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Book Overview

We are in an age of ambiguity. While it’s not easy to confront the unknown, it is now an inevitable part of work and life. In this insightful book, Andrea and Kelly, both educators and designers, make the case that ambiguity can be embraced rather than overcome or avoided. Using humor and luscious, cut-paper illustrations, this book presents clear guidelines to discover opportunities and creativity within uncertainty by being adaptable, curious, and unbiased. Imagination is the only prerequisite.


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Authors and contributors

Andrea Small

Author

Andrea Small is design leader, strategist, and educator. As a former d.school teaching fellow, she and her cohort created award-winning education experiences. Currently she teaches at the d.school and leads storytelling and design strategy for Samsung Research America's R&D Innovation team. Andrea has worked with some of the world's most iconic brands, including Nike, Nivea, Facebook, iRobot, Starbucks, and Herman Miller.

Kelly Schmutte

Author

Kelly Schmutte is a designer, educator, and entrepreneur. At the d.school she designs learning experiences with lasting impact, reimagining the future of higher education (Stanford 2025), creating life tools for high schoolers, and building out the Navigating Ambiguity curriculum. Kelly teaches core d.school classes alongside d.school founder David Kelley. She and her ballet shoe start-up, PerfectFit Pointe, were featured in The New York Times.

Reina Takahashi

Illustrator

Reina Takahashi is an artist who loves making things out of paper. She creates art for publications, props for photo shoots, and stop-motion animations for digital platforms. She is based in beautiful Oakland, California and is a native to the Midwest.