Asking Stupid Questions as a Service

 

There’s change you need to happen, but you really need someone to ask stupid questions.

Like: “Why are we doing this, and what for?”

The thing is, no questions are stupid. They’re just embarrassing, or asking them feels rude.

We don’t get embarrassed.

We love asking stupid questions.

Pulling the Cord

Find out more about the best plain-speaking guide to stopping traditional technology procurement, before it leaves the station. All in one hour.

What size problem do you have?

Small

One hour, one price: $500.

Great for goosebump insights, joining new dots together, and getting unstuck. Read what people say.

Medium

90 minutes of dedicated time to figure out what your problem really is, a recorded session with on-the-fly notes afterwards, and pointers on what to do next.

Large

It’s big: a couple months or more, lots of people are involved, and the contract is going to have a long scope or statement of work.

… or let’s get to know each other

Dan was quick to grok our biz & challenges, clear-eyed about what matters, and yes-anded to a few new product ideas I'm still pumped about. Go sign up!

Glenn Poppe, on our 1:1 consulting sessions

Consultancy for when you don’t want a consultant.

Strategy for when you don’t want a strategist.

 

You know what you need, and you don’t want a strategist.

You want a product director or product manager.

Or a design director.

Or a program manager.

You don't want "strategy".

Nope. You need a strategist.

Because we solve the problems you have, and get you the answers you need.

We're your backup for leading and your backup for doing.

We make the complex clear, easy to read and make sure it has the hook to persuade.

We ask the stupid questions when nobody else can or will.

We turn bad ideas great and make terrible directions inspiring.

We make what's important actually important, and what everyone wants to do, actually get done.

We extricate from ruts, we bring down walls.

If you're in an IT prison, we run a jailbreak and get you a seat at the table.

People work with us because we’re interesting.

SXSW Best of Show and Webby-winning interesting.

Business-speaking, engineer-trust-building, ex-lawyer interesting.

Nike, Facebook and Sony Cannes Lions award-winning at the world’s best creative agency interesting.

And recognized by the British Academy for Film and Television Arts interesting.

Make important what's important

 

You and your team know what's important, but it's not being prioritized or done. Maybe you can't spot it. Maybe nobody's in the right place to coordinate the work. Maybe there’s too many silos and the walls are too high, the Slack channels too impenetrable. How do you get unblocked? Sometimes you just need someone to say what's happening out loud. And write it down. And present it. That's what we do.

 

Get unstuck and out of that rut

 

There's a problem or opportunity, but every single time, you, your team, or your organization keeps going down the same path. The same numbers, but higher and to the right aren't enough, and you know you're missing something. There's got to be a better, different way to solve the problem. Or maybe you can't see the real problem, or a better one? Figuring that out is nobody's job. Everyone is heads-down in their own area. Nobody has the time to find out, synthesize and then explain. That's what we do.

 

Make friends, break silos, build bridges

 

You're too siloed and specialized. You know it, and other people do, too. But you can't break down those walls and get back to smaller, multi-disciplinary teams. You need to find the place to start, something tangible to do, something that will start making those walls more permeable. And before you even get started, you need to persuade people, too. That's us.

 

Turn bad ideas and directions into great ones

 

Someone, somewhere is putting pressure on to do something that's a Really Bad Idea. Maybe you've already told them. Maybe you're not able to do that, for whatever reason. Maybe you're being forced to expend time investigating blockchain for something, or using an Ill-Advised Vendor Product. You need someone to help turn that energy into doing the right thing. That's us.

The Fixer is In

One hour of 1:1 time. One fixed price: $500. You talk, we listen, we have fun, and you’re ready to go. Read what people say.

Dots connected, minds blown

We’re experts at going wide to grab the metaphors and analogies that make sense of the complex, and make the complicated clear.

Goosebumps, not “insights”

No strategic insights to unlock innovation or enable disruption here. You’ll get new understanding and awareness, but with goosebumps.

The smartest rubber duck

You know how rubber ducks work and why they’re valuable. We’re the smartest rubber duck that also talks back. Plus you’ll feel less weird.

