Something changes when you get the entire ecosystem in the same room. End users stop speaking in hypotheticals. Designers stop translating. Manufacturers stop pitching. And instead of debating the future of work in the abstract, the conversation turns to what’s actually making projects hard right now. That was the energy in the room when ThinkLab brought together end users, designers, manufacturers, GCs, and dealers for a live, experiential research event — and yes, we intentionally hit record. Lucky you.
That conversation launches Season 9 of the Design Nerds Anonymous podcast. Episode 1 captures the live, corporate-focused event held in Chicago and kicks off a four-part series. Corporate is just the starting point. Over the next four Thursdays, we’ll release additional live-recorded episodes centered on healthcare, hospitality, and education. Each one pulls you into the room as the people who plan, design, build, and use spaces wrestle with real challenges together. And while you can earn CEU credit by listening and completing a short quiz, the real value is access—to a conversation you probably wish you’d been part of.
Here are three highlights from Episode 1 (LIVE from Chicago) that will make you wish you’d been at the table:
Flexibility beat savings by a landslide
In ThinkLab’s opening game of “Would You Rather” nearly 90% of the room said they’d rather pay 20% more for the ability to pause, pivot, and restart than save money and be locked into a rigid process. That’s not a preference—it’s a warning shot for “the way things have always been done” as if projects won’t change midstream. The best product and service providers will learn to build in room for start, stop, reframe, pause and pivots.
Corporate projects aren’t just slower…they’re more layered
ThinkLab research showed the top pain points were all around decision complexity: RTO strategy shifting from incentives to ROI, internal influence becoming the new bottleneck, and cost volatility turning budgets into a battlefield (the kind where contingencies used to be 10%, and now feel like 10% per year).
“Clarity is kind” is not a slogan. It’s a survival tool.
The end users on the event’s live panel, including Rhonda Green with Oracle and Frederick Miller with Spencer Stuart didn’t ask for magic—they asked for partners who make the chaos easier: clear expectations up front (including what “rebooting” costs), empathy before the change-order talk, concise emails that tee up a decision in 30 seconds, and a single point of contact who can coordinate the mess behind the scenes.
Listen to Season 9, Episode 1 to hear it unfold in real voices (and yes, you can earn 0.5 CEU by taking the quiz linked in the podcast show notes). To learn more about our 2026 events (and join us at the table), feel free to reach out to Amanda Schneider on LinkedIn.
About the author: Amanda Schneider founded ThinkLab, the only research entity wholly focused on the built environment. She’s a respected thought leader featured in prestigious publications including Forbes, MIT Sloane Management Review, Interior Design and Metropolis magazines. She’s a sought-after keynote speaker, recently featured on TED.com and the host of the top 1% podcast, “Design Nerds Anonymous.” Her book titled “Work for What’s Next” will release June of 2026.