The Sax Player’s Guide to Product Design: Improv, Iteration, & Innovation

Note: This is a hybrid event -- there are in-person and virtual tickets available. If you sign up for a virtual ticket, we will email a zoom link to you a day prior to the meeting.

Robust product development insights, frameworks used by medtech innovators, tradeoffs weighed in processes, and impact you can see will all be shown. You’ll be able to carry these insights back into your own work tomorrow!

Key Takeaways:

✓ Practical usability and design frameworks from napkin sketch to launch.

✓ Insight into building and scaling a design consultancy.

✓ A jazz-inspired take on creativity and innovation.

Agenda (U.S. Central Time) ...

• 5:30 pm - Virtual Networking - Discuss your current challenges with colleagues.
• 6:00 pm - Introductions, Presentation and Q&A.
• 7:00 pm - Adjourn.

Fred Sklenar is a product development expert with over 37 years of experience (which is a nice way of saying he’s worn-out a few pair of sneakers going around the block a few times). Over his career, Fred has been at the helm of his own design firm previously founded in New York City and across the last many years locally in Saint Paul, MN. Fred is a graduate of Pratt Institute (also in NYC) with an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design, holds an MBA and an MS in Medical Device Innovation from the University of Minnesota.

Fred has led design teams and engaged with clients from major Fortune 500 companies such as Medtronic, Gillette, P&G, Oral-B, Braun, 3M, Duracell, T-Fal, and others, designing and developing medical devices, consumer products, and other commercial products such as food service dispensing systems.

He also has taught as an Adjunct Professor of design at colleges and universities such as Lehigh University, Monmouth University, Pratt Institute, Pace University, The Fashion Institute of New York, The State University of New York – Morrisville, The University of Wisconsin – Stout and most recently at the University of Minnesota. Fred is published on the subject of Project Management both in textbook and magazine publication, and he holds 5 patents on various products including some of his own innovations.

Fred loves all the activities of product development from napkin sketch to user experience and has lectured on the subjects of marketing-at-retail, packaging design, consumer behavior, and creativity & innovation at universities and conferences across the United States.

When he’s not burning the midnight oil at Kablooe, you will find Fred pursuing his love for woodworking and music, (He’s in a band!) and he joins the (unofficial) Kablooe Band of musical beatniks on saxophone, piano, and guitar.