Designing technology for the real world

In this episode, Maarten Cordenier (Managing Director, delaware Netherlands) and Frank van de Ven (CEO of i-team Global) explore how organizations approach technology in a world where innovation is moving faster than ever.

Not from a purely technical perspective, but from a practical one: how technology actually works in real environments, with real users. They argue that the true value of technology is not defined by complexity, but by usability. A solution can be technically perfect, but if it doesn’t work in practice, it fails to create impact.

The conversation also highlights a growing responsibility. From AI to automation, technology is becoming more powerful, but also more energy-intensive and harder to control. This raises important questions about how consciously we design and use it. At the same time, they point out a fundamental gap. While technology continues to evolve, the people working with it don’t always evolve at the same pace. Assumptions about usability often don’t match reality.