The Art of Seeing Like a Child: My Journey in the Design World
What is your role as a designer? What do you do? This is a question I often get asked and I always find myself having a hard time answering. My holistic view of design has always been difficult for me to explain. I have been thinking about ways to explain my answer and decided to trace back to what initially drew me to design, along with projects I have done trying to connect the dots to communicate my design.
Why Design?
It goes back to when I was a child; I always found myself passionate about art. I was drawn to anything that involved a bit of creativity. From simple things like fixing a chip on my school desk to more complex things like offering to help with creating posters for events. From those days I knew I was a creative person, and I felt energized when I found a problem to solve. I was always the first person offering to help because when I offered to help, it felt like I could embrace my creativity. In a Middle Eastern country where no one truly valued creativity, this was my only way to leverage my creativity. Design and creativity was never seen in a good light in my home country. I was forced to adapt to other things that were considered a success, like aiming to be a doctor. Despite this, I always knew that my creativity was my happy place.
A Fresh Canvas
After leaving my country and entering North American society, I felt I had a chance to be myself. To truly be the creative individual I always wanted to be and have a chance to lead my creative projects. This is why I decided to pursue a career in design. I always identify myself as a critical thinker and I enjoy the process of problem-solving, even if it means creating a problem to solve.
For my postsecondary studies, I came to OCAD University. Where I have focused on basing my practice on the intersection of creativity, critical thinking, identifying unsolved problems and trying to find opportunities to help people by solving their problems. Although I don’t have a singular area of interest, I have a strong passion for designing anything with children in mind. The joy and playfulness that comes with every project that involves kids is what draws me in. I never consciously realized that my true passion was designing for kids, until I looked back at my projects and portfolio. Now it is clear to me that this is where my heart lies.
“When Life Gives You a Cardboard, Make a Castle and a Rocket Ship Out Of It.”-Ababa Tesfaye
An honorable saying that is going to be with me forever. The saying is very simple but valuable because it showcases seeing the world with the wonder and creativity of a child. With just a bit of imagination, something as simple as cardboard can become anything a child dreams it to be.
Small Feet, Big Airport: A Child’s Encounter
Imagine it is 2 am in a crowded airport with long lines everywhere. In one of those lines is a 5-year-old child waiting with their parents to get their boarding pass. It’s a new environment, surrounded by people you don’t know and having to go through processes that you don’t even understand. How did it feel? Well if I were to answer, I would say, I felt scared, I felt frustrated, I felt like I was not sure what was happening around me.
In my opinion, children are constantly overlooked. We often forget to include children in our design process. In design, it feels like the designer focuses on adults without any true consideration for kids. The most we do is ensure the safety of kids, which in my opinion is not enough. The reason why is visible “We are not kids, we cannot think like a kid or see like a kid”. We design airports without considering how a child feels within them or how we might help families navigate this experience. Another example is retail stores, where I often hear parents trying to hurry and finish their shopping as their child cries. In my opinion, including the experiences of children in our designs not only benefits them but can also improve the overall experience for everyone.
These examples are endless.
Journey Quest
During my practice, I have worked on many different projects that involved kids in the process. One of my recent projects, completed with my good friend Annapoorane, was to reimagine the airport experience. We started by identifying the problem, defining our scope and thoroughly examining the airport through the lens of a child. We conducted interviews, recalled personal experiences, and researched what had been done in the past and what we could do for the next step. One insight we discovered was that airports were primarily designed for efficiency, often overlooking many other considerations. Our result was “Journey Quest”, a service that reframes airports as spaces of exploration — turning travel into an interactive and educational adventure for both parents and kids. From navigating through the airport to the in-flight experiences, we believe that every moment is an opportunity for discovery and fun. We designed the experience and reimagined the airport as a quest, where children go on a journey and complete various activities at different touch points of the airport, such as the security check and waiting area. Children collect stamps throughout the journey and become an integral part of the experience.
The project has been an amazing opportunity to think from a child’s perspective and see the world through their lens. This opportunity allowed me to challenge myself as well as enter into the world of joy and creativity that I am passionate about.
The airport is just one example of many places where children do not feel included in the experience. As a designer, I am interested in identifying these gaps and designing solutions that address them while applying my unique perspective to every problem.
Your Turn
To everyone, I encourage you to join me on this journey. Let us look at the world with wonder and curiosity, reconnecting with our inner child. Together, we can bridge gaps, solve problems, and create a future where design is not just for the few but for all, especially for those who will inherit our world.
