Good morning!

Lately I’ve become curious about how human-centered design and structured process improvement can work together, how design can bring together human insight and analytical thinking to improve both user experience and operational outcomes. With summer approaching, learning something new can feel like a stretch, but a little inspiration can go a long way. These three pieces sparked something in me, and maybe they’ll do the same for you. Whether you read now or later, they offer a glimpse into how design and Lean Six Sigma can meet in meaningful ways.

Meet our curator of the month

Aino is a Principal Service Designer with a passion for designing clarity into complexity. She’s curious about human behavior and feels most at home where people, business and tech meet. She recently completed a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and is currently exploring how service design and an even more structured, measurable approach to improvement can work together. Her work moves easily between hands-on research, co-creation and big-picture thinking. Outside of work, she’s navigating the beautiful chaos of busy family life, one calendar reminder at a time.

Aino's picks

From chaos to clarity – Designing products with precision

By Katherine McAdoo

Katherine shares her experience of integrating Lean Six Sigma's DMAIC approach into her design workflow. This piece beautifully illustrates how structured thinking can enhance design decisions without limiting creativity, perfect inspiration for anyone navigating design in complex environments

Lean Six Sigma. Systemic design thinking. Blue ocean strategy: Do they add value to business excellence?

By Zoee Zhang

This short but thoughtful article explores how Lean Six Sigma and design thinking can reinforce each other, especially when applied systemically. With references to Apple, Netflix, and Motorola, it’s a great starting point for thinking about hybrid approaches in strategic design work.

Why soft skills aren’t a “nice to have” anymore

Akua Mensah on Behind the Growth podcast

I came across this episode while looking for insights at the intersection of service design and Lean Six Sigma, and was glad to hear a strong voice for soft skills, core to design work, especially now when AI often puts technical expertise in the spotlight.

Hot tip: Put your headphones on and take this one for a walk, perfect for a sunny summer day!

Know more about your curator

Tell us about a project you’ve worked on that you found particularly interesting or challenging.

One project that stands out is a situational awareness system for VR, the Finnish state-owned railway company. The system was designed and built in close collaboration with the users, commuter traffic operators who were used to very bad UX. Starting from the strategic level with product vision and roadmap for the future to come, all the way to MVP launch and new feature user tests, it was a deeply complex environment involving lots of data and legacy tools. It was challenging and rewarding to get to support fast, confident decision-making in a high-stakes operational context. You can read more about the project from this case study.

Any tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance?

I’m honestly not great at this, but I do have one seasonal tip: get your hands in the soil. Gardening helps me unplug completely. You forget about work, slow down, and actually get to see something grow because of what you did with your hands. Highly recommend it.

What hobbies or interests are you passionate about?

As someone juggling work, family and everything in between, I don’t always manage regular hobbies. But when summer arrives, I find joy in simple things: swimming, cycling, and reading. I especially love diving into books that have nothing to do with work, mostly thrillers and detective novels.

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