Robert Ouellette, Author at Boxes and Arrows

Author: Robert Ouellette

Forum Bureau’s President, Robert Ouellette, is the former Director of the University of Toronto’s Information Technology Design Centre. He founded Virtual Metropolis Inc. in the mid-nineties, and has held senior positions or consulted with, among others, thinkthinkthink, Immersion Studios, Levi Strauss, Boeing, and Siemens. His theoretical work on the structure and definition of virtual communities has made him a popular conference speaker, jury member, and panelist. His work on the intersection of media technologies and the city earned him a City of Toronto Urban Design Award for the John Street Media Corridor Project. Nominated for a Governor General’s Academic Award, he holds an honours degree in Architecture from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, and is a member of the Asilomar Institute of Information Architects.

Articles by this author:

June 21, 2004 Design Principles / Foundational Thinking

Innovation Extreme Makeover

Posted by Robert Ouellette

Extreme Makeover is an unlikely place to look for useful insights into corporate innovation. Even the fat, awkward, and, let’s face it, hideous bubble-era companies were not going to improve their questionable bottom lines with a nose job, liposuction, and tummy-tuck. In spite of that, the show can offer some useful lessons when trying to understand the dynamics of innovation.