In Their Words: Decision-Maker Insights on Opportunities for the Built Environment

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Design Nerds Anonymous Podcast 

Season 6, Episode 2 

In this episode, Amanda Schneider and her guests dive into the complexities of decision-making in various sectors of the built environment—corporate, hospitality, and healthcare. The discussion centers around ThinkLab’s "Pain Map," which identifies the key friction points in the decision-making process across these sectors, exploring how product and service providers can step in as problem solvers. Each guest shares their unique insights on how decision-making challenges manifest differently across industries, providing a roadmap for innovative solutions and collaboration. 

After listening, you will be able to:  

• Understand how internal consensus in corporate environments impacts decision-making and creates opportunities for smoother project execution. 

• Recognize the creative friction in hospitality projects and how integrated design processes can reduce pain while improving collaboration. 

• Learn how healthcare organizations handle stakeholder alignment, and why early consensus is critical to ensuring project success. 

• Apply the concept of agile and flexible processes to decision-making, allowing room for iteration and adaptability in complex projects. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Download the full ThinkLab Pain Map  

• Learn more about  ThinkLab’s End User Decision-Making Research 

• Connect with our guest on LinkedIn: 

  • Tope Sadiku 
  • Staci Patton 
  • Andrew Navarro 

Design Nerds Anonymous is a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode of Design Nerds Anonymous was produced and edited by Hannah Viti, with music from Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to the podcast production team: Rachel Senatore, Rob Shulte and Hannah Viti.  

Special thanks to our podcast season sponsors,  Mannington Commercial, theMART, and NeoCon – companies doing big things to move the design industry forward.