
• Gain personal experience
• Respectful debate
Knowledge can & must be
evaluated with evidence
elicit
Knowledge = personal  
perspective on facts
• Opinionated discussion
• Search for “best” answer
• Acceptance of complexity
Multiplicity
BeliefsBehaviors
teach
Knowledge = amassing  
piles of “right” facts
• Avoid ambiguity
• Focus on “right” answer
Duality Relativism Commitment
Learning Stages
Du-Mu-Rel-Com
simplistic sophisticated
Multiplicity Commitment
collaborate
Knowledge is
contextual & ethical
• Ability to reference evidence
• Evaluate new info in a  
nuanced way
• Apply, adapt & create new  
models of thinking

from
chance...
to 
choice

guide collaborate
Knowledge is
nuanced way
models of thinking
BeliefsBehaviors
teach elicit
• Avoid ambiguity
Multiplicity
Partner’sRole
How fast can
we get here?
with some Rutter viz interpretationLearning Stages

guide collaborate
Knowledge is
nuanced way
models of thinking
BeliefsBehaviors
teach elicit
• Avoid ambiguity
Multiplicity
Partner’sRole
with some Rutter viz interpretationLearning Stages
Collect &
Synthesize
Learning partner
teaches
Discuss, 
debate & form
opinions
Learning partner
elicits
6
Make, publish,
present & get
feedback
Learning partner
guides
6
Reﬂect,
evaluate &
invent
Learning partner
collaborates
6

Learning Practice
Collect &
Synthesize
Learning partner
teaches
Discuss, 
debate & form
opinions
Learning partner
elicits
6
Make, publish,
present & get
feedback
Learning partner
guides
6
Reﬂect,
evaluate &
invent
Learning partner
collaborates
6

tools & tactics
learn list
knowledge map
5-minute madness
experiments
present
publish
invent

The very first thing… set an 
intention
Learn List
Written list of learning
topics to pursue in 6
months-year. The more
specific the better.
✓ 2-4 chunky things you want to
learn…over 6 months wish  
(or less)…
✓ …that will benefit you  
and your organization
✓ Share it with your team
✓ It’s so simple…it’s stupid

Collect & Synthesize
Knowledge Map
A hand-drawn map or
concept diagram of your
current knowledge in a
focused area.

Collect & Synthesize
Knowledge Map
A hand-drawn map or
concept diagram of your
current knowledge in a
focused area.
documented
curiosity

Discuss, debate & form opinions
5-minute madness
Someone makes a statement
that they are not sure they
believe and the group
discusses it for 5 minutes.
opinionated
exploration
also 5-minute madness
An open mic time to share
your thoughts, opinions,
concerns and ideas. But you
only have 5 minutes.

Make, publish, present & get feedback
Make something that results in
evidence. It may not work, but
that’s okay! Share or publish
your work.
Experiment
exuberant
creation
https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/the-importance-of-side-projects-cf9f63954031
Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design @ Facebook

Make, publish, present & get feedback exuberant
creation
Make something that results in
evidence. It may not work, but
that’s okay! Share or publish
your work.
Experiment

Lightning talks on an idea,
experiment, insight or
evidence. Routinizes
packaging and sharing ideas.
Present
exuberant
creation

Lightning talks on an idea,
experiment, insight or
evidence. Routinizes
packaging and sharing ideas.
Present
Karen May on how Googlers teach and learn
exuberant
creation

creation
Publish
Articles, posts & talks on
what was learned and the
path to get there.

creation
Publish
Articles, posts & talks on
what was learned and the
path to get there.
Internal blogs 
LinkedIn

Reﬂect, evaluate & invent
Adapted and new models,
methods and thinking that
advance the discipline. Nuanced
approaches to ethics & responsibility.
Invent with integrity

Reﬂect, evaluate & invent
ethical
invention
Adapted and new models,
methods and thinking that
advance the discipline. Nuanced
approaches to ethics & responsibility.
Invent with integrity

continuous learning
a framework
tools & tactics
oh yeah.
Finding time.

slender timelines
ﬁnding time
deliberate practice
5 hour rule

slender timelines
✓ Brown bags FTW
✓ Plan for deliberate practice 
Practice spaced repetition
✓ Build tiny habits

“
It’s not just a matter of
accumulating hours. If you’re
doing your job, and you’re
just doing more and more of
the same, you’re not actually
going to get better.
~ Anders Ericsson
Author of Peak
deliberate practice

5 hours
a week
slender timelines
New Research Shows "Heavy Learners" More Conﬁdent, Successful, and Happy at Work
LinkedIn, November 9, 2018

continuous learning
a framework
tools & tactics
slender timelines

1) Write down 3 things…
2) …that beneﬁt your practice and your
company. The more concrete the better.
3) Share it with someone at the break!
In the next 6 months…
What do you want to learn?

