Tim Kobe: Building irrational loyalty through design

March 31, 2022

"Transactions are generated when people connect with a brand and believe that the brand matters to them and shares their values - that leads to irrational loyalty." - Eight Inc. Founder and CEO, Tim Kobe explains to EdgeProp Singapore

Drawing On Human Experience w/ Singapore Magazine

March 10, 2022

Eight Inc. Founder and CEO, Tim Kobe chats with Singapore Magazine on solving challenges in Singapore and how intuitive design can improve the human condition.

Emotions key to unlocking brands' potential - Bangkok Post

February 25, 2022

Eight enables businesses to design experiences that can ultimately foster customer engagement

What do consumers in the Metaverse want, and how can retail businesses in the virtual space effectively engage with them? In this interview with Ban

Eight Inc. Founder and CEO Tim Kobe shares his view on the Metaverse and more.

Why Return On Experience Is The New ROI - Curated Conversations

February 24, 2022

Return on Experience (ROX), is the new ROI, but what exactly is ROX and how do we effectively implement it? To better understand the concept Rohma Theunissen caught up with Tim Kobe, Founder & CEO of Eight Inc, Chairman of X8 Ventures, and the man behind Apple’s iconic store experience to talk about his game-changing book, Return on Experience. In an exclusive interview, Tim breaks down the importance of human experience design, its key components, the significance of ROX, how its measured, and just why human outcome needs to be at the heart of every brand’s strategy.

“What Planet Are You From?” — Steve Jobs to Tim Kobe

February 17, 2022

8 Founder and CEO, Tim Kobe chats with Kenny Lauer on everything from Steve Jobs to revolutionizing the way we look at spaces.

“Guys, what if nobody comes?” — Steve Jobs asking Tim Kobe and his team on the night before opening the first Apple store ever.

Will Apple win trust in the Metaverse?

January 7, 2022

Apple has built a company around a series of core values, including the evolution of customer experiences and trust.

Metaverse vs. Customer Experience? Hear Eight Inc. Founder and CEO, Tim Kobe's view on what the store experience does for brands like Apple.

The Industrial Talk Podcast w/ Scott MacKenzie

December 7, 2021

On this week's Industrial Talk Podcast we're talking to Tim Kobe, Designer, Founder and CEO of Eight, Inc. about "Return on Experience". Get the answers to "the Why this is SO important" questions along with Tim's unique insight on the “How” on this Industrial Talk interview!

AMTD SpiderNet Infinity Power VidCast Series - Ep. 8- What can FinTech learn from Apple?

November 30, 2021

Tim discusses Apple and Xiaomi Technology and what makes them different, how Design Thinking and Lean Startup co-exist and how can Fintech’s standout in a crowded marketplace.

Esquire Neighborhood 2021

November 13, 2021

It's two decades since Apple's first iconic glass cube store marked a shift in the way we saw and experienced retail. Yet the mind behind it, designer Tim Kobe, continues to transform many other brands worldwide, accelerating and revolutionising the industry as we know it.

Form and Function

August 27, 2021

Form and function: the pioneering design and cutting-edge architecture that makes Singapore unique. We speak with Tim Kobe, the renowned designer of Apple's iconic stores, about how Singapore's urban architecture offers a high quality of life, innovative design and rich experiences.

Frontiers Next Wellbeing

Wednesday, May 19-20, 2021

Created in partnership with the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing of the United Arab Emirates, Frontiers NEXT is a cutting-edge, future-centric platform dedicated to shaping the future of Wellbeing globally. This exciting conference will navigate the drivers and developments surrounding Wellbeing towards 2030 and the further future.

After our first edition last year in Dubai, UAE - we are coming back in 2021 with a completely new hybrid format and four new locations: Milan (Italy), San Francisco (USA), Dubai (UAE) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and streaming globally to the rest of the world.

Return on Experience, a Conversation With the Authors

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Join us for an hour-long conversation with Co-Authors, Tim Kobe, Founder and CEO of Eight Inc., and Roger Lehman, Psychoanalyst, MIT Senior Lecturer & Emeritus Senior Affiliate Professor, INSEAD, as they discuss their new book, Return on Experience.

