Ravi Sawhney author, columnist, lecturer, and entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of RKS Design, Ravi Sawhney has spent more than thirty years at the forefront of product and technology innovation. During that time, he has grown his industrial design consultancy into a global leader in the fields of strategy, innovation, and design. While leading RKS, Sawhney has helped generate more than 150 patents and over 95 design awards on behalf of his diverse list of international clients. He also led RKS to recent recognition as a 2011 Product Design Finalist of the National Design Awards for the firm's portfolio of work in areas such as healthcare, consumer packaged goods, appliances, housewares, sustainability solutions, entertainment/audio, consumer electronics, and lifestyle accessories.
Sawhney invented the Psycho-Aesthetics® design methodology, which Harvard Business Press has explored as a business school case study. Psycho-Aesthetics® is also the central focus of Predictable Magic, a book co-authored by Sawhney and published by Wharton School Publishing in August 2010. The goal of Predictable Magic is facilitating collaborative intelligence and leadership to guide success. Sawhney was inducted into the Academy of Fellows by the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) in 2009 and holds a PhD (Hon) from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He is also the innovator/Jury Chair Emeritus of IDSA's Catalyst case study program, which champions design's power to effect positive change in business, in lives, and throughout the world.
Sawhney has led RKS' effort to successfully innovate for clients, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, across a broad range of competitive industries. From eco-friendly water bottles to electric guitars to ICU ventilators, Sawhney's breadth of design successes are truly inspiring. They are due in large part to Ravi's philosophy that "it's not how you feel about the product or experience, but rather how the product makes you feel about yourself." It is this kind of consumer- centered thinking that helps Sawhney and RKS create products and experiences that deeply touch people's lives wherever they live, work, and play.
http://rksdesign.com/

About TEDx: x=independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self- organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. For information: www.ted.com/tedx

TEDxConejo

Under the theme "Together," the 3rd Edition of TEDxConejo explores the always fascinating, often inspiring, occasionally surprising and sometimes vexing interconnectedness of our world.
Now in its 3rd year and produced in association with the Conejo Valley Unified School District, TEDxConejo is developing into an exciting community of thinkers, and doers, interested and interesting people of all ages and backgrounds. Each year hundreds gather for a day of stimulating short talks and engaging discussion. The program is as diverse as the interests of the audience. More information at tedxconejo.com