“My reaction to the term “thought partner” is usually to throw up in my mouth a bit, but Dan is legit amazing at it.”

Join us for Hallway Track

Small groups. Impromptu conversations. Interesting people.

A free, ad-hoc series of gatherings on Zoom, held just after an interesting discussion. Not too big that you don’t get a chance to talk.

001 The Cosy Internet

On the early 2010s’ cozy web, Little Printer, intimacy, collaboration, humanity, and sincerity. On With Katie Dreke, Tom Taylor, and Matt Webb.

003 You Deserve a Union

On organizing and unionizing in technology, videogames, and more. With Jacky Alciné, Ethan Marcotte, Clarissa Redwine, and Johanna Weststar.

004 Work, the internet, and technology in fiction

On how work and the internet have been treated as a subject in recent fiction. With Joanne McNeil and Tim Maughan.

“My reaction to the term “thought partner” is usually to throw up in my mouth a bit, but Dan is legit amazing at it.”

If you could do it, you’d be doing it already.

 

That’s not a dig.

You’re smart. You know what you’ve got to do.

But: you’ve got a lot going on.

Untangling relationships and understanding takes time.

Getting clarity is hard work.

That’s what we do with you.

And then, we make the connections nobody else can. Let’s talk.

“Dan is one of the most switched-on people you could hope to meet. He knows more than is natural about everything. He's also able to balance being wildly creative with being super strategic. Sometimes it feels like he's managed to digest the entire internet - and made sense of it all.”

Iain Tait

Former Executive Creative Director, Google Creative Lab

The State of California's Strategic Technology Plan

 

Vision 2023

In January 2021, we delivered Vision 2023, California's Statewide Strategic Technology Plan with our client, Department of Technology.

Over the 6 months of preparing Vision 2023, our work included:

  • Designing and holding over 60 user research interviews and meetings with leaders and staff across government, technology companies and vendors, the civic technology community, and the legislative and judicial branches

  • Designing, running and synthesizing insights from research surveys, including Department of Technology supervisors and managers, Chief Information Officers, and an unprecedented, ~8,000 respondent staff survey across 19 departments

  • Designing, organizing and facilitating collaboration sessions with technology vendors, and outreach to technology companies new to working with the state

  • Reviewing existing material, including strike team reports, legislative

We're proud to publish with the Department of Technology our report of what we learned from our user research, including quotes, survey results and the themes that emerged.

You can also read Vision 2023 as a PDF.

Coverage of Vision 2023:

Digital Services with the State of California

 

California Child Welfare Digital Service

In 2015, our principal's work with Code for America led to California's Health and Human Services AgencyDepartment for Social ServicesOffice of Systems IntegrationGovernment Operations Agency and Department of Technology working together to found the Child Welfare Digital Service.

Government Operations Agency and Department of Technology

Our work has helped California make sure government services meets user needs. Our work included:

  • Advising GovOps and Department of Technology leadership on technology policy and delivery

  • Delivering a digital services strategy and putting it into practice

  • Bringing new talent and skills to government

  • Identifying digital service demonstration opportunities

Health and Human Services Agency and Office of Systems Integration

Our work with CHHSA and OSI has included:

  • Delivering a digital services strategy and putting it into practice

  • Helping OSI increase their capability and support for agile, iterative, multi-disciplinary delivery of technology that meets user needs

  • Advising on modernizing and replacing programs like Medicaid MMIS and MEDS, the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System

 

Very Little Gravitas is

Dan Hon, Principal

Dan Hon is the former Editorial Director for Code for America, where he led the program to modernize California's procurement of a new child welfare technology system. Dan was most recently featured in the MIT Technology Review article Why is it so hard to build government technology?

Over the last 15 years, Dan's work has focussed on how the internet has changed publishing, entertainment, advertising and health.

We've recently worked with

  • Nora Ryan

  • Cyd Harrell

  • Ryan Ko (Chief of Staff, Code for America)

  • Lauren Lockwood, Founder and Principal, Bloom Works

  • Jennifer Tharp

  • Emily Wright Moore, Principal, Bloom Works

… and previous members of the interesting times gang have included