To London & Lofts — Thank You!
Have you ever been forced out of your comfort zone for 4 weeks, tasked with fitting two months worth of experience into one, and come out smiling on the other end? I have, and I am better for it!
I’ve always thought that the best thing about Havas is the people who I get to work with everyday, and that was certainly true of my London colleagues. Although it was nearly possible to meet everyone, I really enjoyed the conversations with those I did, the jokes overheard in passing, and the constant rumble of background conversation. I’ll try to bring some of that excitement back to NY where we may not sleep, but we also don’t converse in the office as much. Perhaps there’s a correlation?
I’ll also bring back some new ideas on what a prototype can be. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had been working on a data prototype. Normally, we create a prototype to show an initial interface and test an idea with users. However, this prototype was more of an exploration of what could be done. When showing it to McLaren, it served as the starting point for a great hour of ideation around future projects. I’ve already thought of a few projects where we could use this new approach in NY.
Finally, this trip made me realize that, despite how much it has to see and offer, I’ve fallen into a bit of a routine living in NYC. During 409, 393 recorded steps worth of exploring London and finding new places and things to do was the only real routine I had. This led me up and down both banks of the Thames, through as many beautiful parks as I could find, across new bridges, peering down unique alleyways, and of course into lots of different restaurants and pubs.
As much as it was about taking in all of the amazing scenery, this journey was also a great way to consume the culture. Most importantly, the un-Instagrammable nuances of it. For example, how people interact with each other, enjoy a park in the sun, mind their p’s and q’s (much better than NYer’s), order food and drinks, tell stories, give recommendations, etc. All those things have always fascinated me, and that fascination has led me towards enjoying the work I do. I’ll definitely look forward to returning to NYC with fresh eyes, and a renewed curiosity to explore. Both for personal satisfaction and as a way to better understand the people we’re designing for. It’s something inherent in XD work, but not done outside of a process and out in the wild enough so to speak.
So, to London — goodbye, but only for now!
To NYC — who’s up for a walk?
