Day 53 of Embracing the Wonders of Life!

Recently, I had the unforgettable experience of visiting the Formula Experience in Amsterdam—a birthday gift from my son. Among the many awe-inspiring exhibits, one stood out starkly: the remains of Romain Grosjean’s Formula 1 car, split in two and scorched from the fireball crash he miraculously survived. Seeing it up close was sobering—and deeply inspiring.

What struck me most wasn’t just the violence of the crash, but the fact that Grosjean walked away with only minor burns. That survival wasn’t luck—it was design. Every inch of that car had been engineered with the driver in mind. From the halo device to the fire-resistant suit, Formula 1 has become a masterclass in user-centered design.

A few years ago, Design Thinking was the buzzword in business circles. But it was often confined to product development or digital front ends. What if we expanded that mindset to every corner of our organizations? What if we applied Design Thinking not just to what we build, but to how we operate—our processes, policies, meetings, even our internal tools?

Formula 1 shows us that when you relentlessly prioritize the user—in this case, the driver—you don’t just protect lives; you unlock performance. The same principle applies in business. Technology should not just serve the system; it should serve the people in it.

My recommendation? Bring Design Thinking back—but this time, embed it everywhere. Start every design conversation with one question: “What does this mean for the user?” Make it a habit, a mindset, a non-negotiable. Because when we design for people first, everything else—efficiency, loyalty, innovation—tends to follow.