Nitya Kumar

Using standup comedy frameworks to design your next product’s vision.

What do stand-up comedians and product designers have in common? We design experiences, they write jokes that make you create abs with laughter. However, in our hearts, we both care about building an emotional connection with our users. This talk will detail theories, practical examples, and best practices used by comedians to help you challenge the status quo and craft your next product vision. We’ll draw on case studies about everything from your favorite Netflix comedy special to jokes that connect people from all parts of the world. Additionally, I will go over how I applied these tools in creating vision-brainstorming team workshops and use examples from my published articles on the intersection of comedy and design to help story-tell your products’ mission. If you’re ready to gain a different perspective on how comedy frameworks such as David Chapelle’s anamnesis technique, Hasan Minhaj’s punchlines or Schitt's Creek's use of euphemism can translate into Morning Brew’s content strategy, Tinder’s automated messaging prompts, and help you design beyond users’ and business needs – this is the talk for you.