Kate Rutter
@katerutter
http://intelleto.com
Thanks!
Swearing, drinking & UX…give it a listen!
http://bit.ly/whatiswrongwithux

Q&A

Appendix

References from report review
Slide 15 The Work Ahead - Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century
Council on Foreign Relations, 2018
John Engler and Penny Pritzker, Chairs Edward Alden, Project Director, Laura Taylor-Kale, Deputy Project Director
• Page 20, page 46
Skill Shift - Automation and the Future of the Workforce - Discussion Paper
McKinsey Global Institute, May 2018
Jacques Bughin, Eric Hazan, Susan Lund, Peter Dahlström, Anna Wiesinger, Amresh Subramaniam
• Page 47
Slide 16 The next era of human|machine Partnerships : Emerging Technologies’ Impact on Society & Work in 2030
Institute for the Future + DELL Technologies Report, 2017
• Page 16
Slide 17 Coming of Age Digitally: Learning, Leadership, and Legacy
MIT Sloan Management Review Deloitte 2018 Global Study - Summary, Fall 2017
Gerald C. Kane, Doug Palmer, Anh Nguyen Phillips, David Kiron, Natasha Buckley
• Page 10
Slide 18 The Global Learner Survey
Pearson, September 2019
• Page 5
• Page 35

Slide 19 2016 Udemy Workplace Boredom Study
Udemy for Business, 2016
• Page 5
State of the ROI of Learning Report
Udemy, 2018
• Page 8
Slide 20 3rd Annual 2019 Workplace Learning Report
• Page 38
Slide 21 The rise of the social enterprise
2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, 2018
• Page 45
Slide 22 Performance-adjacent learning
O'Reilly, 2014
Karen Hebert-Maccaro
• Page 5
Who is a Millennial?
Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
Slide 23 Coming of Age Digitally: Learning, Leadership, and Legacy
MIT Sloan Management Review Deloitte 2018 Global Study - Summary, Fall 2017
Gerald C. Kane, Doug Palmer, Anh Nguyen Phillips, David Kiron, Natasha Buckley
• Page 5
References from report review

Tradecraft: http://tradecraft.com/
Mindset - The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck : https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322
How Learning Works: https://www.amazon.com/How-Learning-Works-Research-Based-Principles/dp/0470484101
Knowledge Maps: From designers in the California College of the Arts Interaction Design program (named credits as available) 
Recommend from learning research: How Learning Works, pages 59; 63-64
Experiment 
Personal project Venn diagram: Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design @ Facebook 
https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/the-importance-of-side-projects-cf9f63954031
Netflix Studio Hack Day 2019: https://medium.com/netflix-techblog/netflix-studio-hack-day-may-2019-b4a0ecc629eb
INVIQA: How to run an internal hack day that’s valuable & fun, 2019: https://inviqa.com/blog/how-run-internal-hack-day-thats-valuable-and-fun
Mozilla Labs: Design Jam London, 2011: https://blog.mozilla.org/labs/2011/06/design-jam-london-3-all-systems-ready-raring-to-go-5/
How Design can Tackle Real World Problems: SF Public Design Jam Recap: (Link no longer available)
Science Hack Day: https://sciencehackday.org/ 
Science Hack Day SF, 2019: http://sf.sciencehackday.org/2019/11/03/science-hack-day-sf-2019-our-10th-annual-event/
Project: Particular Affection by Jieying Yang, Jamie Catt and Nathalia Kasman: http://sf.sciencehackday.org/hacks-2019/#hack_9
Present
Tradecraft: http://tradecraft.com/; Tradecraft Teach from designers in the 2013-15 cohorts; photo credits: Kate Rutter
Video: Karen May, VP of People Development at Google: How Googlers teach and Learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhD-rojP11M
Here’s A Google Perk Any Company Can Imitate: Employee-To-Employee Learning, Fast Company, March 2013 
https://www.fastcompany.com/3007369/heres-google-perk-any-company-can-imitate-employee-employee-learning
References & credits

Present - cont.
The Texting Tea Pot by Dan Saffer: https://medium.com/@odannyboy/the-texting-tea-pot-5b33d2c9f726 Invent
Invent
Design Ethics with Mike Montiero, San Francisco Design Week, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7_fXgCw71s
Kim Goodwin, Organization as Designed System, Business to Buttons, May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGLfhp7QJuw
The ﬁrst 20 hours by Josh Kauffman, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591846943/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Tiny Habits, by BJ Fogg, https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Habits-Changes-Change-Everything/dp/0358003326/
Peak - Secrets from the New Science of Expertise: https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Secrets-New-Science-Expertise/dp/1531864880
Deliberate Practice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practice_(learning_method)#Deliberate_practice
New Research Shows "Heavy Learners" More Conﬁdent, Successful, and Happy at Work, November 9, 2018 , Josh Bersin 
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-happy-work-spend-time-learning-josh-bersin/
The 5-Hour Rule Used by Bill Gates, Jack Ma and Elon Musk; The most successful people on the planet are also the people most likely to devote an hour a day
to reading and learning. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/317602
5-Hour Rule : Michael Simmons, founder of Empact: http://www.iempact.com/
All sketches by Kate Rutter.
If you are aware of an incorrect or incomplete citation, please contact me: @katerutter (twitter) or http://intelleto.com. 
Accurate attribution is super important.
References & credits

Building a Continuous Learning Team

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