Navigating Ambiguity

Creating Opportunity in a World of Unknowns

By: Andrea Small, Kelly Schmutte, Stanford d.school

Narrated by: Andrea Small, Kelly Schmutte

A thought-provoking guide to help you lean in to the discomfort of the unknown to turn creative opportunities into intentional design, from Stanford University's world-renowned d.school.

“Navigating Ambiguity reminds us not to run from uncertainty but rather see it as a defining moment of opportunity.”—Yves Béhar, Founder and CEO, fuseproject

A design process presents a series of steps, but in real life, it rarely plays out this neatly. Navigating Ambiguity underscores how the creative process isn’t formulaic. This book shows you how to surrender control by being adaptable, curious, and unbiased as well as resourceful, tenacious, and courageous.

Designers and educators Andrea Small and Kelly Schmutte use humor and clear steps to help you embrace uncertainty as you approach a creative project. First, they explain how the brain works and why it defaults to certainty. Then they show you how to let go of the need for control and instead employ a flexible strategy that relies on the balance between acting and adapting, and the give-and-take between opposing approaches to make your way to your goal.

This audiobook offers ways to rethink creative work without hitting the usual roadblocks. The result is a more open and satisfying journey from assignment or idea to finished product.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of images and key exercises from the book

Critic reviews

“Navigating Ambiguity reminds us not to run from uncertainty but rather see it as a defining moment of opportunity.”—Yves Béhar, founder and CEO of fuseproject

Still feels ambiguous

I found my mind wandering a lot during this audiobook. Not because I was starting to solve ambiguous problems, but because I found that there was a lack of tools to help me brainstorm and overcome ambiguity in my own life and work.