What does design mean to me?
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was an ingenious girl who enjoyed coloring with pastel pencils. Seemingly unrestricted by her imagination, she would spend long hours creating flawless portraits. This all slowly faded away when she was a freshman in college….
I am pretty sure I am not the only one who tells a similar story. Somehow as alluded in our readings, fear of being judged as a failure undoubtedly thwarts our ability to be creative.
Let me backtrack a bit, I did not consider myself as having an “ability to design” (Cross, 2011) prior to taking this class. In retrospect, I suffered from an unknown disorder enforced by an invisible “ban- what if I try and embarrass myself”! (Michlewski, 2016, p.107). However, reflecting on week 1 readings made me realize that I held a different idea about design-i.e., what it is and what it does. Although I was aware that most designs are user centered, and adhere to certain pedagogy, I failed to consider that design can be used to learn about the nature of the problem (Cross, 2006), versus just solving a problem. At no point did I see Steven Covey’s principles applicable- that as a designer, I ought to “begin with an end in mind”.
An additional “light bulb moment” occurred when I realized that design need not be a “one size fits all” as it is greatly affected by elements such as beliefs, values, expectations, culture, etc. Knowing about these design traits enables me to distinctly differentiate it from science as it allows me to learn from whatever mistakes I make and design optimally for the future, while being simultaneously being open to change.
I need to point out though that I found it slightly amusing that Lawson & Dorst (2013) seemed to promote the use of “the model of design”, depicted on page 32, figure 2.4. Although they note that the model has been criticized but found to be a legitimate tool for problem solving among designers, I could not help but wonder if design will ever happen without some form of model? It seems (as discussed in class) that the field will never rid itself of models as its seen as a form of validation. Doesn’t that somehow thwart creativity-which in my view is the heart of design? Granted, this is not a systematic process and yes, I am novice in the field…
In any case, Cross (2011) further points out that talented designers often talk “exclusively about the outcomes, not the activities. They talk about the products of their designing, rather than the process” (p.6). I can’t help but wonder if this is perhaps embedded in their training? I seem to be unable to imagine myself talking purely about the outcome and never touching on the process. Irrespective of the exploratory way in which I go about finding the solution, I see a need to explain the process as it helps anyone listening understand how I got to this solution and why I think it’s valid. But, then again, my thinking surrounding this topic may be far from the expected “abductive reasoning” (p.10).
Pondering upon this topic makes me conclude that design is seemingly versatile and situational, thus requires multiple perspectives. In some situations, it will require all stakeholders to have a “designerly way of thinking” (Lawson & Dorst, 2013, p.26) where they will be expected to showcase a “mix of rational, analytical thinking and creativity” (p.28). This may lead to different ways in which we all look at design, while taking into consideration some of the constraints.
Of course, I there will be challenges along the way (as noted by Nelson & Stolterman, 2012, chp. 14). The biggest one will most probably be my inability to differentiate between the “competence gained as a designer and personal character” (p.216). The authors also highlight the importance of understanding design assumptions, situation and willingness to “constantly engage in creation, application and critique of one’s own schemas” (p.224), This to me is very fuzzy. How exactly do I implement this? Is it truly possible that I will be able to objectively separate my assumptions from what I design?