About Leidy Klotz
Leidy Klotz studies how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. His research on the science of design has appeared in both Nature and Science, and he has written for The Washington Post, Fast Company, LitHub, The Globe and Mail, and The Behavioral Scientist.
Leidy’s work applies whenever we are designing and problem-solving, whether for climate change, art, parenting, or personal finance. The range of implications of Leidy’s research has been highlighted in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Grist, The Boston Globe, and national newspapers on five continents.
A professor at the University of Virginia, Leidy has authored more than 80 original research articles and secured more than $10 million dollars in competitive funding to support his and others’ work in this area. Recognized nationally as a professor who inspires, Leidy has taught thousands of students, including 21 Ph.D. advisees, whose designing and teaching shape the world.
Before becoming a professor, Leidy designed schools in New Jersey, and before that he played professional soccer.
Follow Leidy Klotz on Twitter.
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less
Blending evidence across science and design, Subtract: explores the other approach to problem-solving: proving why we overlook subtraction, and how we can access its untapped potential
We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings.” We create incentives for good behavior but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new and improved ideas but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract.
Leidy Klotz’s pioneering research shows why. Whether we’re building Lego models or cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches or strategic plans, our minds tend to add before taking away. Even when we do think of it, subtraction can be harder to pull off because an array of biological, cultural, and economic forces push us towards more. But we have a choice―our blind spot need not go on taking its toll on our cities, our institutions, and our minds. By diagnosing our neglect of subtraction, we can treat it.
Subtract will change how you change your world. In these pages you’ll meet subtracting exemplars: design geniuses, Nobel Prize-winners, rock-stars, and everyday heroes, who have subtracted to dismantle racism, advance knowledge, heal the planet and even tell better jokes. These and more guiding lights show how we can revolutionize not just our day-to-day lives, but our collective legacy. More or less. A paradigm shift of a book, Subtract shows us how to find more of the options we’ve been missing―and empowers us to pursue them.
Support this blog by:
- Subscribing to our YouTube Channel.
- Subscribing to our podcast through your favorite podcast app.