A bunch of questions you probably didn’t know you had an answer for.
Disclaimer: This post contains hidden references to our speakers’ gems of wisdom.
As a graphic designer myself, I think formation plays a big role in terms of progressing as a professional. Courses, workshops, conferences, sharing sessions and more can help us to stay up to date about recent inventions, research and any other relevant aspects of our careers.
I decided to attend School of Startup’s Design Track to have a week full of interesting scenarios to choose from, and to think about design in general. The topics were many, but they all shared one thing in common: relying on design thinking.
Warning! Believe it or not, design thinking is not only for designers to use.
What are we talking about?
When we refer to design thinking, we are talking about a method used to approach and solve problems. We are talking about a human-solution based way of thinking, where we consider every aspect of the problem, from the most obvious one to the hardest one to think of. What makes design thinking different from the usual way of solving problems it’s brainstorming: a unique moment where ideas come out, fear is not an option and failure can happen once or twice.
So basically, it’s all about training our minds to think differently, and asking the right questions. Design thinking comes down to different moments. But before you move on, remember yourself what you do for a living, and after every item, think how you could apply this to your work day.
Defining the issue:
The first thing to do is to look at the bigger picture and ask ourselves: what is the problem here? Is there a need of a solution? Having a real understanding of the situation will help us avoid working on the unnecessary.
Researching
The right time to collect information, but in a somehow unconventional way. When we listen to research we instantly run to our books, browsers, notes and start collecting piles of data. But, is that enough? Data is a must, but it’s also crucial to observe. If we are working with people, we ought to pay attention to their behavior. Are we creating a connection? How do they feel? Is it frustration, anger, confusion? Only then we can reflect on what we are doing. Are we enabling this people to have enough motivation to accomplish their goals? Do we know how capable of achieving this they are? Are we triggering this process?
Brainstorming
Unleash your most innovative, unusual, crazy thoughts and write them somewhere. Let the ideas flow, without following a particular schedule or pattern. Formulate questions that will need to be answered before moving on to prototyping. What behavior are we expecting to stimulate? Are we expecting people to do something for us? For them? For both? However, to avoid endless sadness and rage, keep in mind that your ideas should remain somehow feasible within your possibilities.
Prototyping
It can be scary to get to the actual thing. In design I’ve learned that something can always go wrong, thus you should always plan for the unexpected (or for catastrophe, as I like to call it). From time to time it’s good to take a break and check if something new has come up without us noticing. Every aspect of our solution has to be taken into consideration: looks, execution, result, etc. Are we considering automatic behaviors? How do we prevent actions that could compromise the end result? How do we achieve long-term efficiency?
Implementation
During this step is when we must be true observers. Testing our solution on small scale first might be a good idea. Are people reacting positively? What is their first instinct? Are they motivated to do what you want them to? Does that experience end on a positive note? Integrate this acquired knowledge and if needed, go back to one of the previous steps to improve your solution.
Outcome & Feedback
A lesson learned during implementation is that constant feedback is key. A solution cannot be called so if it hasn’t had our user’s approval yet. Our main goal is to prevent, solve, improve everyday scenarios and we can only do so by learning from whoever is experiencing them. Once an appropriate way has been found, make sure to create a habit.
Some say that the best design is the one that’s barely perceptible because of its simplicity and ability to blend into situations, moments. Design thinking can be applied to our daily lives if we set our minds to. Sometimes all you need is not being scared by it, and saying out loud without even a bit of fear:
