Dave Evans: Designing the Life You Really Want [Entire Talk]

TL;DR

Dave Evans says to design the life you really want by treating life as a wicked problem and building your way forward with design thinking. Stanford's Life Design Lab reframes the goal from deciding what you will be when you grow up to choosing what you want to be next as you continue growing. Read on to understand the beliefs that obstruct progress and why action can precede clarity and passion.

Transcript

(audience applauds) - So, we're here to talk about this designing, how design thinking might apply to your life. That's not starting a company, but managing your life if you're gonna start a company is a pretty challenging thing. So, what this thing is all about, first of all, Bill Burnett, my partner who is not here, he's actually doing something ... Read More

Key Insights

• Replace permanence with next steps: Asking what you want to be when you grow up implies that growth eventually ends and that one permanent identity must be selected. Evans reframes the question around what you want to be next as you continue growing. This makes direction a sequence of choices rather than a single final declaration about an entire life.
• Life design has a defined mission: The Life Design Lab is not presented merely as broad self-help. Its stated mission is to apply the innovation principles of design thinking to the wicked problem of designing life at or after university. The emphasis connects an established way of building forward with the personal challenge of deciding what comes next.
• Different courses serve different stages: Designing Your Stanford helps freshmen and sophomores approach college in a designerly way, while Designing Your Life serves many juniors and seniors. Designing the Professional extends the approach to graduate, master's, PhD, business, law, and medical students. The course names change, but the central life-design problem continues across educational stages.
• Large participation signals broad uncertainty: Evans estimates that the lab teaches approximately 15 to 20 percent of all Stanford students. He describes these students as sharp people who might be expected to know what they are doing. Their participation supports his point that uncertainty about the future is widespread even among capable students in a highly demanding university environment.
• Happiness can coexist with uncertainty: Students can sincerely describe their current Stanford lives as good, great, awesome, or amazing while still lacking an answer about life after college. The contrast separates present wellbeing from future clarity. Feeling positive about current circumstances does not necessarily reveal which profession, school, or next experience a person should pursue.
• Career fairs do not guarantee clarity: The hesitant student interviews were filmed at a career fair, a setting where participants were prepared to pitch themselves to potential opportunities. Even there, students mentioned altered medical-school plans, possible law school, or having no idea what to do. Professional presentation and genuine certainty are therefore shown as separate conditions.
• Dysfunctional beliefs block movement: Evans defines dysfunctional beliefs as ideas that are untrue or un-generative and that get in the way. This definition focuses on whether a belief helps someone move forward, not merely whether it sounds conventional. The examples concerning majors, passion, and being late show how familiar assumptions can narrow choices before exploration begins.
• Majors weakly predict later work: The talk states that within 10 years of graduation, 80 percent of people with a college baccalaureate work outside their field of major study. Evans uses that figure to reject the assumption that studying creative writing dictates unemployment or one narrow occupation. Academic study and eventual employment can follow substantially different paths.
• One passion is unreliable guidance: According to the research Evans cites, eight out of 10 people answer the question about their passion by saying they do not know or by asking which passion they should name. Both no passion and multiple passions make a singular-passion test ineffective as universal guidance. The problem is the presupposition, not passion itself.
• Passion can follow engagement: Evans describes passion as an outcome rather than a dependable input for most people. Beginning with passion may work when someone already knows it, can perform it competently, and encounters commercial interest from the world. He characterizes that combination as fortunate, which is why it cannot serve as the required starting condition for everyone.
• Being late assumes a schedule: The existing example of Tim, a 33-year-old sales professional, illustrates the belief that someone can be three years behind in life. After discussing the issue with Evans for a year, Tim concluded that he was simply here. The reframing removes the imagined universal timetable and returns attention to the situation that actually exists.
• Wicked problems resist fixed formulas: Evans distinguishes life from tame problems whose criteria remain stable and whose behavior is dependable. Life has moving criteria, and success may only become recognizable when someone encounters it. A solution completed by one person cannot simply be reused by another, so design thinking emphasizes building a way forward rather than calculating one universally correct answer.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can design thinking help you decide what to do with your life?

Design thinking helps by treating life as something you build through, not as a question with one correct answer available in advance. Evans calls life a wicked problem because its criteria move, success may only become recognizable when encountered, and another person's completed solution cannot simply be reused. The method therefore shifts attention from finding a permanent identity to deciding what you want to be next. This works because continuing growth requires new choices rather than one final declaration.

Q: What is life design according to Dave Evans?

Life design applies the innovation principles of design thinking to the wicked problem of designing life at or after university. At Stanford's Life Design Lab, this mission is expressed through courses that help students determine what they want to do next. Evans rejects the question of what someone will be when grown up because it suggests both a fixed identity and an end to growth. His alternative is to choose a next direction while continuing to develop.

Q: Why did Dave Evans and Bill Burnett create the Life Design Lab?

Evans says he and Bill Burnett began discussing the idea over lunch in the summer of 2007. Their conversation developed into the Life Design Lab and its mission of applying design thinking to life at or after university. The lab addresses a visible need because smart students can enjoy their present lives while remaining unsure about what follows graduation. Its courses turn that uncertainty into a question about the next step rather than demanding a permanent answer.

Q: Why does intelligence not guarantee clarity about the future?

Evans shows that being smart and feeling happy do not automatically answer what a person should do next. Stanford students described campus life positively, but many hesitated or admitted they did not know their post-college plans. These interviews occurred at a career fair, where students were already prepared to present themselves to the world. The contrast demonstrates why achievement, confidence in the present, and clarity about the future must be treated as different things.

Q: Does your college major determine your future career?

Evans argues that a major does not reliably determine later employment. He states that within 10 years of graduation, 80 percent of people with a college baccalaureate are working outside their field of major study. He uses creative writing to expose the dysfunctional belief that a field of study dictates either one job or unemployment. The weak correlation matters because treating a major as destiny can obstruct exploration of other work.

Q: Why is finding one passion poor career guidance?

Finding one passion is poor universal guidance because many people identify either no passion or several. Evans says eight out of 10 people respond by saying they do not know or by asking which passion they should discuss. He is not opposed to passion itself, but to assuming a singular passion must organize life before action begins. Removing that requirement lets people build forward without waiting for an answer they may not currently possess.

Q: Is passion a starting point or a result of action?

Evans presents passion as an outcome rather than a dependable starting input for most people. Starting with passion can work when a person already knows it, performs it competently, and finds commercial interest in it from the world. He describes that combination as lucky rather than universally available. This is why the life-design approach does not require everyone to discover one passion before taking the next step.

Q: What is the difference between tame and wicked problems?

Tame problems can be difficult, but their criteria remain stable and they behave tomorrow as they did yesterday. Evans uses the Brooklyn Bridge to illustrate something whose requirements do not suddenly change. Wicked problems, particularly human problems such as life, have moving criteria, and success may become clear only after it is encountered. Because one person's solution is not reusable in the same way, life requires building a way forward instead of applying a fixed formula.

Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses how design thinking can be applied to designing your life. He explains that the Life Design Lab aims to use the principles of design thinking to tackle the challenge of designing one's life after university. The speaker addresses common dysfunctional beliefs and misconceptions about finding one's passion, being the best version of oneself, and knowing what you want to do in life. He introduces the concept of ideating multiple futures and using prototypes to test and learn from different possibilities. The speaker emphasizes the importance of curiosity, collaboration, reframing, bias towards action, and being mindful of the design process when designing your life.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the mission of the Life Design Lab?

The mission of the Life Design Lab is to apply the innovation principles of design thinking to help individuals design their lives after university.

Q: What is a dysfunctional belief about finding one's passion?

A dysfunctional belief about finding one's passion is the idea that there must be a singular, predetermined passion that determines one's life path. The speaker argues that passion is the outcome, not the starting point, and that it is not a universal organizing principle for all individuals.

Q: What are the five mindsets emphasized in life design?

The five mindsets emphasized in life design are curiosity, radical collaboration, reframing, bias toward action, and being mindful of the design process. These mindsets are helpful for approaching life design with an open mind, exploring different possibilities, and taking action.

Q: What is the purpose of ideating multiple futures?

Ideating multiple futures allows individuals to explore different versions of themselves and their lives. By doing so, they can generate more ideas, perspectives, and possibilities for their future paths.

Q: How can prototypes be used in life design?

Prototypes in life design can take the form of conversations or experiences. For example, conducting life design interviews with people in desired fields or trying out different activities or roles. Prototypes help individuals learn, gather feedback, and gain insights about potential futures before fully committing to them.

Q: What is the speaker's view on being the best version of oneself?

The speaker challenges the idea of being the best version of oneself by highlighting that there is not just one best self. He argues that individuals contain multiple versions of themselves and that pursuing a singular best self can limit one's perspective and happiness.

Q: What is the significance of the concept of accepting where you are?

Accepting where you are is an important mindset in the design thinking process because it allows individuals to start their life design journey from a place of self-acceptance and understanding. It encourages individuals to embrace their current circumstances and challenges and build a future from that starting point.

Q: How can design thinking be applied to the challenge of designing one's life?

Design thinking can be applied to designing one's life by approaching it with curiosity, reframing challenges, prototyping different futures, collaborating with others, and taking action. By using design thinking principles and mindsets, individuals can better navigate the complexities and uncertainties of life design.

Q: What is the difference between design prototypes and engineering prototypes?

Design prototypes are early-stage prototypes used to learn and gather feedback, while engineering prototypes are often late-stage prototypes used to prove the effectiveness of a concept. Design prototypes focus on cheap, fast experimentation and learning, whereas engineering prototypes focus on validating and refining a concept before market release.

Q: How does the speaker address the fear of missing out (FOMO) in life design?

The speaker addresses the fear of missing out by highlighting that individuals have multiple lives within them and that it is impossible to experience everything. By recognizing that there are always more possibilities and choices than one can pursue, individuals can focus on the futures that align with their values and priorities.

Takeaways

Design thinking can be an effective approach to designing one's life. By embracing mindsets such as curiosity, collaboration, reframing, bias toward action, and being mindful of the design process, individuals can navigate the complexities and uncertainties of life design. Ideating multiple futures and using prototypes, such as conversations and experiences, can help individuals explore different possibilities, gather feedback, and make informed decisions about their life paths. It is important to challenge dysfunctional beliefs, such as the notion of finding one's singular passion or being the best version of oneself, and to accept where one is currently in order to effectively design one's life.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Creating the Life Design Lab: Dave Evans and his partner Bill Burnett began discussing the idea over lunch in the summer of 2007. Their work became Stanford's Life Design Lab, whose mission is to apply the innovation principles of design thinking to the wicked problem of designing life at or after university. Rather than promise one final answer about adulthood, they teach students how to determine what they want to be next while continuing to grow.

• Teaching students across Stanford: The lab offers Designing Your Life for juniors and seniors, Designing Your Stanford for freshmen and sophomores, and Designing the Professional for graduate, master's, PhD, business, law, and medical students. Evans says these courses reach approximately 15 to 20 percent of Stanford students. That demand matters because even sharp and generally happy students can remain uncertain about their direction, showing that intelligence and present satisfaction do not automatically create clarity.

• Exposing uncertainty after college: Students describe life at Stanford as good, great, awesome, amazing, and generally happy. When asked what they will do after leaving, however, their answers shift to hesitation, changed plans, and admissions that they have no idea. The interviews were recorded at a career fair, where students had arrived ready to present themselves to the world. Evans says these responses were normal and easy to obtain, rather than rare examples selected to make students look confused.

• Challenging beliefs about majors: Evans calls obstructive ideas dysfunctional beliefs, meaning beliefs that are untrue or un-generative. One example is the assumption that a major must determine employment, illustrated by the question of what a creative writing student can possibly do. He states that within 10 years of graduation, 80 percent of people with a college baccalaureate work outside their field of major study. The connection between what people study and what they later do is therefore extremely low.

• Reconsidering passion and life problems: Another dysfunctional belief is that everyone must identify one passion before moving forward. Evans says research finds eight out of 10 people answer the passion question with either no answer or multiple possibilities. He is not against passion, but against presuming a singular passion must organize life in advance. Instead, design thinking builds a way forward through life's changing criteria, unlike approaches that expect a stable problem, a reusable solution, or one predetermined destination.