Over Coffee® is on spring-break hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2024.

“What else?” asks designer and design educator Dr. Cassini Nazir.

He’s explaining the foundations of curiosity–and the ways it can boost creativity.

Cassini, as he prefers to be called, is a designer, in several different areas: designing curricula, interfaces, and even conversations.

And in creating any and all of the above, he relies on one crucial ingredient: curiosity.

Where can that curiosity take him–and his students–and how can the questions they ask, spark new ideas?

Casting the net of creativity

As an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas, Cassini teaches interaction design and user experience courses. Previously, he has served as Southern Texas University’s Designer in Residence, for their Master of Arts in Design and Innovation.

He was also Founding Director of University of Texas’ new ATEC Usability Lab. As well as Director of Research and Design at Dallas-based ArtSciLab.

And whether he’s designing or teaching others what he’s discovered, he consistently explores the world around him–and encourages his students to follow his example.

In this interview from December 2024, Cassini talked about his background, offered some of the ways creatives can use curiosity as a tool to generate new ideas, and even shared two of his favorite games which he and his students use, to generate new ideas.

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• How Cassini first became interested in curiosity;

• Considerations for design, to keep users engaged–whether you’re designing an experience, a class or otherwise!;

• A technique which Cassini uses in his own life, to stay curious;

• One question to ask yourself and others, to spark curiosity;

• How to look beyond the surface, with information, to find new ideas;

• Two aspects of curiosity that aren’t always readily apparent;

• Ways to invite visitor curiosity, when designing an event or experience;

• How to get around frustration to keep curiosity going;

• Some other methods of cultivating curiosity;

• And, two games that can keep it going!