“If you want to change the world, go to the gemba,” says Deborah Adler (MFAD 03). Gemba is Japanese and translates as “The Real Place,” where the work is done. For a Tokyo reporter, it might be the scene of a crime. For a company like Toyota, it’s the manufacturing floor where the cars are actually built. For a surgeon, it’s the operating room. There are gembas everywhere, the trick is to be there to see what happens. It’s in the gemba we discover what is missing and what needs changing.

This week’s studio visit to Deborah Adler’s studio will focus on the design of discovery and discovery through design.