20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
Shaan shares insights from my dual experience as an Autodesk customer and product team member. Key lessons include prioritizing must-have features using the Kano Model, ensuring features align with business goals, leveraging data, and understanding customer feedback context. Additionally, fostering a culture of learning and storytelling can drive innovation and customer loyalty.
Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville marked my first attendance as a customer after 32 events. Highlights included a leadership forum on AI, lively receptions, and a memorable closing party featuring Train. Reconnecting with colleagues and friends, especially celebrating CADMama's retirement, made it a week of significant learning and networking.
August 21 has always been a meaningful day for me. In 2003, it was the launch of this blog, Between the Lines. And today, in 2025, it’s also the 4th birthday of my best furry friend, Coho the Silver Labrador.…
AU 2025: Your Thrive Guide By Shaan Hurley
Welcome to my annual Autodesk University Thrive Guide, compiled and written to help you thrive, not just survive the Autodesk Design & Make event of the year. Whether it’s your first AU or your 30th, showing up prepared makes all the difference.
AU 2025 lands in Nashville this September, bringing together thousands of professionals across AEC, D&M, M&E, and beyond. With AI front and center and 500+ sessions on the schedule, there’s a lot to take in, but also a lot of opportunity.
This guide will help you cut through the noise, prioritize what matters, and make the most of your time in Music City.
Sweat, Mud, and a Mission: Volunteering in the Peruvian Amazon
When Stefanie and I were invited to join a Be The Change Volunteers (BTCV) project in the Amazon, we didn’t hesitate. It was a chance to do something meaningful, with amazing people, in a place few ever get to experience firsthand. We didn’t sign up for comfort—we signed up for purpose.
What we didn’t expect was how deeply this experience would stay with us: hard manual work under a jungle sky, dolphins and drones, and a classroom that represents more than just four walls. It represents possibility and hope.
Want to Build Community?
There’s a video from Sasquatch 2009 where one guy starts dancing alone on a hill. He looks funny and an outlier. Then someone joins him. Then a third. Then a wave of people run in to join the dance party.
Suddenly, it’s not weird -it’s a party or a community sparked by one lone dancer.
Happy New Year from Between the Lines and Cascade Technology Consulting! As we usher in 2025, I want to take a moment to thank my amazing clients who helped make 2024 such a fulfilling year. Your trust and collaboration have been instrumental in driving meaningful transformations, and I am excited to continue our partnerships as we move into this new year.
Fall is in full swing here in Central Oregon, and it’s not just the changing leaves that make this time of year special. Alongside the vibrant yellows and reds of autumn leaves as well as larch pine needles, the region’s…
AEC Hackathons have been incredible and inspiring, leading to the formation of actual industry startups with products born from hackathon-generated ideas. I've personally participated in two events, one in Seattle and another in Copenhagen. If you ever have the chance to participate or even just attend, take it—it's enjoyable and you witness innovation at the very moment it ignites change in the industry.
Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks it's been!