People Nerds inspirations for 2017
We asked the People Nerd community for recommendations to jumpstart our New Year's reading list
In 2016, dscout celebrated the first year of People Nerds—humans obsessed with observing and understanding what makes other humans tick—from UX researchers at Fitbit, Google, Netflix and Change.org, to a customer experience pioneer and a global design expert.
Storytelling is such a big part of the life of people nerds—both finding and sharing the stories of others. We wondered then, what stories and storytellers do they recommend we add to our reading lists this year?
Top five additions to your 2017 reading list
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari
“You will never think about humans the same again.”
— Christopher Ireland, author, Rise of the DEO
Friendship: Development, Ecology, and Evolution of a Relationship
by Daniel J. Hruschka
“All about the anthropology of friendship -- why we make friends, why we value friends, and what friendship looks like across different cultures. I loved it!”
— Francesca de la Fuente, research analyst, dscout
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny
“I re-read it this year and I'm glad I did. So many details I had forgotten.”
— Aruna Balakrishnan, UX Research director, Dropbox
Radical Embodied Cognitive Science
by Anthony Chemero
“It's not from 2016, but it's great. Definitely nerdy, and summarizes the effort to properly ground cognitive science in real, embodied human experience (and phenomenology).”
— Arden Carmody, strategist, ChaseDesign
The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough
“Great story about groundbreaking innovation, the importance of a strong, versatile team and new information about the value Katharine Wright brought to the endeavor."
— Jonathan Fairman, VP of Product, dscout
People Nerd recommended online destinations for 2017
Daily Overview | @dailyoverview
Showing 🌎 from above to inspire the Overview Effect and change the way we see our planet.
— Recommended by Jack Wheeler, product manager, dscout
Great Big Story | @greatbigstory
A video network dedicated to the untold, the overlooked and flat-out amazing. Humans are capable of incredible things. and we’re here to tell their stories.
— Recommended by Jonathan Fairman, VP of product, dscout
The Ad Contrarian | @AdContrarian
Getting beyond the fleeting trends, false goals, and dreadful jargon of contemporary advertising.
— Recommended by Myles Proudfoot, managing director, behavior & insights, ChaseDesign
New York Times Interactive Storytelling | @nytimes
The year in visual stories and graphics.
— Recommended by Aruna Balakrishnan, UX research director, Dropbox
Designer, researcher, and writer about people and technology. Futurist and author of three books, including The Field Study Handbook.
— Recommended by Prabhas Pokharel, design program graduate student, Stanford University
What are you reading? Who are you following? Share your suggestions in the comments!
Kari Dean McCarthy is a seasoned brand communications strategist, award-winning filmmaker, and gnocchi expert.
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