What happens when failure becomes the teacher? In this episode, Vim talks to Bas Flipsen and Stefan Persaud about productive failure – an approach where you struggle first, learn second, and somehow end up understanding more deeply than before. How do you teach students to become comfortable with not knowing? Why is struggling essential to learning? From aerospace’s “first time right” culture to design’s messy iterations, Bas and Stefan challenge how we think about mistakes, learning, and becoming comfortable with not knowing. They share their decade-long journey transforming design education at TU Delft, the surprising power of reflection dice, and why making “shitty art” might be the most important thing you do today. This conversation explores trust, team dynamics, and the radical idea that all professionals were amateurs once – and they all failed along the way.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Connect: The Secret Formula for Coaching Design Teams – available at repository.tudelft.nl
- The Reflection Dice – 3D printable file available on Thingiverse
- Manu Kapur’s Productive Failure methodology and TED Talk
- Amy Edmondson’s research on types of failure
- Donald Schön on reflective practice
- Gordijn’s 34 methods of reflection
- Erin Meyer’s Culture Map for team dynamics