Led by Wu Chen, Managing Director of The Economist Global Business Review, we'll dive into the fundamental belief that design is integral to everything we do and that all human existence has been a result of a progression of successful design outcomes.

Return on Experience is a reflection on the nature of how to see design and to understand the things we create.

TechBurst - The FUTURE of BUILDINGS

Monday, March 15, 2021 

The global pandemic has impacted every industry, but one industry that will face more impact than most is the Real Estate industry. In this podcast panel discussion, we’ll discuss…

• Why it took a pandemic to kick-start innovation in an industry that is notoriously lax in adopting innovation

• Why focusing on the human experience isn’t optional, it’s critical, to driving success

• Work from Home – is it a passing fad or here to stay

• Employee experience & well-being – will corporate empathy last in a post-Covid world

• How what’s really changed is the speed of change

NXTLVL - Return On Experience with Tim Kobe Episode 18

Saturday, March 3, 2021

Tim Kobe designed the first Apple stores and changed the retail landscape bringing a completely different approach to how brands created meaningful relationships with their customers. SKU count and price point were no longer the differentiators - experience was. His new book "Return On Experience" draws on his career creating retail and hospitality places for some of the most recognized brands on the planet. Kobe, the Founder and CEO of his own international design firm Eight Inc. talks with host David Kepron about design for enhanced human experience, creativity, change and building meaningful connections with customers as well as working with Steve Jobs and creating the Apple stores.

Techlead Journal #26 - Experience Design -Apple's Best Kept Secret - Tim Kobe

Monday, February 15, 2021

“Most people confuse a technical capability with technology. Ultimately, technology is a technical capability plus the human outcome that it creates."

Tim Kobe is a design leader, author, and founder of Eight Inc., a global award-winning strategic design firm also widely recognized as “Apple’s best kept secret”. In this episode, we looked at how successful brands build radical impact by creating ground-breaking human experiences with design.

Slaves To The Algo - AI Is The New Electricity

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 

We’ve all heard of the age-old adage of the right vs the left brain. In this episode, Tim Kobe, designer and founder of Eight Inc, talks about a new hybrid model that is revolutionary. That there is no real dichotomy between the two halves, and we should use our entire brain in thinking and shaping customer experiences. 

Similarly, Tim talks about how data and design should not be seen as separate disciplines. He shares a 3-layer model of how to approach human-centered design and value creation: and the core of it is to ensure there is a human outcome. Data privacy and security have become some of the biggest considerations in any business strategy. 

Capco Podcast - Why Experience Eats Innovation for Breakfast

September 9, 2020

Tim Kobe, founder and CEO of Eight Inc., a creative collective and global design studio with over 200 designers and business creatives worldwide, has been at the forefront of designing new experiences for some of the most exciting brands, including Apple, Virgin, Tesla, City Bank and Coca Cola. In this launch episode of CapConversation, Kobe shares insights from over 30 years of service, along with good leadership values, design and influencers.

Rise Hong Kong

Monday, July 8, 2019 9:00 AM
Thursday, July 11, 2019 5:00 PM

CEO and Founder of Innovation and Design Firm Eight Inc.is speaking at Rise Conference in three days and is hosting Roundtable Discussions for Rise and F.ounders Table.

The future of commerce is not omnichannel but MONO-CHANNEL.

The omnichannel approach is old news. Today we are not thinking in physical and digital, it should be a holistic mono-channel experience. Tim will share Eight Inc’s approach on designing a holistic Experience Masterplan and the positive business outcome Eight Inc. created for international clients.

Dubai World Government Summit

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Designing Future Government Services

Eight Inc has a great opportunity to help improve society and to bring design to the forefront of business as well as government initiatives. Bringing advanced capabilities and understanding of human experiences to government is a great opportunity for society. Watch his presentation at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Tim can share more detail on what future government services can look like.

Frontiers Conference - Keynote and Q+A

Saturday, July 13, 2024

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.